Amid Revitalization, Rockaway Beach Boardwalks Boasts New Dining Options
By Siobhan Wallace
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Rockaway Beach is currently going through a revitalization after years of neglect, resulting in tasty boardwalk bites for those basking in the summer sunshine.
No longer do beach-goers have to settle for cafeteria hot dogs and hamburgers, as some of the city's best eats can be found a boardwalk away from the beach.
At Beach 86th Street, you're now greeted with Ripper's, a burger and juice bar opened by the people behind Greenpoint's The Meat Hook and Bushwick's Roberta's. It's one of the few places in New York City where you can have a great cheeseburger, cheese fries, and a beer while looking out at the ocean.
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A quick 10-minute walk to the west brings you to Beach 96th and 97th Street where the largest concession stand is.
You can get flautas from Rockaway Beach's Rockaway Taco--tacos are only still available at their shack over on Beach 96th Street and Rockaway Beach Boulevard--or lobster rolls from Greenpoint's Lobster Joint.
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Po'Boys can also be found within this stand from Motorboat and The Big Banana, as well as more burgers from Commodore East.
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When it comes to desserts, this stand has options from Di'Cosmos and The Motorboat and The Big Banana. The latter sells delicious chocolate-dipped frozen bananas while Di'Cosmos is your place for refreshing Italian ices and soft serve ice cream cones.
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The third in the line of stands lies at Beach 106th where you can get lunch from an outpost of the East Village's Caracas Arepas bar with fresh arepas and empanadas.
Your sweet tooth will be satiated with Steve's Ice Cream. Steve's can be found in pints around the city with such great flavors as Brooklyn Blackout, Strawberry Ricotta, and Blackberry Honey - but it's only on the boardwalk that you can get these flavors mixed together in a cone.
Siobhan Wallace is the co-founder of Blondie & Brownie.
