By Anna Grace Moore
Photos by Angie Mosier & Blair Ramsey
Strolling into Luca Lagotto and Mercato Lagotto, one is immersed in a warm ambiance of decadent aromas and subtle, moody lighting–an al fresco nature somehow captivated indoors. Servers and customers exchange tender salutations as if they were old friends, and conversations often begin with the pouring of aperitivi in a customer’s glass.
While new on the block, Luca–a concept from Nick Pihakis of The Pihakis Restaurant Group and Executive Chefs Rita Bernhardt and Paul Yeck–sports an old-world craftsmanship reminiscent of villages in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. The corner restaurant shares doors with its mercato, complete with traditional Italian fare not easily found outside of Italy.
Boasting a hand-selected variety of authentic recipes, Rita and Paul have created each one–sourcing only the freshest, local ingredients to be paired with a few internationally imported goods for a robust flair. Rita, who was classically trained at the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon, says helping develop the restaurant has been a dream come true.
Rita studied English and theater in college, but she later switched gears to attend culinary school after discovering her passion for cooking for friends while in school. What started off as a dream is now a reality Rita is thankful for each day.
“One of the great things about Luca is I’ve been involved in the project since the beginning in creating the ideas, the recipes, the menu,” Rita says. “Our market has probably been more well received than I could have anticipated. People are buying our house-made sauces and our freshly made pasta just to cook at home. That’s been wonderful so far.”
After graduating from culinary school in 2011, Rita began working at Southpark Seafood and Wine Bar before taking a leap of faith and moving cross-country to New Orleans, eager to experience Southern culture and cuisine. There, Rita’s culinary career spanned eight years, which included one of her starting positions as a line cook at Domenica in The Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Rita advanced to work at several other restaurants such as Bacchanal, August and Dick & Jenny’s during her time in New Orleans. She also met and fell in love with her now husband, William Barrial III, and together, they founded their own catering service and supper club, The PDR in May 2014.
In April 2018, Rita was recruited back to Domenica to work as the chef de cuisine, making her journey full-circle. In 2019 after welcoming their daughter into the world, William and Rita relocated to Birmingham for a quieter life of which to raise their family. Rita began working as the Executive Chef at Satterfield’s in Cahaba Heights.
Not long after moving to Birmingham was Rita connected with Nick Pihakis. In January 2021, she became the Executive Chef of Luca, which opened in March 2024 at 1722 28th Avenue South in downtown Homewood.
“Homewood is a really awesome community,” Rita says. “It’s special to me when I can recognize people by name and appreciate their business.”
The menu’s hand-selected, assorted variety features numerous dishes, including pastas, pizzas, salads and desserts, as well as an intimate list of specialty cocktails. Any of the appetizers such as the Gigante Bean Panzanella are delicious. This dish blends Marzolino cheese, roasted tomato vinaigrette, focaccia, cucumber and sweet peppers in a flavorful fusion.
Those with selective taste palates can always find something they enjoy on the menu, especially when it comes to the hand-tossed pizzas, which can come either round or square. The Four Cheese pizza has a tomato-sauce base and is topped with mozzarella, fontina, parmigiano reggiano and ricotta.
In addition, the Bucatini all’Amatriciana pasta never disappoints. It is a carefully curated red-sauce pasta made of pancetta, bacon, tomato and pecorino romano.
The Campanelle, on the other hand, consists of a cheese-sauce base drizzled with black pepper and parmigiano reggiano; although, it is equally as mouth-watering.
Those looking to share a meal should consider the Bistecca alla Fiorentina, which consists of two 32-ounce prime porterhouse steaks topped with roasted garlic butter. The Grilled Gulf Fish–another delicious contender for a lunch or dinner time entree–comes dressed with beurre blanc, citrus, olive and fennel.
Rita finds it hard to narrow down her favorite item on the menu, but the clam pizza, which features a white wine base with garlic and herbs, she could eat every day.
One would be remiss not to try any of the crafted cocktails, too. The Passo di Lupo, which consists of bourbon, pineapple rum, cardamoro and vanilla, tastes smooth with warm autumn notes.
The II Diavolo is an eclectic concoction of reposado tequila, cassis, lime and ginger beer and makes for the perfect pastime beverage. For those preferring a mocktail, try the Paloma–it’s made of Jalisco 55, grapefruit, lime and soda.
All of the menu’s items were inspired by Rita’s travels to Italy, where she studied various villages’ cooking styles and what made them unique. Now having perfected Luca’s cuisine, Rita says the menu is a fusion of some of the best culinary masterminds within The Pihakis Restaurant Group.
“It’s been a joy to learn a lot of new things from all my partners and have support from everyone,” Rita says. “We’re like a family, and we all learn from each other. That to me is what makes it special.”
Luca Lagotto and Mercato Lagotto is located at 1722 28th Avenue South. It is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, visit eatluca.com.
Chef’s Picks
Appetizer
Fried Carbonara
-Pancetta, pecorino and chives
Salad
Collard Green Caesar
–Focaccia croutons and parmigiano reggiano
Pasta
Rigatoni
-Arrabbiata, fennel sausage, basil and parmigiano reggiano
Crafted Cocktail
-Gin, italicus, dry vermouth, lime, orange blossom water and spritz
Luca Lagotto and Mercato Lagotto
What distinguishes Luca from other Italian restaurants in Birmingham is not just the menu’s acquired authenticity, but also its mercato, featuring homemade pasta, pizza and gelato available for purchase. Inside, customers will also find a hand-selected assortment of meats, cheese and fine wines not easily found outside of Italy.
