Sam Sorrento’s Pizzeria in downtown Lincoln, Illinois, is marking its 50th year this weekend with a ribbon-cutting at its new location just three doors down from the old site.
The ribbon-cutting at 614 Broadway (aka Route 66) will take place at 4 p.m. Friday, June 7. It’s part of Route 66 Weekend activities in conjunction with the Illinois Route 66 Motor Tour.
The restaurant moved to its current site in August because it’s twice the size and can more easily accommodate large groups. It also has a patio for outdoor dining.
According to a news release from the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway:
Sorrento’s opened in 1969 in Lincoln. Giovanni and Anna (aka Mamma Sorrento) Curcuru opened Sorrento’s Pizza in 1969. They came from the small town of Cinisi, Italy, in Sicily. After Giovanni and Anna ran the shop for a while, it was passed to their son, Serafino (aka “Sammy”). He was the face of the shop for many years and was known for always remembering your pizza order and having sweet muscle cars. The restaurant featured family recipes as it does to this day, and provides “a taste of old-world Italian style” to downtown Lincoln.
When “Sammy” passed away in 1998, Sorrento’s was left to be run by his wife, Lisa and their four kids: John, Annalisa, Jetty, and Tony. It was not an easy transition, but it very much became a family effort. Everyone played a part in keeping Sorrento’s going as best they could.
Today, owners Jim & Lisa Drew, along with son Tony, manage the restaurant as a “family effort.” Tony manages the kitchen and the social media, although it has been Lisa who has been providing incredible historic photos and stories on the Sorrento’s Facebook page. […]
Sorrento’s has a large following of regulars from central Illinois, including Peoria, Morton, Bloomington and Decatur. With the return of Route 66 signage to the downtown, they have seen an increase in international travelers from countries such as Belgium, France, Germany and the U.K.
“We finally have the first alignment of Route 66 signed in Lincoln that traverses to the historic downtown business district, which is something that has not happened since 1929,” said Geoff Ladd of the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway. “We are already seeing more visitors as a result which benefits downtown businesses, and this will only increase as we approach the 100th anniversary of Route 66 in 2026.”
The news release states Sorrento’s will reveal a Route 66 special on Saturday and will announce a special secret contest that will run for a week beginning on Saturday as well. For more information, call Sorrento’s at (217) 735-1442.
(Image of Sorrento’s Pizzeria courtesy of Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway)