I am neither Italian nor from New Jersey and I am certain that I will never truly understand how good Clemente Italian Bakery in South Hackensack, NJ. After reading all the reviews I just couldn’t believe that any deli was really that good. I mean what can you possible do with a cold sandwich.
Not being from the NY/NJ area visiting an Italian bakery is an experience all in its own. This is a local and non-local favorite for picking up cheeses, meats and other goodies to keep any Italian household running smoothly. Honestly I had no idea what most of the items in were. The cases were filled with olives (so many varieties I was amazed), meats of the cured and prepared variety and cheeses. This section is also home to “salads”, where in the midwest we would have five different kinds of potato salad, these were made of anchovies, veggies and honestly I have no clue on some. All looked delicious but I’m only so brave. To help out the newbs like us there is a large deli sandwich menu. I had seen a picture on Yelp of the mozzarella and after arriving I knew that was for me. I chose sun dried tomatoes and mozzarella, Josh went the same route but added salami.
I have no idea how something so simple could be so good. The flavors were fresh and strong, Josh commented on how savory the meat was. We enjoyed them so much that we went back the next day for lunch. This place is nestled into a more industrial part of Meadowlands Area and a don’t miss. I will admit it was a bit intimidating and the staff is a bit impatient but they are super busy and trying to get everyone served as quickly and as well as possible. I was not offended but I did feel like I was doing it “wrong”. If you are in the area for any reason, make the time to stop.
Dining Out with Two American Nomads 