Photos: Salty Lunch Lady
Dria Atencio always dreamed of opening up her own sandwich shop and now that dream is a reality. After earning her chops as a line cook at Sorella, Atencio took her cooking and baking skills on the road with several popular pop-ups. Now she has her own place called the, Salty Lunch Lady’s Little Luncheonette, in Ridgewood, Queens. Atencio telling Cititour, “It’s just been nuts” as they work to extend hours and deal with customer demand.
On her Instagram page she thanked everyone who helped get her here, “I've only ever wanted to own a sandwich shop. I've worked the past 14 years in this industry in NYC, and from the very beginning, it's always been this. Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way, for giving me a chance, listening to me, hugging me, feeding me, partying with me, teaching me, tolerating me bitch, watching me cry, laughing with me, laughing at me, giving me advice and eating my food. Thank you, thank you thank you.”
Diners can expect to find some highly praised homestyle cooking ranging from Green Eggs (Green goddess deviled egg salad, dressed watercress) to Chicky (Giant smashed herby chicken meatball, Bulgarian feta, charred onion, arugula, smoked paprika aioli) and Fancy Bologna (Mortadella, sharp provolone, pickled chili relish, shredded escarole, garlicky mayo).
Atencio is also known for her standout desserts. The opening menu includes Chocolate Layer Cake with dark choc ganache, peanut butter frosting, candied peanut crunch; Coconut Funfetti Cake coconut milk creme pattisiere, frosting plus sprinkles; and Salted Brown Butter Dark & Milk Choc Chip cookies.
Salty Lunch Lady’s Little Luncheonette is located at 565 Woodward Ave, Ridgewood, NY. For more information, visit https://saltylunchlady.com/
