New Rockaway Beach Restaurant Crown Square Pizza Will Open in Summer | Eater NY
"A Far Rockaway native, Sean Aiken — who has been running the popular seasonal Neapolitan pop-up Seany Pizza for several years — is opening a permanent pizzeria this summer at 99-02 Rockaway Beach Boulevard at Beach 99th Street. To differentiate the new restaurant from his Neapolitan pop-up, Aiken is serving Detroit-style square pies, a format he’s experimented with: “It’s a slept-on pizza,” he says, perhaps controversially, consisting of thick cheesy, saucy rectangular slabs bordered by the cheese frico (raised crispy edges that look like a crown; hence the restaurant’s name). He notes that the spot will join other Detroit-style pizzerias around the city and reflect a trend of pop-ups settling into permanent spaces. Aiken hopes to offer something new to the neighborhood even if it requires educating residents more familiar with NY-style slices: “But if we put passion into it, there’s enough people that it will attract even in the off-season. My goal is not to do what feels easy, but I just want to do something that feels just a little bit out there. The Rockaways is a distant place and we don’t get too many concepts out here.” His pizza journey began with a chance buy of Ken Forkish’s The Elements of Pizza in 2018 and grew through mentorships and hands-on experience — he reached out to Paulie Giannone of Paulie Gee, apprenticed with longtime staffer Andrew Brown, worked a stint at Clinton Hill pizzeria Speedy Romeo, made wood-fired pies for friends and pop-ups, held a residency from 2019–2021 at Rockaway Beach Brewery (which closed in 2024), and in 2022 moved to the main boardwalk concession at Beach 97th. The new 800-square-foot space will be mostly kitchen with counter seating inside and along the window; Aiken is already planning delivery and pickup to sustain business in cold off-months. Beyond Detroit-style pizza, the menu will include chicken wings, salad, bread and maybe sandwiches, and branding — conceived with Chris Cristiano and Emma Hastil of the newly formed Mates company — will mix beach motifs, classic NYC pizzeria cues, and recognizable city logos. He also plans to continue running his Neapolitan seasonal pop-up Seany Pizza. On community intent, Aiken says, “I hope the local community comes away with the idea that this is as much for us as it is for [me] to build a business,” adding, “I want people to feel good and I want Rockaway people to feel connected.” He further notes, “The Rockaways have been through so many changes. It’s exciting and I want to be part of it now.”" - Nadia Chaudhury
