Hoagitos, known for sandwiches and sliders, to open in Point Pleasant Beach

Sarah Griesemer, Asbury Park Press
·2 min read

Hoagitos, a Monmouth County restaurant that got its start with the small sandwiches for which it is named, is expanding to Ocean County.

Mark Spagnuolo, who owns Hoagitos in Belmar and Ocean Township, said the third restaurant will open on Bay Avenue in Point Pleasant Beach, next to Last Wave Brewing Company. There is no opening date yet. The building previously housed a cleaning business, and once construction plans are approved, Spagnuolo will begin transforming the space into a sandwich shop.

"I have always been a fan of Last Wave, and every time I'd go, (I'd think) I want to open there," said Spagnuolo, 38, of Belmar. "People can sit at Last Wave, (order from us), walk across the parking lot, pick it up and bring it right back."

Fried chicken sandwiches from Hoagitos, which has restaurants in Belmar and Ocean Township. A new location is opening in Point Pleasant Beach.
Fried chicken sandwiches from Hoagitos, which has restaurants in Belmar and Ocean Township. A new location is opening in Point Pleasant Beach.

Spagnuolo owns Hoagitos with his wife Emma and brother-in-law Terence McGill, who more than a decade ago dreamed of running a gourmet sandwich shop. The Spagnuolos suggested making small sandwiches after enjoying tapas while traveling in Spain. The idea was for customers to enjoy a few sandwiches — roast beef, meatball, turkey — at a time.

The first Hoagitos opened on the Asbury Park boardwalk in 2013 (it closed in 2018), then a brick-and-mortar in Belmar followed in 2015. McGill added breakfast sandwiches and regular-size fried chicken sandwiches, burgers and cheesesteaks through the years. In 2017, Travel Channel's "Food Paradise" came calling for a feature on his Forbidden Chicken sandwich.

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Earlier this year, a second Hoagitos opened in Ocean Township.

Go: The restaurant will be at 529 Bay Ave., Point Pleasant Beach; hoagitos.com. Hoagitos is also at 807 Belmar Plaza, Belmar, 732-556-6617, and 2005 Route 35 in Towne Center Plaza, Oakhurst section of Ocean Township, 732-686-9181.

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, and for more Jersey Shore food news, subscribe to our weekly Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: New Jersey restaurants: Hoagitos coming to Point Pleasant Beach