Ariccia

Stopped by today to pick up some fresh pasta — Unfortunately, Ariccia appears to be permanently closed. All stock has been removed from the store. A local mentioned that the rumor is they may reopen in Little Italy.

I SCREAM FOR PORCHETTA! If you love bacon, then you must try Arricia’s porchetta. According to Wikipedia, porchetta is a savoury, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast. They say the body of the pig is gutted, deboned, arranged carefully with layers of stuffing, meat, fat, and skin, then rolled, spitted, and roasted, traditionally over wood. Even better is that porchetta is usually heavily salted in addition to being stuffed with garlic, rosemary, fennel, or other herbs, often wild.
My husband read a recent food blog somewhere and remembered a porchetta sandwich that he couldn’t resist having for lunch. At Arricia, you can have a porchetta two ways: the traditional porchetta sandwich or the Di Testa style porchetta sandwich. Both sandwiches have porchetta, but it’s their other ingredients that make them different. The main difference, according to one of their employees, is that Di Testa has cheese and peppers, while the original porchetta sandwich does not. I love cheese and my husband thinks he loves porchetta, so we opted for the Di Testa style. We shared one sandwich because I wasn’t that hungry, but we were both crazy about our porchetta sandwich — I think my husband a lot more than me. I don’t often see him be very expressive with food, and he sure showed me how much he loved his porchetta. The sandwich itself is not extremely stacked with a ton of meat, but you still get a perfect amount of porchetta to bread. The asiago cheese, arugula, and peppers complemented the salty porchetta in such harmony — it’s ridiculous. I’m always afraid that ciabatta bread will end up being a little too much on the hard side, but Arricia’s ciabatta bread had a great texture as well. Our sandwich was served cut in half, but both halves were pretty large. Large enough that I couldn’t finish my half and my husband happily finished it for me.
Something to make note of is how to pay for your food here. More common is paying for your order before receiving it, but at Arricia, you pay after you finish your meal when dining in.

I enjoyed my visit here. I came for some coffee, but when I saw some of their delectable croissant sandwiches on the menu, I gave in and ordered one. Yes, I know, I am easy when it comes to eats.
In addition to my very good Americano, I had them make me a prosciutto and Asia-​go cheese sandwich baked on an amazing croissant made by Darshan Bakery in Encinitas, Ca. (
) The extremely butter warm and flaky croissant coupled with the rich flavored prosciutto and nutty Asia-​go made for a gluttonous experience indeed. Just look at that thing! (
) Like I said, the prosciutto was amazing, and came with just the right amount, because anything more, would of made it almost to rich for me handle. (
) Good stuff.
The gentlemen who work and own this place important their prosciutto from Italy. I was provided with some samples before I ordered, and let me tell you, it was sublime. (
) The have a good WiFi where they keep their rotating password on a board. They also carry «Porchetta» and use it to make sandwiches or can be purchased by the pound. (
)
This place definitely deserves a visit…

This is a truly magical little Hep place with lotsa locals, great coffee: unusual brew, strong and flavorful. Had an outstanding experience watching the people arriving and departing from the local Open Aire Market Place. The food is healthy and very Italian.

Items sampled:
Sue Sweet Macarons — Cherry, Lime, Lemon, Raspberry, Mint, Caramel, Coffee, Chocolate Orange, Coconut, Vanilla Bean, Orange, Peanut Butter
Porchetta with balsamic onions and wild arugula
Italian Grinder with Prosciutto, Salami, Coppa and wild arugula
Owned and operated by fellow gourmand, Bobby at Gourmandsreview, I knew a stop at Ariccia Italian Market was requisite for our trip to San Diego and from the clever displays and the warm hospitality to a selection of pastas, meats, local artisan foods, and La Colombe coffee the only way our visit could have been better is if they hadn’t been sold out of my size in a particularly clever t-shirt…and even then, the money saved was probably better spent on the truly impressive Porchetta sandwich; a superb rendition of the classic with crackling skin juxtaposing supple flesh while the bitter arugula and sweet onions proved a stellar compliment to the swine as the dense bread sopped up the ample juices with ease.

I come here every week and am never disappointed. Why I like it:
— GREAT food (try their soups, the chef/​owener Bobby makes them fresh every day, so far my favorite is the caramelized carrot and the butternut squash, although I hear the corn soup is amazing as well!)
— not to loud not too quiet. I work from home so will come here every so often to get out of the house. This location is the perfect spot for something like that.
— free wifi (refer to above!)
— GREAT coffee — they do it right!
— Great take homes — this place started as a market, so they have fresh pasta and sauces that you can take home to impress all of your friends with. I last took home fresh noodles (made that day) and pesto, and make fantastic dinner that had my friend raving
— The people. Bobby and his staff are warm and friendly and remember your name and your food preferences. They are awesome!
5 starts for sure!

Came here last week looking for an espresso drink and a snack, and wanted to try something different than the popular place down the street that I’m not so fond of.
Had the «House» porchetta sandwich — wow. Delicious, and something I would definitely order again! It’s a warm sandwich, with cool argula leaves and it is made just right here.
Ordered a mocha to drink. Like another reviewer mentioned, this took a while for the female owner to make. Same with espresso drinks other folks ordered. Actually, the sandwich took some time as well, too, but it seemed more complicated to make. If in a hurry, you may want to go elsewhere. Mocha was average.
They make fresh pasta for you to bring home and cook, which was novel to me, and the fast cook time (~90 seconds) was appealing. The chalk menu showed squid ink pasta for something like $ 7 per pound, but you have to order it a day ahead of time. I bought some regular spaghetti and cooked it later that evening — I couldn’t say it was really outstanding, so I’m fine sticking to my regular grocery store stuff. I should mention that I used my own sauce; this place makes their own sauces too — perhaps their pasta and sauces were meant to be used together for the best result?
Looks like there are regulars to this place, as the owners knew the next 4 customers after me by name and their usual orders. Nice interior décor.
Overall, I like this place, and I would go back if I was in the area and had a lot of time.

Female owner is incompetent and downright rude; her male counterpart is lovely. She seemed to be completely overwhelmed with four coffee orders ad just couldn’t take it anymore. Maybe I’m just bringing my Midwest work ethic prejudice to Barbie land, but COME ON. You’re making coffee. You’re not doing dishes or cooking or cleaning. Male owner is fabulous and pleasant. But the obliviousness of the female owner (and failure to apologize after barking at us and then ignoring us) is enough not to come back. Also, the coffee she made was awful. Truly awful.
Rating JUST for the croissant bread pudding and the male owner: 5 stars.

Two words: porchetta panini. The hubby loves the porchetta, and I love the mozzarella di bufala panini. Making porchetta is an art, and Ariccia has perfected it. The combination of thinly sliced porchetta, arugula, and onion marmalade is delicious. Not to be outdone, the panini with buffalo mozzarella, basil pesto, and sun-​dried tomatoes is so flavorful – it’s like an Italian fiesta in your mouth! And you can’t beat the fact that they get their ciabatta from local bakery Sadie Rose.
The store itself is relatively bare, with not too many products and items on their shelves, and just a couple of tables for seating inside and out. We’ve got there twice, and there has never been more than a few other patrons. There is usually only one staff, but service is sufficient for a little, quiet, casual deli-​style spot. It’s worth checking out if you’re around downtown La Jolla and looking for something tasty for lunch!

Hands down some of the best simple Italian food ive ever eaten. Booby makes the best porchetta on earth. Ive had it in sandwiches and even cubed some chunks for breakfast hash. The soups are consistently delicious and considering i typically follow a gluten-​free diet, they offer up plenty of healthy choices. The green gazpacho is a favorite for sure. Ive cheated a few times and eaten the pastas, with the pretzel pasta an insane treat. Their selection of items for sale is nice too, with the La Colombe coffee caramel, Cento hot pepper spread and black truffle salami frequent purchases for me. Their coffee drinks are all made with La Colombe too, which are pretty delicious.
The atmosphere inside is pretty chill. Its a combination café/​deli atmosphere with a few small tables, counter seating, window-​front bar seating and a large round table for larger groups. Plus they have outdoor tables to dine al fresco.
Service is always good there too. Prompt and consistent, even when they are busy. Im a people watcher, and ive seen some of the clients that come in here act like complete a-​holes, yet still receive service with a smile. Reading the negative review about service, i dont see it… just really dont.
Really glad this place is in town, it makes my stomach happy. Its pretty much the only place i cheat on my diet at… happily.

I found this great café, 2 weeks ago. I was looking forward to having a great cup of coffee and fresh hot bread but today I had a horrible experience! Loren the barista? or owner? was having a bad day? she was rude, slaming things, being short, and when asked a questions she responded «what!» wow I will never give them my money or recommend this place!
its so sad when people bring their problems to work and then take it out on partons, I guess customer service is not a priority at ARICCIA, just hope that Loren is in a good mood if you ever go into this café? unless you like bad service, then you will enjoy Ariccia?

In business and especially the food and beverage business it’s realistic to think everything will not go perfectly. However, the way mishaps are handled makes or breaks the experience.
The Owner of Ariccia LOST my debit card.
After a great morning at the Sunday La Jolla Farmer’s Market, my Aunt and I wandered into Ariccia for a little lunch. I ordered a few things for us to share and wished to treat her. I handed my card to the owner, who was at the register and asked him to please take care our bill. I went back to our table.
Food came, we ate, had the Gazpacho, which was okay and a salad that was good. By the time we were finished up, it had been about 45 minutes. I went to the register as I did not receive my card back or confirmation anything had been taken care of.
The Owner and the other gal working there had no idea what happened to my debit card.
Both my Aunt and I were in shock and stood at the counter as they looked around. We waited. Remained pretty calm and quiet despite the thought of my card being gone, especially on a Sunday with no banks open. Asked what could have happened. Then the owner, accused us of being «sarcastic» and said «well, obviously we’re sorry, that it happened». Mind you– He never once apologized for the error before he said that. I left my name and number, it has now been 3 days since it occurred and nobody called.
I will say that Chase Bank rocks, amazing customer service, and I received a new card by Tuesday (2 days after the incident.)
Really wanted to love this place. Love great Italian, especially conveniently in my neighborhood, but was not impressed with how this scenario was handled, the fact that it happened and the fact the owner was careless with my money.

This place was delicious. The porchetta was very flavorful.
On my second trip, I got a sample of different meats and cheeses. They had a delicious lavender/​espresso cheese and a truffle infused cheese. The was a very rich beef one which was tasty as well.

I’m so glad that Ariccia opened up in La Jolla. This Italian Market is a gem and has the best food. Before the foie gras ban, we bought some from them and they instructed us to cook it (and freeze). We have also had the Jamon Iberico de Bellota which was amazing. Today, we bought fresh pasta, cheese, tomato sauce, and pancetta and made the best dish at home. We spent about $ 26 for the ingredients and have enough for 3 – 4 meals. It was definitely restaurant quality food!
The meats are sliced right there in front of you, so you know that it is fresh. The prices are very reasonable and the quality is superb (for all their food). The owners are so friendly and very helpful. They always answer our questions on how to prepare the food we purchase. I will definitely be frequenting Ariccia more often. I can’t wait to try their macarons.
Closed Mondays.

Such a cute little market! The girls behind the counter are very nice and pretty. ;) My friend treated me for lunch here since he forgot his wallet last time… We both tried the porchetta panino since there weren’t many choices for other food items. For $ 11, it was kind of pricey. I felt like they only gave us half a sandwich each! I was not full, but luckily I got a couple macarons to end the meal. We left when we started seeing bird poop land near us while we were eating outside lol.

Finally! Guys! Ive been waiting for so long and it is was SOOO worth the wait! I finally got my paws on a fresh porchetta sandwich and… wow. It took me to that dreaded foodie situation where you dont want to eat it so it doesnt end, but you cant stop eating because its so good kind place. Some of you will know what I mean!
Anyways, stop by Ariccia because it is well worth it! Food is great, staff and owners are genuine, care about their food and care about you!
Welcome to the neighborhood!

Where have these guys been all my life? (Only open for 9 Days now) No, I did not know this Italian place existed. I was walking from the farmer’s market in La Jolla on my way to the Pannikin and stumbled in –n Hmmm, something new? Good call — I am a true Italian food junkie. I wander in to a very welcoming staff — Stephanie and Shawn were great and turned me on to a wonderful corn soup, probably the best paninini I have had yet in San Diego (or La Jolla).
The coffee was top notch, the service was stellar and everything I tasted was awesome — e.g.corn soup, REAL San Marzano tomato based sauces, delicious pesto on yummy ciabatta bread made with FRESH buffalo mozerella — yea baby! I needed a place like this — can’t wait to turn on my local foodie friends to Ariccia.
Important infomation… this place stocks the real goods. There is San Marzano tomato sauce (san marzano tomatoes GROWN in San Marzano Italy) that you can buy there. There is REAL burrata cheese — from Italy in the store. There is real Stracciatella cheese (Burrata fillng — amazing) from Italy, they make fresh homemade pastas and also have fresh Italian deli meats. Oh, and lets not forget the incredible olive oils. Everything here that I saw was the real deal so if you want authentic Italian San marzano tomatoes, Italian buffalo mozzerella cheese, Italian Stracciatella cheese, great Italian panini, Italian olive oils and everything Italian I suggest you come here!
PS: You can visit Ariccia as a restaurant or as a great place to by all of the best TRUE Italian Fixings for your next great Noshing. Salute!

Great new addition to the neighborhood!
Their selection of autentico Italiano products will be real luxury to be able to just pick up whenever I am feeling inspired to cook up something at home.
The staff there was friendly and eager to be helpful.
After talking with Sean I took home a perfectly rich and balanced Italian duck salami which he was eager to tell me was one of the rare items not imported but was made locally by a small business in North County in an Italian style.
Also, I brought home an imported bottle of honey with walnuts right in there, and an imported goat cheese Parmesan and another imported smoked goat cheese ricotta. The Duck Salami and honey were incredible with the parm, and the ricotta made my dinner amazing!
I took home some of their homemade pastas and was thoroughly impressed. I took home a black squid ink pasta to which i added a small amount of garlic and olive oil (not their stuff yet, but my next bottle will definitely be legit Italian imported oil). I topped that pasta with a bit of that parmesan and then I baked that ricotta into a great fresh baguette they sold to me.
Perfecto!
When I was there they were cutting up a Porchetta they had just finished. They gave me a taste and encouraged me to try one at home. I didn’t know what that was, so Sean was also excited to tell me all about it. It’s a pork belly heavily seasoned, wrapped around the loin, cured and slow roasted.
They almost made it sound easy, but were quick to point out that there’s a delicate art to it.
From what I’m told, they also artfully make paninis, coffee, espresso, and other café fare here. I’ve been told it is all very excellent. So when I am back in there soon to pick up more pasta I will be sure to get bring my appetite and get my first panini.
Bravo!

I am used to being frustrated when those in the food industry don’t seem to understand food. However I was thrilled to discover that Ariccia understands food. Their ingredients are high quality and their execution is creative and delicious. Their Porchetta Panini was the best thing I have eaten in a long time. The espresso was rich and flavorful and not at all burnt or bitter. Felt like Seattle again. Also a great place to go for fresh burrata, gourmet cured meats, olive oils, etc. Can’t wait to go back.

Yes I know the owners, but that has nothing to do with:
how good the pasta is
how good the porchetta is
how good the foie torchon is
how great the design is
it could have something to do with how friendly the staff is, so I’ll leave that to others.
They carry all of the items, I either had to travel to several stores to find, or resort to ordering online: Foie (while it’s legal), Lardo, Bottarga, Squid Ink, Blood Sausage, Duck Fat, Confit Duck Legs, really exclusive cured meats and cheeses and for for less than what I’ve seen elsewhere.
Specialty retail items are pricey by nature, the house made pastas, breakfast pastrys, and paninis are much more moderate — especially for La Jolla
if you’re a fan of quality food, and especially if you cook, it’s certainly worth a visit.