ENCINITAS — After 50 years of serving handmade pizzas and Italian dishes in Encinitas, Borrelli’s Pizza & Italian Food has closed its doors following a court-ordered eviction from its longtime location on North El Camino Real.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office issued a notice to vacate the restaurant at 285 N. El Camino Real, Suite 106, ordering the premises to be turned over to the landlord.
Sheriff’s deputies posted a notice of commercial eviction on the front door of the now-vacant Italian restaurant located among a group of medical office spaces known as El Camino Center.
The eviction stems from an unlawful detainer complaint filed in San Diego Superior Court by the building’s owner, 285 N El Camino MOB (Medical Office Buildings) LLC, over unpaid rent owed by Ralph Borrelli Sr., Ralph Borrelli Jr., Benjamin and Elen Osmanson and High Class Ventures LLC.
A judge later granted the landlord possession, and the sheriff set a lockout for Nov. 5.
ShareMD, an Encinitas-based real estate firm that acquires and manages medical office spaces nationwide, lists the El Camino Center buildings among its managed properties.
Founded in 1975 by Ralph and Shirley Borrelli, the family-owned pizzeria became an Encinitas institution, first operating at 1401 Encinitas Blvd., where the Ortho Mattress store now stands.
The restaurant later moved to its El Camino Real location, continuing to serve classic East Coast-style pizzas, pastas and sandwiches to loyal customers.
According to previous media reports, Borrelli’s thrived when Encinitas had only a handful of pizza parlors, including Best-A-Wan in Cardiff. The restaurant remained a community staple even as national chains and boutique pizzerias multiplied across North County.
“A lot of people who were here the first week we opened in 1975 are still with us,” said Ralph Borrelli Jr. in 2012. “It’s been a pleasure to have a business all these years, and I want to thank all the people who support us. They are truly the reason we are still here.”
UPDATE: This article has been updated to include additional defendants named in the unlawful detainer complaint.
