Brooklyn is now home to the only Sloppy Joe restaurant in NYC

Do you remember that one skit in “Portlandia” where artisanal entrepreneurs Bryce Shivers and Lisa Eversman (played by Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein) encouraged that everything can be art if you just put a bird on it? Sam Saverance seems to speak the same language. But instead of birds, his mantra is that any food, if you really try, can be Sloppy Joe, uttering the phrase, “You can slop anything.” And slop everything he has, as Saverance has opened New York’s (and quite possibly, America’s) first Sloppy Joe-themed restaurant. 

Saverance is the mind behind Farley's Sloppy Joe's (439 Marcus Garvey Blvd, Brooklyn), Bed-Stuy’s home for everything Sloppy Joe-related. Making its debut in June, the tight, quick-service operation reads like the corner of a 1950s diner with black and white tiles that line the floor and the walls, a handful of red stools inside and tables and chairs outside for sitting and a small window that looks into where the “magic” all happens. You can most commonly find Saverance living his best lunch lady life in the kitchen, spooning up his version of the sandwich on cafeteria trays. 

But of course, your most pressing question right now might just be a resounding, “Why?” Simply put, Saverance was ready for another restaurant he could “go nuts with.” You see, Saverance is already a well-known figure in the dining scene, who, alongside co-founder Liyuwork Ayalew, has been the driving force behind Bushwick’s long-running Bunna Cafe, New York’s first vegan Ethiopian restaurant. But as Bunna Cafe stands firmly in its authenticity, being carefully creative in certain parameters, Saverance was ready to go out of the box, using the nostalgic snack/meal as a jumping-off point. 

“There’s nothing sacred about it,” said Saverance of the sandwich. “It's a goofy, not the most attractive sandwich. But it has a really great personality, because it hits. ” 

Tasked with improving on the joe, Saverance tapped his friend and fellow neighbor, chef Fred Hua of Ridgewood’s Nhà Mình. After trying his first Sloppy Joe ever, Hua got to work, riffing on the original to try to push the sandwich forward. “We have a mother sauce, and we apply it to all of our different Joe’s,” said Saverance. “There’s a base of a mix of veggies—celery, carrot, onion and garlic—and a couple secret things in there to spice it up a little bit.” 

What resulted at Farley’s is a Sloppy Joe menu, seven sammies deep. The Original Joe is just like you remember it, only better. Wrapped in paper in an attempt to keep you and your clothes scot-free, the orange-tinged sandwich is made heartier with its veggie-forward base, with an underlying hint of mustard and Worcestershire, served on a plush Big Marty’s sesame seed roll. Variations on the OG continue with The Cajun Joe, made with a few good shakes of Slap Ya Mama! seasoning and cut up andouille sausages. There’s even a meat-free Vegan Joe with Beyond Meat and tamari on a vegan roll. And if you come with a little one who is new to the 'slop' game, you can christen their taste buds with the Jr. Joe served on a slider. Following its company ethos, you can even slop your hot dog, just pick a sauce of your choosing. 

But Farley's takes this Joe on the road, with takes from around the world. There’s the Mekong, a Southeast Asian mash-up with fish sauce, crab meat and coconut. The Cubano Joe tackles the iconic, layered sandwich, albeit in 'slop' form, mixing in ground pork and cubed ham, with Swiss cheese and dill pickles. Saverance maintains that, in a way, every culture has some form of food that “slops” as customers have already suggested Filipino versions with spam or adobo and Polish alternatives that riff off of goulash. 

“We can ‘slop’ any culture if you try,” said Saverance. “That’s what I love about this venture. To have fun with it, respectfully, but also have a sense of humor with it." 

And if after reading, you've started to feel just that bit of nostalgia for a Manwich, Farley’s is hosting a grand opening party this Sunday, July 27, with a live DJ, new menu items and activities for the kids, so you can get your Sloppy Joe on.