After more than 35 years, Sorrento Italian Restaurant plans to close on Jacksonville's Southside

Gary T. Mills, Florida Times-Union
·2 min read
Sorrento Italian Restaurant has been a fixture at 6943 San Jose Blvd. for more than 35 years.
Sorrento Italian Restaurant has been a fixture at 6943 San Jose Blvd. for more than 35 years.

Sorrento Italian Restaurant, a fixture in San Jose for decades, is closing its doors for good.

In social media posts on Thursday, Sorrento announced that Sunday would be the final day of service at the restaurant at 6943 St. Augustine Road.

"While we are sad to share this news with you, we are so grateful for the lovely friendships and many memories," the post read, in part.

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But that may not be the last chapter for the Sorrento space.

"With a little luck and a lot of hard work, we hope that Sorrento will soon be converted into a dessert shop," the social post continued. More details were not immediately available.

Opened in the mid-1980s by chef and owners Luciano and Joanne Russo, Sorrento was celebrated as offering a true slice of Italy, reminiscent to Russo's hometown of Naples.

The Chilean sea bass entree with potatoes and Brussels sprouts at Sorrento.
The Chilean sea bass entree with potatoes and Brussels sprouts at Sorrento.

In a 1996 review, then Times-Union reviewer Tom Siegel wrote that "it is the quality and consistency of Russo's food that keep bringing the same people back year after year, month after month or again next week."

That point was proven again 16 years later, when another Times-Union reviewer wrote "There is a hint of old-fashioned competence at Sorrento, one that we all enjoyed. The recipes are classics - portions and prices are both reasonable. This is a place that has been built to last."

In other dining news this week:

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The restaurant, which changed hands in recent years, is the latest in a series of notable closing this year. Among the others are Wing-It Jax (after 38 years), Willard's Bar-B-Q Junction (30 years), European Street Southside (23 years) and Ocean 60 (20 years.)

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Sorrento Italian Restaurant to close after 35 years in Jacksonville