After more than a decade of building a following in New York City, the Italian restaurant La Pecora Bianca is heading south. The popular all-day dining concept will open its first restaurant outside New York on November 2 at the Shops at Merrick Park in Coral Gables, bringing its signature housemade pastas, lively atmosphere, and a handful of dishes created specifically for Miami.
The opening represents a significant milestone for the founder-owned restaurant group, which has grown to 10 locations across New York City and expects to welcome more than two million guests in 2026. Its new 300-seat Coral Gables restaurant has been nearly two years in the making and will be one of the brand’s largest to date.
For founder and CEO Mark Barak, the move is both a carefully considered business decision and a personal one. He’s even relocated his family to Miami.
“We’ve spent the past decade building La Pecora Bianca in New York, one of the most competitive restaurant markets in the world,” says Barak. “Expanding beyond New York was always part of our long-term vision, but we wanted to do it thoughtfully and from a position of strength.”
The restaurant will officially open its doors on November 2
While Miami has attracted a growing number of established restaurant brands, Barak wasn’t interested in simply planting a flag in one of the city’s busiest dining and nightlife districts. Instead, he saw an opportunity in Coral Gables to replicate something central to La Pecora Bianca’s success in New York — a loyal neighborhood following.
“Our business in New York is built on regulars, people who come in two or three times a week, and we wanted a location where we could build those kinds of lasting relationships, rather than rely primarily on tourism or nightlife,” he explains.
The Shops at Merrick Park, with its open-air setting and residential surroundings, offered the right environment for a restaurant designed to transition from leisurely lunches and weekend brunches to afternoon aperitivo and enjoyable dinners.
A New York Favorite With A Miami Personality
Rather than recreate one of its Manhattan restaurants, La Pecora Bianca partnered with Miami-based design firm Urban Robot to give the Coral Gables location its own personality.
The massive indoor-outdoor restaurant draws inspiration from both Italian architecture and South Florida’s tropical surroundings. Handmade terracotta, artisanal tile, honeyed oak, patinated brass, and white marble mingle with coral, warm whites and sun-kissed yellow. The brand’s familiar sage-green palette has been reimagined in a lighter mint shade, appearing across arched doorways, ceiling treatments and decorative details.
Outside there’s a lush, palm-shaded garden that creates the feeling of an Italian neighborhood piazza, while an expansive wraparound bar with approximately 20 seats anchors the indoor dining room.
“We set out to build a brand, not a chain,” says Barak. “We’ve never believed in taking a successful design and simply replicating it from one location to the next.”
He describes Coral Gables as one of the most evolved expressions of La Pecora Bianca yet, incorporating lessons learned over 11 years while adapting the concept to Miami’s architecture, climate, and dining culture.
Housemade Pasta, Miami Exclusives And Plenty Of Aperitivo
Of course, the real attraction for many diners will be the pasta. Under the direction of Culinary Director Ed Scarpone, the Coral Gables kitchen will offer more than 10 housemade pastas alongside familiar La Pecora Bianca favorites, including its vodka rigatoni, whipped ricotta, Too Much Fried Mozzarella and tiramisu for two.
Lobster Spaghetti “Fra Diavolo”
But Miami diners will also get several dishes developed specifically for the new location. Among the standouts are a giant carbonara raviolo, lobster spaghetti fra diavolo, and tomato and melon carpaccio. Other pasta offerings include linguine vongole, campanelle al limone, and fusilli gigante, while Neapolitan-style pizzas range from a truffle and ricotta combination to a diavola topped with vodka sauce and hot honey.
Larger plates include chicken vodka parmesan and pork piccata. “The carbonara raviolo is a great example,” Barak says of the Miami additions. “It takes the familiar, comforting flavors of carbonara and transforms them into something playful and memorable.”
The beverage program will lean into Italian aperitivo culture, with a selection of wines and cocktails suited to everything from a midday spritz to an after-dinner drink. The Portofino Spritz combines cucumber, gin, St-Germain and prosecco, while the Affogato Espresso Martini features vodka, Mr. Black, crème de cacao and vanilla. There’s also an Arancia Sour made with gin, blood orange and lemon.
A Bigger Bet On South Florida
The Coral Gables opening is more than a one-off expansion. La Pecora Bianca is already exploring additional opportunities in South Florida and a handful of other markets, although Barak says the company isn’t interested in growing simply for the sake of adding locations.
“Because we’re founder-owned, we don’t have anyone else’s timeline to satisfy, and that lets us be very deliberate about the markets we enter, the neighborhoods we choose, and the spaces we create,” he says.
Located at Merrick Park, La Pecora Bianca aims to be a spot for locals who will become regulars rather than tourists
That long-term approach also extends to staffing. The restaurant is expected to employ approximately 100 people, with Barak mentioning the company’s benefits package, which includes healthcare for employees and their families, paid time off, and a 401(k) with a 6% employer match.
For Barak, who now calls Miami home, the goal isn’t simply to introduce another New York restaurant to South Florida. It’s to become the kind of neighborhood staple that keeps diners returning, whether they’re stopping in for a quick lunch, lingering over a spritz, or settling in for a plate of housemade pasta.
La Pecora Bianca officially opens November 2 at the Shops at Merrick Park in Coral Gables.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
