Your Complete Summer Guide To Rockaway Beach Food 2020 (For Now)

On any other Memorial Day weekend, the beaches at Rockaway would have been packed, the boardwalk bustling, the faces unmasked. Obviously this summer promises to be very different from anything we've seen. But the weather is just starting to warm up, and if you are hoping to hit the beach this season you'll probably want some food and drink while you're out there. Here's what's open so far, and what remains closed.

CLOSED

The boardwalk concessions at Beach 86th, Beach 97th, and Beach 106th remain closed. This means no Rippers, no Caracas Arepas, no Brothers, no Super Burrito, La Cevicheria, Breezy's, Lobster Joint, La Fruteria.

Andrew Field, one of six partners currently holding the contract with the Parks Department for the concessions, told Gothamist that they "have been asking since the beginning of this chaos to provide basic answers for how we can attempt to operate in a safe manner. As we have seen from all top down administrations, no one knows which plan is a good plan. So we decided to sit this weekend on the sidelines, observe people's behavior, and figure out a way to make some renegade magic happen. All of us live and breathe that beach, that boardwalk, and this neighborhood. We will be back."

Also not yet open: Field's legendary fish-taco joint Tacoway Beach at the Rockaway Surf Club ("I didn't get into this business to tell long lines of people how to behave and wear a mask in the hot sun"); his Taco Bay at Rockaway Brewing Company, starring Sarah Peltier and her stellar nachos; and his excellent Thank You cafe near the 116th Street train station, with Donata Orsi running the kitchen, and which Field co-owns with Maribel Araujo of Caracas Arepas renown.

OPEN

There is some good food news off the beach though. Here's what is open: Tracy Oblosky's wonderful Rockaway Beach Bakery is thriving going into its fourth summer and, based on Sunday's samplings, her pastries—specifically, her Sticky Buns and slices of Strawberry Rhubard Pie—remain some of the best you'll find anywhere in the city.

You may not be able to dine inside amongst the deer heads at Whit's End this year, but Rockaway icon Whitney Aycock and his scrappy crew are cranking out a full takeout menu of pizzas and entrees like Pig Butt Bolognese, Pat Roasted Striped Bass, and the Fucking Good Burger. The spicy Salsiccia e Vongole pie, topped with funky sausage and fat littleneck clams, was terrific.

Family-owned Bernadette's is hosting a double header by the beach this summer, with their corner shack on Beach 96th, which served me a fantastic Bacon, Egg, and Avocado Breakfast Sandwich yesterday, and what they're calling the Summer House a couple blocks over at the divey bar Epstein's Beach, where you can get burgers, sandwiches, salads, and, crucially, alcohol to go.

In fact, many establishments along Rockaway Boulevard are now pouring alcoholic beverages into to-go cups and sending you off into the sun, including Connolly's on Beach 95th, home of the peninsula's most potent piña coladas; Sayra's Wine Bar near Beach 92nd, noted for its extra-large sangrias; and RBQ on Beach 98th, where a 32-ounce cocktail in an insulated container will set you back $25.

Or maybe, with so many favorites currently closed, this is the summer you get back to basics. A fried chicken and biscuits picnic from Popeye's, at Beach 84th, always hits the spot. Fat Cardinal on Beach 92nd has a solid selection of oversized cookies. There are plenty of delis in the area where you can grab a good sandwich, like Sorrentino's Market on Beach 100th. And if you're over on Beach 116th, the Carvel there offers four soft serve flavors, including decent renditions of Pistachio and Salted Caramel, and an impressively lengthy menu of toppings.

If you can get out to Rockaway comfortably, know that the beach itself is in great shape. It's wide. It's soft. And for now, it's almost empty. There was a larger-than-usual NYPD presence yesterday, and an army of Parks Department personnel primed to dissuade rogue swimmers (only surfers were allowed in the water) and close congregating, but given the chilly weather and low turnout from about 9:30 to 2:30, there wasn't much for them to do.

One more important note: all the public bathrooms on the boardwalk are open and ready for business.

Previously

• A guide to biking to the beach this summer
• What to expect at NYC beaches this year
• We asked an epidemiologist: is it safe to socialize in the open air?