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<\/p>\nWhen Joe Fiore decided to open his first deli, he didn\u2019t look to Manhattan or start from scratch. Instead, he looked homeward\u2014to the Bronx, where he\u2019d spent years running his restaurant Antonio\u2019s Trattoria, and to the traditions that made him fall in love with food in the first place.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to do what we do but on a smaller scale, and get it out there,\u201d he explains, sitting in his car on a quiet Rye afternoon\u2014the makeshift office of a man still settling into his newest venture.<\/p>\n
Just three months old, Antonio\u2019s Italian Deli & Market opened where MKT used to be and has already become a fixture in the Rye community. Locals from the moms\u2019 Facebook groups around Westchester are spreading the word about the fresh sandwiches and hospitality that define the space. For Fiore and his co-owner Laura Vecchio\u2014who brings her own extensive culinary background to the operation\u2014the move to Westchester felt natural. \u201cWe were looking somewhere in Westchester, whether it be Rye or Harrison,\u201d Fiore says, \u201cand when we saw this space, I just loved the little community feel. It felt like a hometown deli.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bronx Difference<\/p>\n
What distinguishes a Bronx deli from a deli anywhere else? It starts with an obsession over details that matter. The fresh mozzarella, made six days a week by Marco Russo, arrives daily on sandwiches still warm from being made. The bread\u2014hero rolls and ciabatta\u2014comes up from Arthur Avenue in the Bronx each day. The cold cuts are imported from Italy. There\u2019s also Calabrese sausage and focaccia for pizza made in the Bronx and finished in-house.<\/p>\n
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If the bread is wrong, the sandwich is wrong. \u201cBread is 80% of the experience,\u201d Fiore says simply. This kind of philosophy separates a deli that\u2019s just functional from one that becomes part of the fabric of a neighborhood.<\/p>\n
But beyond the sourcing and technique, there\u2019s something less tangible. \u201cI don\u2019t want to call it Bronx charm,\u201d Fiore reflects, \u201cbut it\u2019s like, \u2018Hey, how are you? Hey, buddy.\u2019 Like we\u2019ve known each other forever. It\u2019s a really warm kind of attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hot Handhelds<\/p>\n
The Maxx Sandwich, which is a chicken cutlet sandwich that\u2019s fried fresh to order and topped with prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, and pesto, is the clear star. \u201cIt might take you a little to get your sandwich, but when you get it, it just came out of being fried,\u201d Fiore says. Customers are also buying plain fried chicken cutlets by the half-dozen or dozen, a lifeline for busy parents who\u2019ve hung up their aprons.<\/p>\n
The chicken parm with vodka sauce served alongside penne is another standout\u2014essentially two meals in one. Breakfast draws crowds for bacon, egg, and cheese on a club roll. For dinner, there\u2019s fresh Borgatti\u2019s ravioli (also sold by the box to take home), handmade meatballs, and the house-made focaccia pizza with tons of topping options.<\/p>\n
![\"Antonio's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Antonios-deli-sign-rotated.jpg\")
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What\u2019s Next for Antonio\u2019s<\/p>\n
As the dust settles after opening, Fiore is already thinking bigger. He\u2019s planning to expand the hot food area to roll out daily specials\u2014stuffed peppers, stuffed artichokes, short rib dishes, and other old-school Italian classics that can\u2019t quite fit in the current limited space. \u201cToday we have a few autumn dishes, including a sweet pumpkin salad,\u201d Fiore notes.<\/p>\n
The deli is named after his late father, Antonio, who left quite an impression that\u2019s now showing up in the warmth of the place; it\u2019s in how Vecchio knows regulars by name, and in how quickly this little corner of Rye has started to feel like home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I\u2019ve been here for 10 years,\u201d Fiore says, \u201cand it\u2019s barely three months, in the best way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Antonio\u2019s Italian Deli & Market
544 Milton Road, Rye
Website<\/a><\/p>\n