The Original Lorenzo’s Italian Restaurant!
Lorenzo’s de Mesilla first opened it’s doors in November of 1995. Lorenzo started out being partners with his cousin. Five years down the road, the two parted ways and Lorenzo remained the sole owner of The Original Lorenzo’s de Mesilla. Today The Origianl Lorenzo’s is independently owned and operated by Lorenzo and his wife Alicia. Over the past fifteen years, The Original Lorenzo’s Italian Restaurant has earned a reputation of being one of the finest restaurants in the southwest. Many travelers make it a point to revisit The Original Lorenzo’s time and again when passing through Old Mesilla and Las Cruces.
Many of the locals feel proud to have an Italian Restaurant of such quality, ambiance and excellence! 
They enjoy bringing their out of town guests, family and friends to experience the magic of Lorenzo’s. But what is it really, that makes The Original Lorenzo’s Italian Restaurant such a desirable place to dine? Well, it all begins with the food. Lorenzo is a hands-on owner who prides himself in the quality of his authentic Sicilian-style cuisine. The meatballs for example, are one of kind. Definately Sicilian, as you will discover currants in them to offset the spice.Customers are amazed because they have never tasted such unique and delicious meatballs. The Sicilian stlye Canneloni is made with a thin homemade crepe and stuffed with ricotta cheese, mozzarella, romano and spices and then baked in tomatos and garlic and has melted mozzarella on top. Try it with the grilled chicken inside. Yum! In addition to the many authentic Sicilian dishes, Lorenzo has created several popular pasta dishes using the local Green Chile grown right in the Mesilla Valley and in Hatch. The locals rave about these dishes! Among them are the famous Meat and Green Chile Lasagna, the Fettucini Alfonso with homemade Italian sausage and green chile and the Spinach and Artichoke Ravioli in the Red Chile Alfredo sauce. Lorenzo truly has a gift for creating new recipes but the one thing that people talk about more than anything else at The Original Lorenzo’s Italian Restaurant is the BREAD! This hot, fresh baked bread right to your table is absolutely irresistable! Another family recipe that sets The Original Lorenzo’s apart from everyone else. This bread recipe is a trade secret and the dough is made fresh everyday. Lorenzo’s bread is not a corporate, mass produced, frozen bread stick that other Italian competitors serve. And of course, everyone knows how to make the dip for this wonderful bread by using the olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the table.
Now if it’s seafood you enjoy, you can’t go wrong with the Fresh Sea Scallops sautéed in a sherry sauce with shallots, the calamari sauteed in a red wine sauce, or Lorenzo’s very own Shrimp Scampi recipe. The Linguini with Clams Provencial with fresh tomato is also a very popular dish.If you are staying away from the pastas, the Grilled Scallop Salad is highly reccomended!
A large part of The Original Lorenzo’s success is the fact that not only do they have amazing pasta dishes, salads and bread but they have an incredible Pizza Crust. Another Scilian recipe that is light and airy, yet crispy and full of flavor. Combine this pizza crust with Lorenzo’s special blend pizza sauce, an awesome non- greasy whole milk Mozzarella from New Jersey and high quality toppings, and it’s no wonder people say it’s the best pizza they have ever eaten. The Original Lorenzo’s de Mesilla is now serving small thin crust pizzas. These pizzas are quickly becoming a local favorite.
All this talk about delicious food doesn’t do much good unless there are excellent wines to accompany these flavorful dishes. The Orginal Lorenzo’s has an extensive wine selection featuring Italian wines of course, but also wines from around the world to compliment any entrée on the menu. Clint Titone is Lorenzo’s full time employee dedicated to making sure we have awesome wines for our customers. Clint also likes to change up the featured wines by the glass to keep it new and exciting! The Original Lorenzo’s de Mesilla is also now offering a nice selection of micro-brews for those of you who enjoy a nice quality beer with you pizza or pasta.
The Original Lorenzo’s de Mesilla gets a lot of compliments on the warm and cozy ambiance inside the restaurant, but dining out in the courtyard on a beautiful Fall evening is absolutely magical. One actually feels as though they are in Italy. The servers offer sleeping bags as they drop off the check!
But besides, delicious food, great pizzas, awesome wines, old world ambiance and exceptional customer service; there is a life, an energy, and warmth that permeates the air at Lorenzo’s. It’s called That’s Amore! This is what brings people back! Its’ a special feeling of good times, great conversation and laughter. Customers, really feel at home when dining at The OriginalLorenzo’s and that is why year after year The Origianl Lorenzo’s Italian Restaurant gets voted best Italian!
That’s Amore!
What our customers have said …
“Lorenzo’s is not only the best Italian restaurant in Las Cruces, but one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve been to. To start, they give you a basket of bread, and when I say it’s the best bread I’ve ever had, I mean it! Their pastas and pizzas are delicious. The atmosphere is cozy and low lit. Definitely a good place for an intimate dinner, but also does well for small groups and families.” – Charity
“Lorenzo’s is always good! Their secret recipe bread is soooo amazing. Oh, and grilled chicken in many of their dishes is the best… fresh, tender, juicy, flavorful.” – NewMexican34
“I always take our out of town guests to Lorenzo’s and they never fail to love it. The bread alone is worth the trip. The atmosphere is fun and attractive, and family oriented. My favorite is the portobello mushroom ravioli. They also have a great wine list.” – Marc