First Look: La Pecora, a ‘Pizzabar Hideout’ on Larchmere, Opening Monday

Juan and Carlos Vergara, who operate Barroco Arepa Bar, Hola Tacos, Amazonia and Pulpo Beer Co., are expanding once again. La Pecora (12712 Larchmere Blvd.), which is billed as a “pizzabar hideout,” will open this Monday immediately next door to Barroco on Larchmere.

La Pecora builds off the work that the Vergaras have been doing at Amazonia in Lakewood, where Neapolitan wood-fired pizza is one of the big draws. Not long ago, Juan took a sabbatical to Naples, where he trained alongside some masters of the craft.

“I managed to land a gig at a local trattoria in a narrow and unassuming alley of the historic Spanish quarters,” Vergara explains. “There, I met Vincenzo and Aldo, who quickly became my mentors. They taught me how to make their own version of recipes passed down to them for generations and allowed me to bring them here for you to enjoy.”

At Le Pecora, the dedication to the craft will be pushed to higher levels, he adds.

“We’re super close to where we want to be and what we like,” Vergara says. “Larchmere is the right vessel for this.”

Vergara is calling La Pecora a pizzabar because the focal point of the space is the kitchen counter, where guests can sit and watch the pizzaiolos stretch, top and bake the pies. There are seven red-sauce pies and five white pizzas. Those items are joined by antipasti like salads, meatballs and burrata.

To drink there are draft beers, bottles and cans, wines by the glass and bottle, and cocktails.

La Pecora will serve food until midnight most evenings.

The name is a tribute to the long-term tenant that occupied this spot, the Dancing Sheep, owned by neighborhood mainstay Lynne Alfred.

“Lynne was an exceptional human being who did so many good-hearted things for us that she did with everyone,” Vergara says. “She was very popular in the neighborhood.”

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