Classic Weston Italian Restaurant to Close After 35 Years

A beloved Weston staple for delicious Italian pastas and pizza will close after 35 years of serving the Broward community.

Beloved Weston Italian restaurant La Torretta will close in January 2026 after 35 years of pastas and pizza, shocking Broward residents.

La Torretta photo

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For 35 years, La Torretta has been a cornerstone of Weston life, a cozy, family-owned Italian restaurant where neighbors gathered after Little League games, families marked milestones, and regulars ordered their favorite dishes so often the staff knew them by heart.

Now, the beloved staple at 308 Indian Tr. is preparing to close in January. New Times has confirmed the restaurant will close on January 11. The news has left longtime patrons heartbroken, nostalgic, and they are making plans to visit as many times as possible before the final day of service. This is because the news comes just months after another Weston staple, Lucille’s American Cafe, closed its doors. Therefore, this is the second major closing the community must face this year.

Guests were welcomed into a cheerful dining room framed by warm red brick walls.

A Neighborhood Staple That Spanned Generations

La Torretta has always described itself simply and proudly as a casual, family-run Italian restaurant built on long-standing family recipes. From its gourmet pizzas to its authentic pasta dishes and house-made pastries, the restaurant has long felt like a passport to Old World comfort. As many locals put it, if you could not make it to Italy, the next best thing in Broward was to head to Weston.

The dining experience at La Torretta was just as much about the atmosphere as it was about the food. Inside, guests were welcomed into a cheerful dining room framed by warm red brick walls, lively conversation, and the familiar hum of a place that watched generations of Weston families grow up around its tables. Outside, the patio ringed with pink columns and lined with ficus trees offered an inviting outdoor space that felt tucked away from the bustle of the plaza.

And then there was the food.

The menu read like a comforting catalog of Italian-American favorites

A Menu Built on Family Recipes and Old World Comfort

The restaurant’s garlic rolls, airy and tender, are made fresh on-site with just the right amount of chopped garlic and have become legendary among regulars. The kitchen’s pasta e fagioli was often described as “soul-warming,” thick with beans and pasta and layered with long-simmered flavor. Veal was pounded to order, and the veal Marsala arrived fork-tender beneath a glossy brown sauce filled with mushrooms and Marsala wine.

The menu read like a comforting catalog of Italian-American favorites: veal Francese, baked ziti, manicotti, ravioli, penne with chicken and broccoli, chicken Marsala and parmesan, lasagna, mussels marinara, calamari, and snapper Francese. It was a menu that rewarded loyalty. Many guests returned week after week for the same dish because it was always exactly as they remembered.

Customers say the closure stems from rent increases that made continuing operations unsustainable

Why the Closing Hits Home for Weston Residents

That consistency is part of why the closing feels so personal for so many longtime diners, especially those who are expressing their concern across Weston’s Facebook groups. Families who have been ordering from La Torretta for more than two decades say it is hard to imagine Weston without it. One resident shared in a Weston group that their son ordered takeout the same night they heard the news, holding onto a ritual that has defined much of their family’s life in the neighborhood. Others recalled favorite meals, familiar faces, and a warmth that made the restaurant feel like an extension of home.

Customers say the closure stems from rent increases that made continuing operations unsustainable, a story that has become increasingly familiar among independent restaurants across South Florida. Some hope the owners may one day reopen elsewhere, while others simply want the chance to say thank you in person before the final day of service.

For many in Weston, La Torretta was never just a restaurant. It was a constant in a rapidly changing community, a place where comfort lived in every plate of pasta and where hospitality felt genuine and deeply rooted.

As January approaches, loyal customers say they will return again, not only for one last meal, but to honor 35 years of food, commitment, and community.

La Torretta. 308 Indian Tr., Weston; 954-389-0551; latorrettaweston.com. Closing January 11.

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Nicole Lopez-Alvar is the food editor of Miami New Times, a position she has been honored to take on since December 2023. Prior to her work at Miami New Times, she was a digital journalist covering breaking news, restaurants, arts, and culture at WPLG Local 10 News and WSVN 7 News. When she’s not writing about restaurants and chefs for her day job, Nicole can be found blogging about food on her personal Instagram account. Nicole received a BS in communications from the University of Miami, where she studied broadcast journalism. Readers might have seen her on the 23rd season of ABC’s The Bachelor and the sixth season of Bachelor in Paradise.

nicole.lopez-alvar@miaminewtimes.com

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