Hoagie Haven
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Hoagie Haven (also known as Haven or The Haven) is an eatery located in
Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...
, founded in 1974. In 1976, Emily and George Roussos purchased the restaurant and retained the name Hoagie Haven. The store was repurchased from the Russos in 2005 and is currently owned by Mike, Niko, and Costa Maltabes.


History

The store was owned by Emily and George Roussos in 1976 after they purchased the eatery from relatives. They provided an informal dining location for students and residents looking for a quick meal. In 1988, Hoagie Haven sold the restaurant to George Angeletopoulos and Konstantinos Liras under a 15-year contract. The Roussos founded the neighboring ''George's Roasters & Ribs'' in 1993, which they managed until 2005. Angeletopoulos's contract expired in 2003 and they returned to Greece. Emily and George Roussos returned as owners and brought back many features they took with them including a hand-crank cash register from the store's opening. In 2005, Mike, Niko, and Costa Maltabes, relatives of George Angeletopoulos, purchased Hoagie Haven and George's Roasters & Ribs from the Russos. In 2012, the Maltabes opened the
pizzeria A pizzeria is a restaurant focusing on pizza. As well as pizza, dishes at pizzerias can include kebab, salads and pasta. Many pizzerias offer take-away, where the customer orders their food either in advance or at the restaurant and then t ...
, ''Slice Between'', located between the two eateries and currently own all three dining establishments. Subway opened a store on 252 Nassau St. to compete with the Haven. In 2015, the Subway franchise closed, having proved unprofitable. Local news sources cited the Haven's strong customer loyalty and quoted residents who considered the Haven to provide better food at a better price.


Menu

The menu features a variety of items, most of which include hot and cold hoagies, cheesesteaks, hamburgers, fries,
gyros Gyros—in some regions, chiefly North America, anglicized as a gyro (; el, γύρος, yíros/gyros, turn, )—is meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, then sliced and served wrapped or stuffed in pita bread, along with ingredients suc ...
, sandwiches, and soups. Haven offers some specialty sandwiches including the ''Body Bag'', ''Heart Stop'', ''The Bloch'', and the ''Sanchez''. Haven also added several Fat Sandwiches in 2003 inspired by the Grease Trucks stationed at Rutgers University. Among the most popular with locals is the ''Phat Lady'', a cheesesteak topped with french fries and mozzarella sticks in the bun.


Popular culture

Hoagie Haven is a hot spot in Princeton. Many residents and students from
Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
and neighboring high schools regularly eat at the Haven and it remains popular throughout the night. Hoagie Haven serves between 300 and 500 hoagie orders per day and is supplied by
Italian Peoples Bakery Italian Peoples Bakery is a bakery and delicatessen founded in 1936 and located in the Chambersburg neighborhood of Trenton, New Jersey. The bakery expanded to wholesale distribution of products and now serves parts of Pennsylvania and New Jerse ...
. Hoagie Haven was referred to on
The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form from ...
as one of Jon Stewart's favorite restaurants during an interview with
John Popper John Popper (born March 29, 1967) is an American musician and songwriter, known as the co-founder, lead vocalist, and frontman of the rock band Blues Traveler. Early life John Popper was born in Chardon, Ohio. His father was a Hungarian immig ...
. Hoagie Haven was featured in the horror webseries EverymanHYBRID. Among locals, it is sometimes jokingly called "Hoggie Heaven". Hoagie Haven figures prominently in the novel The Too-Brief Chronicle of Judah Lowe by Christopher Carter Sanderson. The novel is sent in Princeton circa 1980. The High School students who are its protagonists often eat there and praise its food.


References


External links

* {{coord, 40.35220, -74.65186, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NJ, display=title Buildings and structures in Princeton, New Jersey Restaurants in Princeton, New Jersey Restaurants established in 1974 1974 establishments in New Jersey