Earlier this month, the Vergara family closed the book on Barroco Grill, shutting down the final location on Larchmere Boulevard. Earlier this year, Carlos and Juan – father-and-son – announced the sudden closures of the original Barroco restaurant in Lakewood as well as a newer one at Crocker Park in Westlake. They also sold Hola Tacos and Amazonia, both in Lakewood, to former employees.
Presently, the family operates La Pecora, a wood-fired pizza bar, on Larchmere in a small space connected to the former Barroco Grill eatery. It is a concept that the family loves and excels at. Pizza will also be at the heart of a new restaurant presently taking shape in the former home of the original Barroco in Lakewood.
“Barroco took so much out of us – in a good way but also as a family,” Juan explains. “Barroco was very labor intensive and many of the products are unique that we had to import. I realized that it was no longer sustainable to keep the same consistency. La Pecora, we quickly realized, is more manageable for us. Pizza is something that we can focus on instead of focusing on 50 different items made from scratch.”…