Regina’s Grocery
Italian sandwich shop Regina’s Grocery opened this week at 300 East 88th Street, between First and Second avenues. This is the eatery’s fourth location, with two on the Lower East Side and one in Brooklyn.
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Regina’s Grocery is a family business owned by mother and son duo Regina and Roman Grandinetti. Regina grew up in an Italian family in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and the business is the culmination of her lifetime of recipes. According to a New York Street Food article, Regina’s combines the mother’s cooking with the son’s business acumen.
Familial love is at the core of Regina’s, with every sandwich named after a relative: the Cousin Anthony, Big Anthony, Uncle Rocco and the whole gang. Sandwiches range in price from $14-17 and are served on either classic heroes or stirata bread (an Italian baguette).
Frequently appearing ingredients include prosciutto, mozzarella and sopressata (and the Uncle Rocco and Grandma Lucy are both tuna sandwiches). For some visuals, you can find Regina’s on Instagram where they showcase their menu items to their 25K followers.
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Most sandwiches can also come in the form of a salad, which are priced at about the same rates.
Regina’s tries to important whatever ingredients they can directly from Italy. They also collaborate with other local businesses for some ingredients, such as Sullivan Street Bakery and Parisi Bakery for bread and Lioni’s for the mozzarella.
This marks the newest addition to the Upper East Side’s sandwich revolution, with French sandwich shops La Sandwicherie and Le Petit Parisien – as well as fellow Italian sandwich shop All’Antico Vinaio – all opening in the last year or so.
They range above $17 (plus tip), but who’s counting! You might even get a free cannoli while you wait.