There’s no better beach lunch than a sandwich. Cold cuts are meant for the beach. There’s just something about munchin on a cold sandwich on the sand. My beau is pretty loyal to Sal, Kris, & Charlie’s, but Matt was adamant that Sorriso’s was the go-to for our Rockaways excursion on Saturday. I had to test it out for myself and can confirm this is legit. I’m not complaining about having two Italian sandwich spots in Astoria to choose from.
Walking in, I was shocked by how much they fit into a small storefront. In addition to a full deli, there were racks of jarred and canned imported goods. It’s a great little market if you need, say, caper berries. Because who doesn’t need some caper berries? I wish I took pics of the interior, but I was too busy trying to decide which sandwich to order.
I knew right away what to get Albert. I checked the menu and chose the one with the most Italian meats, aka The Godfather. There was provalone, salami, pepperoni, ham cappy, mortadella, roasted peppers and olive and vinegar. For the peppers, I asked them to do a mix of hot and sweet – best of both worlds. I ordered the Sorriso, which had grilled chicken, mozz, and sweet peppers. Matt and Karina split the vegetariano and I was shocked by how many veggies they packed in there. This is the kind of sandwich that would satisfy meat eaters. I gotta tell ya, the vinegar really makes this sandwich. It was better than your average deli oil and vinegar…just something about that flavor. And the bread they use is ideal. We hit some serious traffic so it was probably 2+ hours between when we picked up the sandwiches and ate them and that bread was far from soggy. It was nearly miraculous.
Here’s the main difference: Sal, Kris, & Charlie’s is more like a bodega and feels like a straight up deli sandwich. Sorriso’s has a full market so it feels even more Italian. Pricing is very similar (though Sal, Kris, & Charlie’s is literally double the size) and quality of both is top notch. Albert made a good point that Sal, Kris, & Charlie’s is more like a traditional deli sandwich – like a sub – whereas Sorriso’s is more of an Italian deli sandwich. Both types are necessary in my life.
Peaches to Apples 