SOMERS POINT – Joe Buondonno and his wife, Marian, opened their newest restaurant, the Grilled Cheese and Crab Cake Co., at the end of September in what had been the Friend Deli on Laurel Drive. They have quickly developed a following, something Joe Buondonno attributes to hard work, good recipes, and giving the customer what they want.
It is the seventh restaurant he has either worked in or owned in his 34 years behind the counter and in front of the grill.
Together the couple owned and operated the Garden Deli and Madeline’s in Turnersville and the Palm Garden in Williamstown. But while they tried other adventures, the Buondonnos had their eye on the Friend Deli and jumped at the chance when it opened up.
“We get a tremendous amount of traffic going by here since we are just off the parkway exit and along the route to Ocean City,” said Joe Buondonno. He said some of his best customers are the parkway workers.
“These are guys with big appetites, and they come here for their morning sandwiches. I load them up with three eggs instead of two like everyone else, and then I give them plenty of bacon, ham, pepperoni or scrapple and cheese on a real nice Kaiser roll for $2.98,” he said.
“I make it reasonably priced. I want them here every day.”
He quickly developed a reputation for good south Philly-style sandwiches.
“Everything has been positive since we opened our doors,” he said. “We are seeing new faces and new people every day.
The restaurant, situated in a small brick strip along with East Coast Speed School and Loggi International Karate Academy, seats 24.

“We had to get rid of the booths here because we needed more space. Now a party of six can come in, and we move a few chairs around and everyone can talk and enjoy a meal, and that’s better.”
The all-around favorite and Buondonno’s pride and joy are the crab cakes.
“I had a place in Williamstown, the Palm Garden, and a customer returned from a trip to Maryland and told me he tasted the best crab cake and that I needed to get the recipe,” he said.
“We took a two-hour drive, and he talked the chef into giving me his recipe. I use only jumbo lump crabmeat, mayonnaise, some eggs, and it has been years of perfecting it.”
He said that he probably sells 400 to 500 crab cakes a week. The menu lists a crab cake dinner, crab cake sandwich, crab ball appetizer, and he runs specials such as the crab melt sandwich topped with Monterey jack cheese.
The eatery is also known for its Cream of Crab Soup, a rich soup chock-full of jumbo lump crabmeat that is made fresh – and sells out – every day.
There are also a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches – diners can have it with tomato, ham, bacon, or all three.
“We use Texas toast for our grilled cheese; that’s what makes them so good,” said the chef.
There are also deli and club sandwiches, cheese steaks, hoagies and specialty sandwiches such as the French-fried Lobster Tail Sandwich, Fried Shrimp Po’boy Sandwich, and Buffalo Shrimp Sandwich.
They also do catering and offer an extensive party tray menu with everything from wings and hoagie trays to seafood lasagna.
Marian Buondonno’s specialty is baked goods. She used to do baking as the Cupcake Lady, but now her time is dedicated to the Grilled Cheese and Crab Cake Co. and the couple’s five young children.
The restaurant’s bakery showcase is filled with generously sized cookies, muffins, cupcakes and coffee cakes, all fresh baked. This week the case was stocked with butter cake and cinnamon bun coffee cake as well as pumpkin bars and peanut butter and jelly bars with peanut topping, among other goodies.