AJ's Kitchen Snags 'Best Of' Victory

The numbers in Patch’s first Best Of Wilmington vote don’t lie. And at , numbers don’t matter.

The Wilmington restaurant, which earned 184 votes this week and snuck past Stop and Go Sandwich Shop’s 125 tallies, earned the distinction “” because of its ingredients and its environment.

“We treat everyone like family that comes in,” said owner Dave Erickson. “When you place an order, we ask for your name. And with return customers, we call them by their first names when they come in. When people come in, they feel comfortable like they’re family. No one is just a number.”

In addition to their strong showing in our Patch poll, also received many complements in the comments section of the article.

Carolyn Blair made her selection based on the great food, and also another factor.

“AJ’s Kitchen gets my vote,” she commented. “Not only do they make delicious sandwiches, calzones, pasta and pizza, but they are so generous and give back to the Wilmington community.”

One thing that helps AJ’s stand out is the . Erickson said his restaurant makes all of its own bread, and hasn’t cut the quality of their products even with the rising prices on the market.

That approach paid off for Patch reader Danielle, who sang AJ’s praises in the comments section.

“Since AJ’s has been in town they are the only place I will go,” she said. “How can you beat fresh made bread and subs packed full of delicious ingredients? You can’t!”

This local eatery is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., so be sure to check it out for yourself. And be certain to review AJ’s Kitchen and all of the other businesses in town in the Patch Places section of our site.

Next week, Best Of returns as we ask you to choose to top car repair shop in Wilmington. Check back Monday to see your choices and make your vote. 

Congratulations to AJ’s Kitchen, the winner of the first ever Best of Wilmington.

“We’re so excited,” said Erickson. “We saw how many votes were coming in, and we were really glad to see the outpouring of support from our customers.”