Click here for Greater Long Island newsletters. Click here to download the iPhone app. Or follow Greater Oyster Bay on Instagram.
The popular pop-up sandwich concept gets a permanent home
[Update: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the originally reported Friday opening has been pushed back to early next week. The article has been updated accordingly.]
A once-hidden sandwich concept that quietly built a cult following inside a Hicksville bakery is finally getting a space of its own.
Smart’wich, the artisan sandwich shop founded by chef Michael Guerrieri, is set to open a standalone location at 98 Jackson Ave. in Syosset, directly across from the Syosset LIRR station. A soft opening is scheduled for early next week.
The concept first launched as a post-pandemic pop-up inside Guerrieri’s brother’s bakery.
“It started after Covid as a pop up inside my brother’s bakery, Francesco’s in Hicksville,” Guerrieri told Greater Long Island. “And then all of a sudden, customers started driving to us from all over the Island, as well as from places like Westchester and Connecticut. I realized these are some serious foodies.”
The demand eventually outgrew the bakery space.
“It got so popular, I couldn’t even do catering anymore because the space just wasn’t big enough,” he said.
The new storefront, formerly home to Tommy’s Tacos, gives Smart’wich room to expand with additional seating, a gourmet juice and smoothie bar and a new salad menu.
“It allows us to blossom now,” Guerrieri said. “It allows us to create and bring Smart’wich to the level where I want it to be.”
Looking back
Guerrieri said the menu reflects his own life journey.
Born in Naples, Italy, he later moved to New York before taking what was supposed to be a quick weekend trip to Lisbon, Portugal — a trip that turned into a 17-year stay.
“This place takes all three of those cultures and puts them between two pieces of Portuguese bread,” Guerrieri said.
That bread, baked fresh daily, has become one of Smart’wich’s signatures.
While the original lineup of 12 sandwiches will remain, Guerrieri said the larger kitchen will allow him to introduce more rotating specials and showcase more Portuguese influences, including imported meats and enchidos, traditional Portuguese sausages.
“I believe in simple and quality,” Guerrieri said. “I don’t believe in items that can sit on a counter for days.”
The menu leans heavily into bold, carefully prepared ingredients rather than traditional deli staples.
“Our most popular Smart’wich may be octopus or our sardines,” he said. “We don’t use canned sardines — they are flown in from Portugal. We pickle them here, we debone them, we marinate them for two weeks before we serve them. I wanted to bring back some of Portugal with me, and people love it.”
While more familiar offerings like turkey and roast beef are available, Guerrieri said Smart’wich is designed to be something different from the typical neighborhood deli.
“There is a deli on every corner, the sandwich has been around for centuries,” he said. “But we are different. Ours is an experience, based on my own personal experiences. No artificial ingredients.”
Even condiments are mostly absent from the menu.
“I’m adding French fries for the first time, and I lost sleep over the fact that I knew I had to buy ketchup,” Guerrieri said with a laugh. “Here, we love to use fresh olive oils for taste.”
“I believe in eating well, and that’s what we do here,” he added.
Smart’wich will be open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Top: Born in Naples, Italy, Michael Guerrieri later moved to New York before taking what was supposed to be a quick weekend trip to Lisbon, Portugal — a trip that turned into a 17-year stay. (Credit: GLI/Andrew Rappaport)
Your Long Island news, delivered.
Subscribe to the GLI Newsletter — its free
