Colts Neck's Mambo Italiano makes focaccia sandwiches, Sicilian specialties
Next time you find yourself hungry and in Colts Neck, make your way to The Orchards plaza.
The strip mall at routes 34 and 537 has bagels, coffee, pizza, Spanish cuisine, Mexican food, ice cream — and as of a few months back, an Italian sandwich shop and cafe called Mambo Italiano.
Owner Anthony Bruno, 55, is a Brooklyn transplant who has spent nearly 30 years in the restaurant business. When he moved to New Jersey several years ago, he found himself missing the food he was used to.
"We're spoiled," he said of his former home. "You have everything 15 minutes away. You knew which bakery opened at 6 and had the best bread. I never bought cold cuts from the grocery store. You had the delicatessen."
More: Jersey Shore Restaurant Week is back, with lunch and dinner deals at more than 60 spots
Bruno — who got his start in the pizza business and has owned restaurants serving Italian and Mediterranean food, as well as lounges and nightclubs — and business partner Stefany Amedrano, 29, converted a shuttered Subway into their Italian sandwich shop.
Mambo Italiano, which opened in December, also stocks pasta, sauces and Italian sodas; brews Lavazza coffee; and sells pastries brought in from New York.
The menu centers around sandwiches made with imported cured meats and house-roasted turkey and beef on fluffy focaccia. There are nearly a dozen signature sandwiches, including the Stallone, piled with hot and sweet soppressata, cherry tomatoes, burrata, pepperoncini and basil pesto spread; the Dean Martin, with imported prosciutto, burrata, arugula, tomatoes and Italian fig spread; and the Devito, with Italian tuna, black olives, arugula, red onion, tomato and mayonnaise ($15 to $25).
More: Here's everything you need to know about Jersey Shore farmers markets
"Our signature bread is focaccia, and all the bread is baked here," said Amedrano, adding that customers can purchase the focaccia as well as semolina and French bread, and that gluten-free bread is available.
A few menu items on the menu are Sicilian, a tribute to Bruno's family's roots in Palermo and the years he lived there as a child. These dishes include rice balls and fried chickpea fritters called panelle, which are spread with ricotta ($5 to $15).
Bruno and Amedrano also make chicken cutlets, fried and grilled eggplant, sausage and peppers, and meatballs —all of which can be tucked into sandwiches or purchased by the pound.
"It all is made in small batches, and fresh," Amedrano said.
"From A to Z, you get a product that's fresh, top to bottom," Bruno said.
Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com, follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Colts Neck: Mambo Italiano makes focaccia sandwiches, specialties
