Malavita Stuffs Secretly Sourced Bread with Classic Italian-ish Combos in Greenpoint

By Scott Lynch

Malavita is located at 614 Manhattan Avenue, between Naussau and Driggs Avenues, and is currently open from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily

Keith Pulitano, the chef and proprietor of the brand new Greenpoint sandwich shop Malavita, has lived in this part of North Brooklyn for about 15 years now, currently in what he calls “the Italian part of Williamsburg,” near Graham and Jackson.

“I’m so happy to open this close to home,” he told Brooklyn Magazine. Understandable! Pulitano opened his first restaurant, El Vino Crudo, in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, after his work as a union painter dried up in Brooklyn during the early part of the pandemic. But Pulitano hurried back, entrusting the Old San Juan spot’s operations to partner Amianka Suraez, when a prime Manhattan Avenue space opened up a year ago. “I missed Brooklyn,” he said. “Plus, I’m a real townie, going back and forth all day on the same strip-hopefully people know I have somewhere to go, and I’m not just losing my mind!”

Photo by Scott Lynch

Whatever the locals may think of his wanderings, they should know this: Malavita is serving some killer sandwiches right out the gate. And though the menu will certainly be familiar to anyone who’s ever eaten at a NYC Italian deli, these versions of classic combos really nail the form: fresh ingredients, nicely balanced, loaded with love.

The bread—a secretly sourced sesame seed roll, dense and chewy enough to support whatever gets piled within, but soft enough that things don’t explode out the sides with every bite—seals the deal. It’s perfect, and out of reasonable concern for his supply, Pulitano coyly refuses to share where he gets it. “I spent so much time finding this bread, I ate bread from every bakery that exists, so I can’t publicly state. Which doesn’t stop guys from guessing…”

The Rockaway, with mortadella, salami, and hot soppressata, $19 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

I tried three varieties on my first visit. “The Rockaway” piles on mortadella, Genoa salami, hot soppressata, and provolone, with pepperoncini, pickled onions, and shredduce on top. “I called it the Rockaway, because it’s like a beach sandwich,” Pulitano said. “You put it in the cooler, and it gets better over time.” He’s not wrong. This thing was plenty good when he first gave it to me in the afternoon, and outdid itself the next night at home, when I dove into the leftovers.

The Linda, with eggplant, ricotta salata, and roasted peppers, $18 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

The Tonno, with capers and tomato, $16 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

“The Linda,” named after Pulitano’s mom, is a fine eggplant sandwich, the breaded nightshade dusted with ricotta salata and given some zing by the roasted peppers. The stealth winner of my meal might have been “The Tonno,” though—just some textbook tuna salad, pepped up with capers, tomato, and onion.

There are lots of other, mostly meaty, options as well; “The Metro” co-stars roast beef and fresh mozzarella, “The Piccante” pairs hot and sweet sopressata and slathers them with a spicy spread, and “The Speck” combines the smoky headliner with gorgonzola and peach jam. All of these, however, make for prime picnic supplies, whether in nearby McCarren Park or on the chill back patio, which is almost ready for action. There’s also a bunch of seating inside if the weather isn’t cooperating.

(Photo by Scott Lynch)

Bonus: after a year of waiting, almost literally to the day, Pulitano just received a wine license, and told me he plans on “building out my list with a mix of weird esoteric French producers that don’t have running water or power, everything made organically, biodynamically, and with really low intervention, but varying in styles.”

And if it seems strange to buy a bottle of wine to go with your tuna sandwich, you can wait until Malavita unveils its special nighttime menu later this year, for which Pulitano plans on bringing up the chef from his place in Puerto Rico.

Mostly, he’s just stoked to open and feed his neighbors. “Opening was the biggest relief,” he said. “It took forever to get to this point. Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. So, it feels great that I can finally focus on all the things we have planned—more of the fun stuff. Honestly, at one point during the build-out, I forgot about the food. Like, this is not about installing shelves. It’s not a shelves place. It’s a food place.”