Working from a Coffee Shop: Big Mike’s Little Red Store in Atlantic Highlands, NJ

February 13, 2020 newjerseyisntboring

Technically this post should be called “Working from a Deli”, but Big Mike’s Little Red Store in Atlantic Highlands gets an exception because they serve excellent coffee, there’s free WiFi, and there’s plenty of seating. This makes this place the perfect spot to work (which. I did, for over 4 hours).

Big Mike’s Little Red Store is the brain child of executive chef and owner Mike Metzner. They’re located in the landmark Navesink red building, originally a general store that dates back to 1885. They offer breakfast & lunch sandwiches, baked goods, snack, fresh salads, grab & go meals, and catering. And of course…coffee.

All food is made in house include their soups, house roasted roast beef and turkey, bakery items and more.

Beverage #1: Jamaican Coconut Coffee

The store offers coffee from local roaster Davan Espresso located in Forked River. During my visit they also had nitro cold brew, a medium Guatamala roast, a dark Sumatra roast ,and regular decaf.

Because I arrived early, I ended up grabbing breakfast at Big Mike’s Little Red Store and I’m so glad I did. I ordered the “Jersey Lite”, a breakfast sandwich made with egg whites, homemade turkey sausage, spinach, and tomato salsa served on a multi grain roll.

They have plenty of breakfast options including pork roll sandwiches, the “Poppa” named after Mike’s grandfather (Charred Bologna, Two Egg Cheddar Omelette, Potato Pancake, Red Store Ketchup, Hard Roll), etc

Beverage #2: Red Store Iced Tea

The popular Red Store Iced Tea is made with black tea, mint, lemon, and honey. It’s very tasty.

Because I stayed until lunch time I knew I had to order one of the many sandwiches that had been tempting me since my arrival. (Their sandwich of the day was a short rib grilled cheese)

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Short rib grilled cheese, Swiss cheese, provolone, butter toasted white panini #bigmikeslittleredstore try it with a cup of our tomato bisque

A post shared by Big Mike’s Little Red Store (@bigmikes.littleredstore) on Oct 30, 2019 at 9:07am PDT

Big Mike’s Little Red Store Deli goes the extra mile than your average deli while keeping the same traditional deli prices. Their meat has no preservatives and mostare roasted in house. They also make their own mayo, salad dressings, and their popular homemade ketchup.

I ordered the “My Cousin Vinny” made with chicken cutlers, aged provolone, heirloom tomatoes, arugula, balsamic glaze and olive oil on semolina bread.

GAME CHANGER! Amazing!

Other sandwiches include the Queso Blanco (Grilled Cheddar, American, Aged Provolone, Bacon, Seared Multigrain Bread), Cuban (Mojo Roasted Pork, Ham, Pickles, Swiss, Mustard, Toasted Bread), Creole Grilled Chicken, Nashville Hot Chicken (Fried Chicken, Guajillo Chili Oil, Ranch Dressing, Pickles, Potato Bun), and their vegetarian black bean burger. They also have traditional deli sandwiches.

I also recommend their chocolate chip cookies.

On the weekends Big Mike’s Little Red Store hosts a five course family style pop up dinner. The BYOB dinners are served on Fridays and Saturdays, with limited seating available. Each Monday the dinner theme is revealed and range from New Orleans style, Chinese Take Out, Mexican Street Food, and more. Mike cooks every dish that comes out so you know it’s going to be special.

In keeping with their general store roots, they also sell local products like Oak Hill Farms honey from Middletown and mushroom jerky from Smiling Earth in Long Branch.