Any New Jersey denizen will tell you that the taylor ham, egg, and cheese sandwich is a delicacy not to mess with. Most bagel shops, delis, and diners keep it simple: a few slices of taylor ham crisped on the flat top, over-hard egg, and American cheese on a kaiser roll. Salt, pepper, and ketchup typically adorn this statewide treasure of a sandwich. As someone who has eaten many taylor ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches in her life, I can confidently say this is usually the optimal way to consume this particular food.

That is, of course, until I ordered one from Valley Street Eatery.

New kid to the block in Maplewood, Valley Street Eatery takes the place of the old Tara’s Deli, an establishment I’m not sure I ever saw anyone enter in my three plus years of living in this community. Valley Street Eatery is a short walk from Memorial Park and the Maplewood train station, making it a great place to pick up lunch for a picnic or a quick bite while waiting for the train. I had heard of Valley Street Eatery from a community group called SOMA Eats (it’s important to note that this Facebook group has quickly become my GOAT group to belong to and makes me use Facebook every day). Word on the street is the owner of Sabatino’s, a widely praised (and deservedly so) pizzeria just a few blocks away from Valley Street Eatery, opened up this new breakfast-and-lunch joint. Intrigued by its pedigree, I decided to give it a try this past week for lunch and then breakfast.

So, back to the sandwich. I’ll admit, at first I was skeptical of Valley Street Eatery’s take on the taylor ham, egg, and cheese sandwich. Their menu noted that it was pressed between brioche bun halves and an adventurous eater could even get a potato rosti (a Swedish version of the latke) on it. This sounds a bit too fancy to me, and maybe they’re trying to do too much, I thought. But, lover of all things taylor ham that I am, I decided to order it. Reader, believe me when I say that the Valley Street Eatery sandwich is the best taylor ham, egg, and cheese I’ve ever had. Yes, ever. That means it beats Hoboken’s well-known O’Bagel’s version and every other sandwich I’ve ever had, including those from New Jersey’s many well-respected diners. So, what puts Valley Street Eatery’s rendition above the rest? It’s the perfect, sumptuous combination of the buttery brioche roll with the just-greasy-enough insides. The potato rosti certainly elevates the sandwich to distinguish itself from any other in the great Garden State, but it also tastes at home in this tried-and-true combination.

When I visited Valley Street Eatery, the nice woman taking my order highly recommended the breakfast burrito, which comes stuffed with scrambled eggs, avocado, onion, peppers, American cheese, and the refined potato rosti. MDP felt it was perhaps too cheesy (likely due to the sheer gooeyness of American cheese), but found it satisfying. I tried a bite and thought it was delicious.

I also snagged an apple turnover, which may be housemade based on what I see in the Valley Street Eatery Instagram account. This pastry felt like a revelation and I encourage commuters to arrive early to get one before they sell out. It was both delicate and flavorful, with an almost croissant-like pastry exterior and not-too-sweet cinnamon-flecked sliced apples within. Valley Street Eatery also has muffins, although the flavor variety may be lacking for some.

On a different day, we ordered lunch: the kale apple salad and cubano sandwich. Both were satisfying.

The kale apple salad is fresh-tasting and hearty. My takeout container came packed with bright-green kale, chunks of honeycrisp apples, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, and blue cheese crumbles. I added grilled chicken ($5 extra) to round out my dish. I found the balance of ingredients to be superb and particularly liked that they tossed the salad with just-enough of the white balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

MDP’s cubano sandwich looked good and he found it to be satisfying bite, as well. It’s important to note that Valley Street Eatery uses a good hoagie roll as the “case” for their Cuban sandwich, rather than the light, crisp Cuban bread you’ll find at an actual Cuban eatery. MDP felt the bread, which had been pressed, was pretty good but agreed that Cuban bread — such as what you’ll find at La Isla in Hoboken — is preferred. Nonetheless, the actual roasted pork shoulder was tender and meaty, while the sliced ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and dijonnaise formed a delectable complement.

Aside from what we ordered, they have a handful of other specialty sandwiches, like a portobello mushroom one, a fried chicken sandwich, and a double burger. You’ll also find some deli sandwiches on their menu, like the spicy turkey, roast beef and provolone, and chicken cutlet. On the side, you can try their potato leek soup (always a favorite of mine) and their french fries.

You’ll see a few types of bagged chips and soft drinks near the entrance, so be sure to grab these before you order. If the weather isn’t great for a picnic in the park, you can sit at a table inside Valley Street Eatery. According to their frequently updated Instagram, Valley Street Eatery also has chocolate icebox cake — which just sounds so delicious, doesn’t it? — so be sure to get a slice for dessert.

I hope the word spreads about this awesome new place in our community, so Valley Street Eatery gets the love they deserve!

Valley Street Eatery

503 Valley Street

Maplewood, NJ

973-320-9722

Open 7 am to 4 pm, Tuesday through Friday; 8 am to 3 pm on Saturday and Sunday; and closed on Monday (as of November 21, 2021).