Teitel Brothers

"Teitel Brothers was founded in 1915 by two Jewish brothers who realized, with the increasing area population of Italian immigrants, they ought to be stocking things like olive oil, salt cod, canned tomatoes, and cheeses. Those products, along with domestic salamis and imported prosciutto, still line the shelves and spill out onto the sidewalk of this small and ancient-looking corner store." - Robert Sietsema, Missy Frederick

"This Italian grocery store on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx is small, and packed with big chunks of parmesan and pecorino, as well as nuts, olive oils, and hanging pork legs. In other words, it smells incredible. So even if you know you’re just here for a jar of mackerel fillets or a box of imported chocolate, pretend to read some pasta labels, and roam around for a while." - hannah albertine, nikko duren

"Take a walk down Arthur Avenue in the Bronx’s Little Italy and pay a visit to this family-owned business since 1915. There’s a selection of sardines, and more importantly, Sicilian anchovies — a staple in Southern Italian cooking — perfect for topping pizzas, melting into a sauce, or for whipping up a classic Caesar dressing. While not tinned or jarred, one of their more unique products are the loose, salt-packed anchovies that are sold by the pound." - David Neimanis

"Most people wouldn’t think twice about the idea of a family-owned Italian foodstuffs importer in the Bronx’s “Little Italy” sustaining a devout following for over a century, but the mosaic Star of David at the foot of this store’s front door has a story to tell. Teitel Brothers is an Italian grocer founded by Austrian-Jewish immigrants that’s become a key part of New York City’s beating Italian heart. The original Teitel brothers, Jacob and Morris, arrived on Ellis Island in 1912 to a New York in transition. Italians were flooding the newly sectioned Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx, where the brothers found comfort in the handful of Jewish families in the area. Still, they learned Italian before they learned English. Abandoning their lives as tailors in Europe, the brothers sensed the needs of the neighborhood and opened an Italian grocer in 1915, moving their families into the apartment upstairs. Catering to the Italian-American schedule quickly separated them from their Orthodox Jewish roots: Long lines for their affordable goods imported straight from Italy often kept the Teitels working until 1:00 a.m. on the Sabbath. When lines grew overwhelming, Jacob would bang on a steam pipe for his wife to come down and help. As fascism stretched across Europe with the onset of World War II, the family’s religion came into the spotlight. Their landlord insisted if people knew they were Jewish, they’d lose customers. Jacob laid a Star of David in mosaic tiles at the foot of the store’s entrance to prove him wrong. A century later, with the business a cornerstone of the Belmont neighborhood, he’s still wrong. Today, folks in need of authentic Italian cuts of cured meat, chunks of fragrant cheese, bags of pasta, or any number of niche Italian beans, oils, vinegars, and spices come from all over the tri-state area to Teitel Brothers for their offerings that literally spill out onto the sidewalk. The store has become such a fixture that the city renamed a section of 186th street “Teitel Brothers Street.” The new brother-owners, Jacob and Morris’s grandchildren, still speak Italian. And they’re closed for all Jewish holidays. Know Before You Go The store is closed on Sundays and Jewish holidays." - lukefater

"Teitel Brothers, founded in 1915 by a pair of Jewish siblings with the intent of selling Italian staples like salamis, olive oil, canned tomatoes, cheese, and kitchenware. The store is a walk back in time, and still operated by the same family." - Robert Sietsema