Hobby’s Deli In Newark Reopens After 2-Year Pandemic Break

NEWARK, NJ — You just can’t keep a good deli down, it seems.

In a move that has many Brick City foodies buzzing, Hobby's Delicatessen & Restaurant recently reopened its doors to the public after more than two years.

Co-owners Marc and Michael Brummer told TAP Into Newark that their customers never stopped reaching out after they temporarily closed in March 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In the old Hobby’s kitchen, three staff members were squeezed into three feet of workspace – a condition that would have been “morally reprehensible” amid the pandemic, Marc Brummer told NJ.com.

It was expected to be a temporary measure. But as the pandemic dragged on, so did the closure.

“If we didn't own the building, we would've been gone,” Michael Brummer said. “Instead, we decided we had to completely rebuild and redesign our workspace to keep going.”

Some things will be new, such as the ordering process and delivery through third-party services. But according to the Brummers, there will be plenty of the old-school charm that made the deli a beloved institution in Newark in the first place.

According to the deli website:

“Located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, Hobby's Delicatessen and Restaurant has been run by the Brummer family since 1962. An old-fashioned Jewish delicatessen, Hobby’s still pickles its own legendary corned beef in fifty-gallon stainless steel vats, and its potato pancakes are a must-have.”

Hobby's Delicatessen & Restaurant is currently open weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for takeout only as its owners “work out the kinks” of the new operation.

But if the applause on social media is any indication, most of Newark is just glad they're open again.

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