Bari Pork Store

ITALY 🇮🇹

There are not many greater experiences in the food world than walking into an old-fashioned salumeria. While Bensonhurst is a neighborhood that has been rapidly changing, Bari Pork Store has obviously made no concessions to any new residents and remains exactly as it must have been two or three decades ago.

The self-anointed "King of the Sausage" is even missing the letter I from its sign, something that I would wager happened in the 1970's. If the door is open you can smell the fresh meats outside, but walking in reveals a world where every square inch is taken by product of some form. It's really an amazing overload of your senses, with hanging meats, hot prepared foods, dry goods, and every other imported product a good Italian-American might need.

If you half know what you want, the guys here will treat you nicely and with professionalism, but do be warned that they are not the type of people that have time for the inquisitive wanderers. That being said, you can take a self-guided tour of the tiny shop easily enough.

I selected a small container of olives from a tray of six or so. All varieties are $5.99/lb, and the small container runs $3, rounded off for your convenience. I also could not resist the tray of arancini (75 cents, below), which I was warned were vegetarian. No matter, I took four and asked for them heated up.

While I do prefer the arancini with ground beef and tomato sauce, these were good, a creamy mix of rice and cheese on the inside. The outer layer is thin and delicate, fried to perfection.

They also make a range of deli sandwiches which are probably great, as they almost always are in a salumeria. The meats and cheeses have no choice but to be fresh, and the guys know exactly what they are doing with oil and vinegar proportions.

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BENSONHURST Brooklyn

6319 18th Avenue

GRAVESEND Brooklyn

158 Avenue U