Fifty Years On, Rita Is Still Making the Sauce at Sorrento's

Overview

Sorrento's has been feeding San Marcos since 1976 — fifty years.

Tony and Rita started it. In Rita's own telling on their website, "Tony's passion to prepare and share the best Italian food with others grew into the beloved restaurant." Twenty-one years in, she writes, "God had blessed us with an angel, our daughter, Lucia."

And then: "After 46 years of marriage, Tony suddenly passed."

"Rita is still cooking her famous pizza & italian food the same way she has for decades."

That sentence is the reason to go. Half a century of Sicilian cooking in one North County storefront, still being made by the woman who started it.

Here's the thing to take home, and it's the most specific recommendation in this article.

You can buy the famous sweet sauce by the container. A pint is $8. A quart is $16.

Fifty years of a family recipe, sold by the quart, for sixteen dollars. If you only do one thing here, do that.

Pizza, by Size

Five sizes: Mini 6", Small 10", Medium 12", Large 14", Giant 16".

| | Mini | Small | Medium | Large | Giant |

|---|---|---|---|---|---|

| Cheese | $9.50 | $13.50 | $16.50 | $19.50 | $22.50 |

| Pepperoni or sausage | $10 | $14.50 | $17.50 | $20.50 | $23.50 |

| Two toppings | $10.50 | $15.50 | $18.50 | $21.50 | $24.50 |

| Three toppings | $11 | $16.50 | $19.50 | $22.50 | $25.50 |

| Sicilian (thin — tomato, onion, garlic, basil, Romano, olive oil) | $11.50 | $17.50 | $20.50 | $23.50 | $26.50 |

| Veggie | $11.50 | $17.50 | $20.50 | $23.50 | $26.50 |

| Special | $11.50 | $17.50 | $20.50 | $23.50 | $26.50 |

| Deluxe | $12 | $18.50 | $21.50 | $24.50 | $27.50 |

| Calzone (with ricotta) | $10.50 | $17 | $20 | $23.50 | $26.50 |

Extra toppings run $1 on a mini up to $3.25 on a giant.

The Sicilian is the one to order if you want to understand the place — thin, with tomato, onion, garlic, basil, Romano and olive oil, and the only pizza on the menu named for the tradition the restaurant claims.

The Rest of the Menu

Family dinners — spaghetti with sauce, a cheese pizza, salad and garlic bread:

• For two $47 · for three $68 · for four $89

Spaghetti dinners, with salad and garlic bread: with sauce $23 · with meatballs or sausage $26 · child under 12 $14

Ravioli dinners — cheese, meat, spinach or combination: $26, or $29 with meatballs or sausage · child $15.50

Pasta dinners: Mostaciolli $23 (with sausage or meatball $26) · Lasagna $25 · Tortellini $26 · child portions $14–$17.50

À la carte: tossed green salad $7.50 · garlic bread $7.50 · meatballs $7.50 · Italian sausage $7.50 · Chef's salad $18 · Antipasto salad $20

Sandwiches and grinders — ham, salami, meatball, sausage, combination or turkey, hot or cold: small $14.50, large $16.50

To go: famous sauce, pint $8 / quart $16

The Weekly Specials

• Tuesday — spaghetti with garlic bread. Adult $13, child under 12 $11
• Wednesday and Thursday — Chicken Parmigiana with salad, spaghetti and garlic bread, $28. Split plate +$3

Tuesday at $13 is the cheapest sit-down Italian meal in North County that I'm aware of.

Drinks

Soft drinks, milk, coffee, tea, lemonade — $3.50 each.

Beer: pitchers $19.50 (Budweiser, Shock Top, Stella Artois and more) · bottles $7 (domestic, Peroni, Corona, Heineken)

Wine $7 a glass, with half-litre at $14.50 and litre at $19.50 — Burgundy, Chablis, Rosé, Chianti and Stella Rosa.

How to Visit

• Address: 1450 W. Mission Rd., San Marcos, CA 92069
• Phone: 760-727-4091
• Hours: Tuesday–Saturday 11:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. · Sunday 4:00–8:00 p.m. · Closed Monday
• Takeout by phone, or online
• Delivery through DoorDash and Grubhub
• Their menu notes prices are subject to change and aren't guaranteed by the website

Good to Know

• Buy the sauce. $8 a pint, $16 a quart, and it's the thing that's been the same for fifty years.
• Tuesday is $13. Spaghetti and garlic bread, adult portion.
• Closed Monday, and Sunday doesn't open until four.
• The family dinners are the value play for a group — $89 feeds four with pizza, pasta, salad and bread.
• Get the Sicilian if you want the house's own tradition on a plate.
• Kids' portions exist across the pasta menu, which isn't true of most Italian restaurants.

The Takeaway

Order a Sicilian, a pitcher, and a quart of sauce to take home.

What makes Sorrento's worth the drive to San Marcos isn't that North County has a good pizzeria — it's that the woman who opened it in 1976 is still in the kitchen, cooking the way she has for fifty years, and will sell you the sauce to take with you.

For more spots worth knowing, browse our Local Picks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Sorrento's Pizza? At 1450 W. Mission Rd., San Marcos, CA 92069.

What are the hours? Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Sunday, 4–8 p.m. Closed Monday.

How long has Sorrento's been open? Since 1976 — fifty years. It was opened by Tony and Rita, and Rita still cooks there.

Can you buy the sauce? Yes — a pint is $8 and a quart is $16.

How much is a cheese pizza? From $9.50 for a 6-inch mini to $22.50 for a 16-inch giant.

Are there weekly specials? Yes — Tuesday spaghetti with garlic bread at $13 for adults and $11 for children, and Wednesday and Thursday Chicken Parmigiana with salad, spaghetti and garlic bread at $28.

Do they deliver? Yes, through DoorDash and Grubhub, plus takeout by phone or online order.

Is there a family deal? Yes — family dinners with spaghetti, a cheese pizza, salad and garlic bread at $47 for two, $68 for three and $89 for four.