EASTON, Pa. — An Italian deli known for its massive, hand-crafted sandwiches is continuing to grow its presence in the Lehigh Valley.
Ciao! Sandwich Shoppe, which opened its original location in October 2020 at 12 N. 3rd St. in downtown Easton, on Saturday debuted its third location at 325 Cattell St. in Easton’s College Hill neighborhood.
- Ciao! Sandwich Shoppe on Saturday opened its third Lehigh Valley location in Easton’s College Hill neighborhood
- The business offers specialty and create-your-own sandwiches, salads, rice balls and more
- The partners are planning to offer late-night hours – probably 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays – beginning in a few weeks
The College Hill outpost, featuring seating for about 20 customers, occupies a renovated space that previously housed another eatery, The Kettle Room.
Ciao! co-owners Isaac Csezmadia and Anthony Martelli are serving up the same expansive menu that includes rice balls, salads and more than a dozen specialty sandwiches.
Piled-high picks include “The Gotti” (genoa salami, pepperoni, sopressata, capocollo, prosciutto, ham, fresh mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, roasted peppers, oil, vinegar and balsamic glaze); “Mazel Tov” (pastrami or corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing); and Larry Holmes-inspired “Easton Assassin” (turkey, aged provolone, lettuce, tomato, black olives, sweet peppers, Italian dressing and oregano).
The business’ top sellers are “The Italiano” (deluxe ham, Genoa salami, capocollo, pepperoni, aged provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, red pepper relish and oil and vinegar) and “The Babe” (grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil and balsamic glaze), Martelli said.
Specialty sandwiches are $10 to $13.
“It’s the same menu, but we’re adding a few more items because we have a full kitchen."Anthony Martelli, co-owner of Ciao! Sandwich Shoppe
“It’s the same menu, but we’re adding a few more items because we have a full kitchen -– like fried ravioli and fried chicken cutlet heroes,” Martelli said. “We have more of a variety of rice balls, too.”
Ciao, which opened its second location this summer at the Downtown Allentown Market, calls its sandwiches “heroes,” not hoagies.
Nevertheless, it recently won “best hoagie” in Lehigh Valley Style’s Best of the Lehigh Valley 2022 contest.
In addition to signature varieties, a create-your-own sandwich option, starting at $8.50, also is available.
Customers choose their meat or other main ingredient (bologna, Buffalo chicken, roast beef, tuna salad and more) and bread, roll or wrap (kaiser roll, semolina hero, wheat wrap and more).
Add-ons include spreads such as hummus and avocado; cheeses such as aged provolone and Vermont cheddar; and toppings such as bacon, banana peppers and jalapeno.
Other offerings include salads such as antipasta and caprese; rice balls such as cheeseburger and Sicilian; and desserts such as cannolis and cheesecake crunch cones.
Hours at the College Hill location are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., but the partners plan to also offer late-night hours -– probably 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays –- beginning in a few weeks, Martelli said.
Ciao! joins another newly opened College Hill eatery, Miss Jackson’s Kitchen, which offers a Southern-inspired menu that includes fried chicken and waffles and shrimp and grits.
The fast-casual Miss Jackson’s, which opened in September on the ground floor of Lafayette College’s McCartney Residences, is owned and operated by husband and wife Juan and Melanie Martinez, who also run five Don Juan Mex Grill locations throughout the Lehigh Valley.
