Downtown Italian Sandwich Shop Closes After Almost a Decade

After almost a decade in business, Italian sandwich and pizza restaurant Lucky’s Puccias and Pizzeria closed over the weekend. Its last day at 1611 West 5th Street was Saturday, January 26th.

The pending closure was announced in a Facebook post written on Friday, January 25, which owner Luciano “Lucky” Sibilla followed with a heartfelt signoff. Per a CultureMap article, the restaurant closed due to rising rents.

Lucky’s started in 2010 as a food truck focusing on wood-fired puccias (an Italian sandwich served on bread similar to pizza dough). The truck enjoyed significant success, including a feature on The Cooking Channel, and expanded to a brick and mortar on West Fifth Street in 2015 after a successful Kickstarter campaign.

In that new space, Lucky’s menu expanded to include pizzas and desserts. The trailer remained open as well, and had stints at Belgian beer bar Mort Subite (whose owner co-owned Lucky’s) and a food trailer park on East Sixth, before closing in December.

Those seeking to fill the sandwich-sized hole in their hearts will likely be on the looking for the opening of Uncle Nicky’s, an Italian sandwich shop collaboration between Via 313 and Juniper slated to open early this year in Hyde Park.

Updated January 28 11 a.m. to clarify that the trailer closed in December and the reasons for the closure.

• Lucky’s Puccia [Facebook]
• All Coverage of Lucky’s Puccia [EATX]