Solorzanos Pizzeria Siesta Key

In the early 1960’s, Filippo Centrella and his wife Lina moved to northern New Jersey from Avellino, a small town just outside of Naples, Italy. The immigrant Italians settled in Union City where they raised four children and by 1968 took over an existing pizzeria named Sole’s. The Centrellas sold the business a few years later and opened Presto Pizza in West New York. After leaving Presto to his brother Vincienzo in 1977, Filippo opened a pizzeria on Washington Street in Hoboken, naming it after himself. He and Lina, along with their children and a young pizza man named Carlos Solorzano helped make Filippo’s pizzeria a success.

Eventually Carlos and Filippo’s eldest daughter Franca started dating and married in 1979. Shortly after the Solorzano’s two sons were born, they were able to start a business of their own. The young couple opened Filippo’s II in 1985 on the same street in Hoboken as the original, paying homage to the man who had started it all. Filippo’s III and IV opened in the years following, all owned and operated by Carlos while Franca stayed at home with the boys. By 1995, the Solorzano’s had sold all three pizzerias, and decided to concentrate their efforts on one single business. Carlos, Franca, and their sons Carlos Jr. and Philip opened Filippo’s Pizza Café at the corner of First Street and Willow Avenue in Hoboken. While on vacation in Florida in April of 2003, Philip Solorzano fell in love with the area and the people of Sarasota, while at the same time noticing an excellent opportunity to relocate the family business and change their lifestyle. Six months later, the family moved to the Sun coast and Solorzano’s Restaurant was opened in March of 2004.

In 2007 Philip was offered a great opportunity to open up his own pizzeria on Siesta Key and asked his brother Carlos Jr to join him, that’s when Solorzano Bros. Pizzeria was born. After a few successful years on Siesta Key, the brothers opened up another pizzeria on Beneva and Webber located in the heart of Sarasota. To make things easier for the brothers they eventually split up the shops, so they could focus more time and effort on each location. Since then Carlos Jr. runs the 3604 Webber and Beneva location (Solorzano Bros. Old-Fashioned Pizza), Carlos and Franca run the wonderful fine dining location In Gulf Gate (Solorzano’s Ristorante), and Philip is running the Siesta Key and Gulf Gate shops (Solorzano’s Pizzeria Siesta Key & Solorzano’s Late Night Pizzeria In Gulf Gate).

At every Solorzano’s, we offer an experience familiar to those who understand the importance of family and dedication. Our recipes and techniques have been perfected through three long generations based on the traditional simplicity of the methods used by our Italian ancestors. We hope every evening at our restaurants, it takes you back to those Sunday dinners at your own house. This is our family. This is our home. Welcome.

Sincerely,
Carlos, Franca, Carlos Jr. and Philip

Best of the Suncoast 2010 Winner. Best of SRQ Local Finalist 2010 and 2011. We are the only pizzeria in Siesta Village that delivers.