Since this spring, visitors to the Acadian Beer Garden in Lafayette have been treated to Sicilian-style pizzas from Sarrica’s Little Italy, and occasional serenades from co-owner and Sicily native Santi Sarrica. This fall, the pop-up residency in the beer garden will become a brick-and-mortar location for Sarrica’s Little Italy at 3546 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy. in Lafayette.
It’s been a rapid rise for the pizzeria, which only launched as a home-based business called Sarrica’s Italian Pizza in April 2023. In November 2023, Santi Sarrica and his wife Gina Sarrica launched a food truck to meet the growing demand for their pies. This spring, the restaurant was rebranded as Sarrica’s Little Italy when it moved into the Acadiana Beer Garden.
Gina recently told What Now New Orleans that her husband was inspired to start selling pizzas when he saw the lack of options for authentic Neapolitan-style pizza in Lafayette.
“Santi wanted to get a pizza one night, and I said no you don’t,” Gina explained. “I knew there wasn’t real, authentic pizza around us. That’s how we first got the idea of opening a place with authentic Italian food. Santi saw real potential for that in the city.”
The new location will expand on the beer garden menu by adding more classic Italian dishes, including fresh pasta dishes. Gina said everything on the menu will be made with organic local ingredients and ingredients imported from Italy. She emphasized that offering fresh is central to the experience at Sarrica’s Little Italy.
“This isn’t just a regular restaurant that someone opens just for the money,” she said. “We literally opened because we saw something missing in the city. Like, even when we go out to have dinner, there aren’t many places that focus on fresh ingredients. This is what we’re bringing, and we want to take care of people and their health.
“We really want people to have an experience,” she added, “and not have to go to Italy to really experience the tradition.”
