Looking for a legit corned beef Reuben or pastrami sandwich? You don’t have to go far to find it now that Mookie’s New York Deli in Cary has established itself as a bona fide, no-frills spot to savor a double-fisted delight. 

Owner Ron Didner opened the restaurant last July amid the pandemic, a move that could be considered both bold and distressing. After moving to North Carolina several years ago, the Empire State native kept noodling on the idea of opening a quintessential Manhattan-style delicatessen. One day, he and his wife, Nina Didner, serendipitously encountered a woman at a local park who asked where she could get a good pastrami sandwich. 

“My wife looked at me and simply said, ‘open it!’” Didner said. “Business has been a bit schizophrenic so far, but people have been phenomenally supportive.”

The deli offers four variations of the classic Reuben, but you can’t go wrong with corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing on rye.

So why the moniker Mookie’s? The deli is named after well-known former New York Mets baseball player “Mookie” Wilson, but Yankees fans are also encouraged to visit. 

The eatery’s sandwich menu features tried-and-true offerings like house-cured, hand-sliced corned beef and pastrami, grilled chicken cutlet, roast beef, salami, chopped liver and more. Four varieties of Reubens are served with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing and house-cut french fries. 

Signature entrees include a half-pound Angus beef brisket burger, a hot open-face turkey sandwich with gravy and fries, and a goat cheese and Fox Farm mushroom salad with dried cherries. 

“A really popular choice is Dave’s Italian sandwich, named after one of regular guests,” said Didner. The delicacy is piled high with prosciutto, capocollo (pork cold cut), mortadella Italian sausage, sopressata (dry salami), provolone, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions with some oil and vinegar for good measure. Be sure to ask for extra napkins. 

Want a bagel imported from Long Island? Try one with Atlantic lox, pastrami gravlax salmon or tuna, egg or whitefish salad. 

Mookie’s bagels are imported from Long Island.

“We do takeout and delivery, but we encourage people to come in and try some of our noshes (aka starters) and desserts,” Didner said.

Speaking of sweet treats, don’t resist the New York cheesecake, black and white cookie or the old-fashioned blueberry cobbler. 

Beer, wine and specialty cocktails are available from the bar. 

“I’m really glad I opened the deli, even though it’s been tough,” Didner said. “Regulars come in and say, ‘We’re going to make sure you get through this.’ It’s nice to see that even during a time of a major pandemic, people really are so supportive.”

Mookie’s New York Deli
1010 Tryon Village Drive, Cary
(919) 900-7770
mookiesnydeli.com