Run to Rockaway for Panino Bozza
You never had a Sangwich? Come and get one.
I know it’s the end of summer and kind of a strange time to be doing a post on a Rockaway food vendor, but I gotta share this. Now, if you’ve been out to Rockaway, you probably know the food is fabulous; I love Sean and his wood-fired pizzas, Brother's pesto and egg sandwiches, the arepas at Caracas, and of course the fat juicy classic American burgers at Ripper’s.
But this season we got a new vendor, Panino Bozza, from Justin Bozza and his partner Micca who opened this charming and sensational sandwich shop out of an old shipping container on a patch of grass at Beach 97th Street, with a putt-putt course, live music and picnic tables that invite lingering and conversing with strangers. Justin’s menu of gorgeous sangwiches (yes, sangwiches, more on that later) is tidy and delicious, a collection of simple, fresh ingredients stuffed into handmade breads from local folks making dough with love.
Their fledgling business came out of a craving; Justin, who is a musician and event producer, was dying for a good sandwich and could not find one on the peninsula. “I was disappointed I could not find a classic deli sandwich, something I grew up with in Jersey, with vinegar and popping favors and fresh ingredients and decent portions,” he told me. “I was stumped, and I was talking to Micca and frustrated about it. So we talked to friends, threw a menu together and did a pop up.”
The sandwich pop-up, which took place early in the winter of 2024 at Beach 97 Street Concessions, was a resounding success. “Everyone was losing their minds,” he recalled. Rather than continue to do pop-ups, with exhaustive set up and break down, Justin looked for a permanent space on the boardwalk, but was told there was nothing. “The folks who lease the concessions were like, No one’s leaving,” he said. But then, in April, he got a call about a little spot just next to the 97 Street Concessions where they wanted to put a mini-golf course. They needed a food vendor. Justin grabbed the opportunity. And Panino Bozza was born.
The menu has only a few sandwiches, but each one is kind of a masterpiece of flavor and texture. I loved the Herbert Thomas: a thick cut tomato, topped with dill and basil, swiped with homemade mayo, and sandwiched between two slices of toasted quinoa cayenne bread baked in Long Beach by a guy named Ray at the Blacksmith Bakery. It was just fantastic: fresh and bright, juicy and sweet, with the slight crunch of the toasted loaf.
The Guinea Pig is also a beauty, this one on a semolina hero baked at Grimaldi’s in Maspeth Queens. It’s got Genoa Salami, fistfulls of arugula, sliced primo sale cheese, rosemary aioli (the rosemary comes from Justin’s friend Mel), slivers of onion and thick circles of tomatoes. The Boz is another winner: imported Vanatia roast beef topped with mustard greens, lemon juice, EVOO, bel paese, shaved grana padano, and banana peppers tucked inside a Grimaldi’s hero. He also does a fig jam PB&J with homemade peanut butter, and corn flakes (!) on Blacksmith’s Whole Grain Bread. Corn flakes on a PB&J!!! Brilliant.
The vision is not just to serve great sandwiches, but to create a community space. “We want this to be a space to gather and have a chill vibe and a little oasis area in Rockaway with great food,” Justin said. “It’s this little spot that makes you want to come in, and have a romantic experience with your food.”
The sandwiches indeed inspire something akin to romance. You watch Justin patiently layering the ingredients on the bread, adding the cheese, and the olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, the piles of soft herbs and fresh greens, and you see how a sandwich can be, well so much more than a sandwich. Look, I don’t want this to sound too corny, but there’s love in there. You taste that passion and the thoughtfulness in every bite. “The most important thing is ingredient selection,” Justin told me, a lesson he learned cooking at The Grotto in New Jersey. “Ingredients are everything. The most basic thing can become something else. The passion comes from the hunt for the best tomato, the freshest dill, and most beautiful basil.”
Justin says he hopes that the love comes through, because the restaurant is an ode to his grandfather who passed away a few years ago. “We spent every summer down the shore with my grandfather, who is from Jersey City,” Justin told me. “He would call to me from kitchen and say, ‘Justin, come help me make these sangwiches!’” I was like, Sangwich? You mean sandwich, grandpa? And he said yeah, Sangwiches, that’s what I said.”
That’s why you’ll find that Justin’s menu reads, “We serve sangwiches,” not a typo, but a tribute to his grandfather. “This is different from your regular sandwich. It’s to honor my grandfather who said sangwiches and always said, You make ‘em with love.” They do.
Panino Bozzo is located on the Boardwalk at Beach 97th Street in Rockaway.
In August, every day but Tuesday from 12-7.
In September the hours will change as follows:
Monday for events 4pm-9pm
CLOSED Tuesday
Wed Thur Fri 11-2, 4-8
Weekends will be 11-7