“ My go to and most favorite sandwich shop in the city. They use to have a east 22nd st location in manhattan but now the original in Red Hook remains and continues to be the best sandwich shop. I never tire of it. Great service, wonderful atmophere. Any sandwich here is great but my go to are the meatball sandwich, Italian sandwich, or the roast pork and broccolli rabe with added fried eggplant. All are deliscious, fresh ingredients, and made on the spot. Can't say enough good things about Defonte's. A must. ”

“ Do you like gigantic, delectable sandwiches? Me too. They have them here. I've been eating them for over a decade, and I think this place just gets better every year. It may just be the best sandwich shop in Brooklyn, which puts it in the running for the best worldwide. Defonte's is a simple place. Walk in and figure out what you want. Meatball parm, roast beef, pastrami, roast pork, chicken cutlet, turkey...they do it all right. Any specialty sandwich with the thin slice of fried eggplant is a good call. The Golden Boy (basically a chicken parm with vodka sauce and prosciutto) is phenomenal. The Steak Pizzaiolo is legendary for a reason. There will probably be an amorphous line made up of mostly large groups of construction workers or truckers, firemen or cops, and some other folk wearing various NY sports gear. This means you're in the right place. When you know what you want, step up and wait for someone behind the counter to ask who's next. There are two sandwich sizes, "1/3" and "1/2." Really, these are "large" and "colossal." It's only $2 extra to get a colossal, so you want the colossal. I don't care if you aren't that hungry. Bring it to me, and I'll give you $10 for it. I don't even care which sandwich you ordered. And when you have your sandwich only a minute or two later, go eat it and rejoice. If you don't live nearby, they do have a few picnic tables outside; not great in winter and the view is nothing special, but a little sunshine goes a long way once spring hits. The only regret I have regarding Defonte's is that I can't eat all the sandwiches at once. The Golden Boy is my favorite, but I have to branch out occasionally. Last time I opted for the Italian Stallion, and the guy next to me was eating The Golden Boy. And of course he was so happy it was making me happy. And yet sad, at the very same time. But I dried my tears on my incredible, stacked sandwich, and all was right in the world. ”

“ Love this spot, so much quality and tradition. There are so many good sandwich spots in Brooklyn, so it's not easy to differentiate. Defonte's is a legendary spot in a tough category here. That should tell you they are doing things exceptionally. Forgot to mention we are talking about a business over 100 years old. They of course gave specialty sandwich combos, but they put together whatever you crave. My suggestions are anything including their ridiculous chicken cutlets, roast beef with fresh moootz, Italian cold cuts, and of course their wonderful meatballs. Honestly you cant lose with anything you order. Just remember you're getting a quality stuffed sangweech so they aren't cheap, but a sub can feed two easily. Enjoy, don't miss this spot. Thanks ”

“ This place is magic. I tried the roast pork, as well as the prosciutto and mozzarella, and I'm still raving about it. I made crazy sounds of joy while eating it. The bread is fresh and crispy with every bite. All the ingredients, from the eggplant to the peppers, are top notch. And a 1/3 sub will easily fill you up for hours. This is one of my favorite sandwiches in NYC. I can see why it's been around since the 20s. ”

“ Went all the way to Brooklyn to try their sandwich. Got the firehouse (pro tip: switch the provolone with fresh mozzarella) with a side of macaroni salad and a pickle. The large sandwich was huge and had to take the other half home. The fried eggplant was the differentiator. The ordering process was a bit hectic but it all worked out at the end. There are picnic tables outside where you can sit and eat. Would love to come back and try some of the other sandwiches! ”