Ariccia Italian Market is a small Italian market and cafe located in downtown La Jolla that offers menu items like porchetta sandwiches (which I highly recommend), salads and soups. They also sell other Italian goods such as daily fresh made pasta, sauces, spices, macarons and more.
I’d actually been closely following the progress prior to its opening, but once it did open, I never seemed to have a chance to visit. I’m so glad I finally did and I only wish it hadn’t taken me so long.
Once inside the market, I did feel like I was in Italy. Behind the glass display, there was their signature porchetta, other cuts of meat, fresh made pastas, and macarons from a local bakery.
There were also shelves with jams, spices, Nutella from Italy.
I made friends with this adorable dog who was obviously a regular. While her owner spoke on the phone, she went around trying to get pats and rubs from customers waiting in line. I was happy to oblige and quite sad when I had to leave her.
Porchetta sandwich
I had heard great reviews about Ariccia’s porchetta sandwich and it did not disappoint. The ciabatta bread was warm and had a perfect crusty crunchy exterior. The inside was stuffed with a generous serving of thinly sliced house made porchetta. On top of the pork was a thin layer of baslamic onion marmalade and it was finished with arugula. I was worried the sweet marmalade might detract from the porchetta, but it was just the right amount. I loved every bite of this sandwich and my biggest regret is that I had to share with Mr. K as we only ordered one. We’ll definitely be back for more.
We also picked up a half pound of their thick spaghetti and macarons for later.
At about $2 a piece, I thought the macarons were a tad on the pricey side but they had very intense flavors which I love.
Mr. K really loved this chandelier, made of little glass jars.
The owners and staff were super friendly. I absolutely loved my initial visit and am happy to see this place doing well. I can’t wait for another visit.
Ariccia Market
7441 A GIRARD AVE
LA JOLLA, CA 92037
Porcetta is one of my favorite things and that sandwich looks amazing!
It was really good!
Ooh, looks like they have a little bit of everything, nice! That porchetta sandwich looks great.
It made me want to go back to Italy! hehee
Well I know where I’m going for lunch this weekend… 😀
Yes, go! Get the porchetta sandwich. And some desserts from Michele Coulon.
Yum! When I went they didn’t have a lot of stuff. I haven’t tried their fresh pasts but I would be surprised if it was as good as my buddies from close to home, their pasta is amazing!
I love fresh made pasta. I like that they offer some that aren’t as easy to find, though the morning I went, they didn’t have beer & pretzel or the squid ink available. I would love to see a few more items on their menu but I was happy with what I tasted.
Wow everything looks so delish! Definitely want to check this place out when I head down to SD. How did you like the texture of the macarons? Picture-wise, the macarons look scrumptious & they looks pretty big (in comparison to a standard macaron). And I can’t wait to try out the porchetta sandwich!
The macarons are bigger than the mini macarons (like the ones sold at opera patisserie), though smaller than what I would consider a big macaron (such as the thomas keller ones). The shells were soft rather than chewy but I really liked the intense flavors which didn’t taste artificial.
Their fresh pasta prices are cheaper than Lisko’s (I think it was $7 or $8 there).
Very cool chandelier!
Oh good to know. I couldn’t remember the prices at Lisko. I haven’t bought their pasta in a long time.
I’ve heard great things about this place too. Was it hard to find parking? The porchetta looks incredible – I wonder if it’s hard to replicate at home. And I can’t believe it only takes 45-90 sec to cook their fresh pasta – I don’t think I’ve ever bought fresh Italian pasta so this would be a nice place to visit to check it out.
Fresh pasta usually only needs a minute or two. I used to buy it fresh pasta from the farmers market and it was the same concept. I went Saturday morning so parking was really easy to find. I guess it just depends when you go. I’ve never made my own porchetta but I think good porchetta is hard to make because not many places in SD make a good porchetta.
10$ for a tiny glass of Nutella? Oh dear… O__°
Well the jar was about the size of the Nutella at the grocery store, so not that small. Also it’s a glass jar instead of the plastic ones we usually get. And it’s from Italy whereas the ones in the US are not made in Italy. So I can understand why they need to charge more.