Middletown Deli Aims To Return Feel Of Corner Market

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to correct an error. The previous version stated Fabio Loduca was an owner of Johnny Longhots, but a misunderstanding occurred. Fabio Loduca was an employee at the restaurant.

Husband-and-wife team Fabio and Krysteena Loduca prepared orders as the patriarch of the family, Salvatore Loduca, prepped behind the counter at The Deli by Langhorne Brewing Company on a recent afternoon.

The family was working in their deli along West Maple Avenue at North Buckthorne Avenue in Middletown Township’s Langhorne section. It is a family-owned and -run business.

The goal, the family said, is to make their customers to feel like they are part of the clan.

Fabio Loduca, who worked at Johnny Longhots in Fairless Hills with his brother, greeted customers as they walked in and placed orders on a recent afternoon.

Krysteena Loduca stood a few feet away grilling up meat for warm sandwiches.

“We want this to be a mom and pop feeling,” Fabio Loduca said. “We want this to have that warm, welcoming, apple pie American feeling. We want to bring back that old-school feel.”

The deli, which is affiliated with neighboring Langhorne Brewing Company but owned by the Loducas, opened in October and has seen its customer base grow through positive word of mouth comments.

Jeff Simeone, who lives in Philadelphia but works up the street from the Middletown Township deli, stopped in on a recent afternoon to grab a sandwich.

Simeone said the deli reminds him of a similar businesses in the city and said it was the “most authentic place around.”

Fabio Loduca explained that the deli specializes in breakfast foods, sandwiches, roast pork, cheesesteaks, longhots, and other staples. Fabio Loduca, a Brooklyn native who lives with his family in Bensalem Township, said one item he thinks he has perfected is a Reuben sandwich.

“I’m an Italian who perfected a Reuben,” he said with a chuckle.

The deli also has games of skill, sells lottery tickets, and offers some types of cigarettes, but the owners aren’t relying on those items to pay the bills.

“We’re here to be a deli,” he said of the business that is open in the mornings and afternoons.

The Deli by Langhorne Brewing Company has their own brand of soda sold in glasses and in six packs.

“The kids absolutely love them,” said Fabio Loduca.

The Loducas are proud to offer a deal where a customer pays $12 and a meal for a veteran in need will be paid for.

So far, the Loducas have seen many veterans coming in purchasing meal tickets for their brothers and sisters who may need a helping hand.

“The veterans deserve this,” Fabio Loduca said.

The Deli by Langhorne Brewing Company building was previously a convenience store that closed before the Loducas began their total renovation of the space. Prior to that, it was a gas station that sat along West Maple Avenue for years.

In the future, the deli may collaborate with the brewery next door. The Loducas are friends with the owner.

Fabio Loduca explained that running the deli has been hard work but it has been rewarding.

“It can be tough at times,” he said. “But I’m blessed to be working with my wife and dad.”

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