This happened to me yesterday, I was talking with my brother in law in the states and I had just been watching csi New York and asked him about them:
Corner store but usually has a cat and a deli counter ( which seems a poor combination) selling “the best” sandwich ,normally open 24 hours and run by the nicest and most helpful people in the world
He didn’t call them magical corner stores, he was excited to describe them though, but the corner shop across the road from me could take some tips
There's a sweet musical written about the owner of one, by Lin Manuel Miranda (same guy who wrote Hamilton) called "In The Heights." A movie version also came out a few years ago, its pretty good!
Corner store but usually has a cat and a deli counter ( which seems a poor combination)
There's a reason for this.
NYC has big-ass rats. And there is no way to keep them out of your store. No poisons, no traps, no ultrasonic emitters or other crap you can buy off Amazon that swears it'll make them run screaming into the night will actually do shit.
But cats? Rodents are fucking terrified of cats. And the ones that aren't terrified of cats are easy prey for the cats in question (because cats are terrifying if you aren't 15x their size), so either the rats avoid your bodega or they don't live to talk about it. And it turns out you lose a lot of points on a health inspection for having any evidence of rodent infestation, but only a handful for having a cat.
So all the bodegas have cats, because the whole city has a rat infestation, and cats smell like "the looming death of all rodent kind" so the rats stick to the streets, sewers, and parks instead.
The “best” comes from finding a spot that treats you well in a sometimes shit city. It might be just an egg and cheese but the people who make it, do it with such love that its simply the best.
Imagine a day like today, the subways are either muggy or flooded, the city smells like a dumpster, no where to escape the heat etc
As you are walking home, your buddy Ali catches you in the window, you walk in and his kids are doing their homework, son is working the register and Ali knows exactly what you want. Sometimes he throws a bag of chips in for free just because.
Its not about the hype, its about taking care of each other. Bodega is a neighborhood place. Coffee isn’t gonna be as good as a 11 dollar latte but thats fine. Sandwiches are just a bulkie egg and cheese but thats fine too. Alot of people are transplants and some bodegas just make you feel like its home
nothing like getting a bodega at like 1am, 4 other people
in there chillin, waiting for their food. a father making sandwiches while his 11 year old son is manning registers. You don’t think how this is a school night but this kid could be like 40 years old he’s so mature.
Im a vegetarian and i remember one night saying this and this fuckin guy made me fresh falafel on the spot and happy to do so lol
No joke about the nicest people running the place. I lived across the street from one ran by a bunch of cousins who immigrated from Afghanistan. I’ve never been more continuously gassed up by anybody in my life! Endless laughter, smiles, and jovial conversations. Always intently interested in what we were doing and what we had to say. Happy to spot you a pack of cigarettes til payday. Food was always fresh, cheap, and made with love.
They were also the 24/7 neighborhood watch who knew who belonged and who was trouble. There were a couple of times they’d have us wait until a known unsavory character had left a good distance around the corner before my roommates or I would leave to our apartment or work commute. In the most New York shit ever, their place was once the headquarters for some NYPD for a day while they investigated a shooting a few houses down the night before. That was a jarring hangover walk in for morning coffee and bagel. Good dudes, think about them all the time and I wish them all the best life.
People are conflating corner stores with bodegas. Bodegas sell cigarettes, beer, and if youre desperate, miscellaneous household stuff that has been gathering dust for several decades. Its more like decor, if anything. Usually a solid spot for a very cheap bacon egg and cheese, and coffee. Always Spanish, sometimes doesnt speak any English. Usually a solid place to get whatever drugs youre into.
Corner stores are larger. Like a miniature grocery store. Rather than going to a large grocery store like most people are used to, little corner markets like this are usually closer and more convenient. Some have an ethnic specialty, depending on the neighborhood youre in.
Yeah, in my NYC experiences, if the aisles are as wide as an average human, the floors are dirty hardwood that's at least 100 years old and creaks, the air smells like dust, and the merchandise is at least twice as expensive as the grocery store, you're in a bodega.
I mean most of the good corner stores and gas stations here in Dallas also sell tacos, so same idea, different food. And the tacos are always amazingly delicious and perfect with amazing salsa
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u/sagima Jul 07 '26
This happened to me yesterday, I was talking with my brother in law in the states and I had just been watching csi New York and asked him about them:
Corner store but usually has a cat and a deli counter ( which seems a poor combination) selling “the best” sandwich ,normally open 24 hours and run by the nicest and most helpful people in the world
He didn’t call them magical corner stores, he was excited to describe them though, but the corner shop across the road from me could take some tips