Brooklyn Rolls to open in former Abe’s Place with bagels, knishes, sandwiches & more

Brooklyn-style sandwich shop and Italian restaurant Brooklyn Rolls announced plans to open at 1628 E. Sixth St.

Jack Ryan, owner of Brooklyn Rolls, lived in Brooklyn for 35 years.

“It’s Brooklyn in a place where you wouldn’t expect Brooklyn,” Ryan said. “And everyone is so excited because you do knishes.”

The 2,600-square-foot space previously housed Abe’s Place and J’s Chicken & Waffles. The 1,600-square-foot space seats 47. The bar seats 10. The decor will feature New York-themed jokes and puns, such as this quote from comedian Mitch Hedberg:

I hate sandwiches at New York delis. Too much meat on the sandwich. It’s like a cow with a cracker on either side. ‘Would you like anything else with the pastrami sandwich?’ ‘Yeah, a loaf of bread and some other people!’

Menu items include bagels shipped from Brooklyn, bagel sandwiches, espresso, lox bagels, salads, pastas, rice bowls, calzones, knishes, and rolls (sandwiches). Prices range from about $3 to $14.

“You’re going to see the meats,” Ryan said. “Roast beef that we make ourselves. Homemade, handmade, or imported. It’s an artisan sandwich.”

Brooklyn Rolls also features the egg cream, a Brooklyn specialty.

“It has nothing to do with eggs,” Ryan said. “It’s sugar syrup, either vanilla or chocolate, with milk and club soda, or as we say in NY, a seltzah, stirred into a frothy cream. It looks like a meringue-type consistency.”

New York desserts will also be a draw.

“We make our own New York cheesecake, cannoli, pizelles, and black-and-white cookies,” Ryan said.

Brooklyn Rolls Menu Highlights

• Buttered Bagel ($3) – plain, everything, cinnamon raisin, sesame, onion, garlic, rye, salt, or poppy
• Chicken Parmesan Hero ($12) – ragu, mozzarella, Parmesan, fresh basil, 12-inch baguette; served with homemade slaw, kosher pickle spear
• Hot Roast Beef Roll ($12) – house-made roast beef, caramelized onion, mushrooms, provolone, baguette; served with homemade slaw, kosher pickle spear
• Stromboli & Spinach Roll ($5) 
• Pastrami ($13) – smoked brisket, Swiss cheese, deli mustard on rye bread
• Antipasto Salad ($11) – arugula, tomato, artichoke, red pepper, pepperoncini, olives, salami, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, tomato vinaigrette
• Baked Ziti ($13) – roasted garlic, red pepper, meatball, ricotta, ragu, mozzarella, Parmesan

Additionally, the restaurant features off-menu chef specials such as veal and shrimp that change daily.

The opening is tentatively scheduled for late July, while the liquor license is expected to kick in during August. Tentative operating hours will be 7 a.m. – 2 a.m. daily.

For more information, visit brooklynrolls.com.