When father-and-son team Carlos and Juan Vergara opened Barroco Grill in 2011, it was a 12-seat café with an apartment in the rear. The Lakewood eatery was an instant smash, generating lines out the door for those irresistible arepa sandwiches and other Colombian street food. Before long, Juan’s apartment in the back was appropriated for additional seating and the restaurant grew to more than 80 seats. In 2017, the Vergaras expanded to the east side, opening a location on Larchmere. And the following year, they added a westside location at Crocker Park.
This week, the Barroco locations in Lakewood and Westlake have closed. In addition to those closures, Hola Tacos in Lakewood has been put on hiatus until spring. The motivation behind the closures, says Juan Vergara, isn’t a lack of business. In fact, it’s the opposite.
“We, as a family, are beginning to take a step back,” he explains, while alluding to family health matters. “[Lakewood Barroco] is our original location, this is our busiest location, so it has to start there.”
In the years since Carlos and Juan first hung out their Birdtown shingle, they went on to open additional Barroco Grills, Hola Tacos locations in Lakewood and Willoughby, Amazonia in Lakewood, and La Pecora on Larchmere. It has been a wild ride over the past 15 years, notes Vergara, one that has brought the family immeasurable joy, but also stress.
“Obviously, it’s a sad moment for us, but it’s also a super-proud moment because we’re stepping away with a lot of dignity,” Vergara says. “We have just given so much over the years: the growth we’ve had, the mistakes we’ve made, the accomplishments we’ve had.”
While the Barroco restaurants in Lakewood and Crocker Park will remain closed, the location on Larchmere (12718 Larchmere Blvd.) is staying open due to a unique arrangement that includes La Pecora Pizzabar next door. Amazonia, the cocktail and wood-fired pizza concept in Lakewood, is also staying open.
“These are strong stores for us and they are not ending,” says Vergara.
They will, however, likely shift into the hands of other “good operators” in the coming months, he adds.
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