Classic Hero Sandwich Shop. (closed)

What can I say about Coney Island? I love the place; born and raised and planning on having my body buried under the parachute jump, right next to Jimmy Hoffa. Although my one gripe about the neighborhood is the lack of good places to eat. In a sea of take-out Chinese restaurants, fried chicken/pizza/halal places stands-out a small sandwich shop called Classic Heros.

Classic Heros is located on Neptune Avenue, a stone’s throw away from the g-d awful tourist trap Nathan’s, and that awful pizza place Totonno’s. The owners of Classic Heros, Adam and Matt, are both from the neighborhood and, just like myself, were sick and tired of the lack of good food in the area. So, they opened Classic Heros.



 

As you walk into the small space, the walls are decorated with old pictures of the cyclone, old celebrities and vintage Coca-Cola signs. A large steam table that holds the days specials takes up most of the space.

Adam and Matt started me off with the special: bowtie pasta with roasted garlic and olive oil, topped with the house marinara sauce and sprinkled with parmigiano-reggiano cheese. The pasta was tender. I got a hint of the  roasted garlic but the olive oil over-powered the dish.

Next, Adam and Matt served me their famous brisket. The brisket is slow cooked for 8 hours and rubbed with all kinds of spices. Adam explained that this recipe has been in his family for years and has become the house specialty. Dripping in fresh gravy and caramelized onions, the brisket was cooked to perfection and the onions were sweet, I wanted more! 

Finally, Adam and Matt made me a sandwich called “The Belly Whopper” ( $9) . I have a special bond with this sandwich. Many years ago there was a shop called Amados, on Mermaid Avenue. It was a really old school Italian deli / Butcher shop, with sawdust on the floor - the whole nine yards. I remember riding my bike there in the summer with a few friends to get a sandwich called The Belly Whopper, which was exactly as the name implied. It fed 4 of us. Sadly, they closed and The Belly Whopper became a distant memory, but Adam and Matt had brought it back to life.

Genoa salami, ham, pepperoni, fresh mozzarella (which, by the way, is made in-house by an old Italian lady in the back), roasted red peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, banana peppers, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and a pinch of oregano – all served on a loaf of fresh, flaky Italian bread. I took two bites and it was 1993 all over again. Adam and Matt had re-created this sandwich to perfection, as if Nick himself had made it.

Recently, Zagat’s put out a list of places to eat in Coney Island and it was awful. Not only did they not include Classic Heros, but they added places to the list like Totonno’s. I don’t give a fuck what you read, Totonno’s is garbage. I haven’t had a good pie from there since the old man passed away in the 90’s. I guess when you have junkies from the neighborhood making your pizza, it tends to suffer. Thankfully, New York Magazine made Classic Heros a critic’s pick ( new york magazine link). So if you’re in Coney Island, skip Nathan’s and Totonno’s, and head over to Classic Heros for a great sandwich.

Classic Heros
1410 Neptune avenue, Brooklyn NY
Phone ( 718 ) 266 - 4376
www.classicheros.com