SORRISO

The smiler behind Sorriso as told to the press

Owner Frank DePaola's story comes from two published interviews. Dates below are the article dates, and the quotes are attributed, not re-verified present-day facts.

1. 1966, CALABRIA TO NEW YORK

   Frank DePaola came to America from Italy at age 9, his family from Calabria by way of Massapequa, Long Island. From age 11 he helped at his grandfather's bakery. (Astoria Characters, September 24, 2018.)

2. 1979, THE STORE OPENS

   DePaola opened Sorriso as a butcher shop, later adding prepared foods such as lasagna and rice balls, plus imported specialties. (Village Voice, June 4, 2015.)

3. THE NAME

   The first walk-in customer commented on his smile, so he named the shop Sorriso, Italian for smile. (Astoria Characters, September 24, 2018.)

4. 1993, A BRONX TALE

   The shop catered the film A Bronx Tale, shot outside the store, and the De Niro sandwich was named with his permission. The 2015 piece adds that De Niro sends his driver for the mozzarella. (Village Voice, June 4, 2015.)

Mozzarella made hourly

Fresh mozzarella from New York State cow milk, made hourly in store, and offered as samples.

The Village Voice reported in 2015 that sandwiches go out on Parisi Bakery bread, and that the case holds house-made soppressate in red wine and garlic, black olive and fennel, and orange-zest and fennel, all Frank's own recipes. Red wine and garlic soppressata is on the current online menu at $14.99, and fresh mozzarella at $12.99 for one pound. Online-ordering prices; in-store prices may differ.

Stuffed cherry peppers with prosciutto and provolone, homemade stuffed peppers, and fresh ravioli made by Frank's cousin round out the specialties the 2015 piece names.

The sandwich wall

Heroes with famous names

Scroll sideways through the signatures. The full hot and cold roster follows in the market menu. All prices are online-ordering prices.

The market menu, all sixteen counters

Transcribed from the store's Smore online-ordering portal as listed on September 30, 2026. Prices below are online-ordering prices. Deli-case and in-store prices may differ.

Menu source: the Smore white-label ordering portal at smorefood.com (store dzz0cxih) and the store domain sorrisoitalianporkstore.com, which redirects into that portal. Item names, descriptions, and prices extracted from the portal's server-rendered page on September 30, 2026. No order was placed to verify checkout.

Catering: offered, per directory listings and the shop's film catering history, but no tray menu with prices was found. Inquire by phone.

Visit the counter