"If you’re hanging out on the eastern end of Rockaway Beach, the answer is always Rippers. Their burger is an essential order, but the cheese fries are also amazing, and you can get some beer or a cocktail as well. This place will keep you from having a heat-related meltdown after you let someone bury you in the sand, and because it’s on the boardwalk, you can house a burger and then get back to the beach as quickly as possible (or bring your burger to the beach). When they have live music, this place really turns into a party, so keep an eye on their Instagram. Also—they sell hats. There’s bound to be one person in your party who didn’t bring one." - willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, neha talreja