“It was time for a home base,” says Chef Joe Defeis, who opened Sloppie Joe’s Slop Stop, a brick-and-mortar location of his popular Sloppie Joe’s food trucks in Yonkers in June. Defeis, who grew up in the area, opened across the street from Empire City Casino to offer something affordable that was also totally unique to Yonkers.
Having never made a Sloppie Joe before launching his first truck in 2017, Defeis worked tirelessly on creating the perfect recipe. He ran months of blind taste tests against the standard Manwich until his girlfriend chose his sandwiches as the superior of the two. Then, he went around to local businesses doing the same, refining the recipe that would become his flagship Average Joe sandwich, made with 100% Angus ground beef.
The new stand is primarily takeout, which is also available via delivery services, including Grubhub. Two vibrant tables on a faux-natural patio, a tiny oasis in a concrete jungle, comprise the only seating.
Favorites from the truck likes the Slop, Drop & Roll, boasting a plethora of fiery toppings — sriracha mayo, pepper-jack cheese, jalapeños, hot sauce, and a jalapeño popper — are available at the stand. (Meat lovers, get your hand-cut fries served Sloppie-style, with saucy beef piled on top.) But the menu has also expanded to feature other sandwiches, including grilled and crispy chicken, and burgers. The over-the-top Big Sloppie chicken sandwich dons a runny egg, applewood-smoked bacon, cheese sauce, fried mac ’n’ cheese bites, and a tangy secret sauce.
When it comes to desserts, Defeis takes pride in his homemade milkshakes. Half a dozen flavors and weekly specials include the mocha made with Café Bustelo coffee, and the popular Caramel Churro, complete with two full-sized churros.
As for what’s next, Defeis still has a lot of ideas, from expanding his menu with items such as turkey-based Sloppie Tom’s and vegetarian-friendly Beyond Meat versions, to bottling his own sauce for sale, and opening a sit-down restaurant and milkshake bar. “This could happen in six months or six years,” he says. “There is no answer, but I know it will happen. I just don’t know when.”
Sloppie Joe’s Slop Stop
541 Central Ave
Yonkers
914.573.6469
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