Farmington, MI — Cheers to 2026! We have a lot of foodie adventures to look forward to this year, but perhaps even more exciting is that soon we’ll be celebrating my 100th foodie adventure, as well as this food blog’s three-year anniversary. So what better way to kick off the new year than with a new adventure!
For Christmas, my coworker and foodie-at-arms, Juan, presented me with a gift card for an Italian deli known for its massive sandwiches: La Pecora Nera. I had heard of this establishment before and had passed two of its three locations in Birmingham and downtown Detroit several times, but never quite ventured in or had it set as my destination at the time. Now, armed with a $20 gift card, I was more than motivated to dedicate an adventure to the nearest location to my work. Last Friday, I embarked to La Pecora Nera in downtown Farmington to pick up a to-go order for lunch.
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Prior to heading out, I spent a few minutes reviewing the menu and comparing photos of the sandwiches to help determine what I was in the mood for sandwich-wise. Aside from sandwiches, La Pecora Nera also has salads, pasta salad, soups, Italian desserts, chips, cookies, coffees, and grocery items.
When reviewing the menu, I’ll admit, I was pretty torn between several visually-tantalizing options. My eyes were immediately drawn to the Spicy Chicken Caesar, Piacenza, Reuben Angelo, Turkey Bella, and the Muffuletta. To be fair, all of the sandwiches look absolutely bomb on the website! But when I called to place my order, I ultimately landed on the Reuben Angelo (I love a good Reuben sandwich, and it had been some time since I last had one) and added an order of the creamy Tomato Basil Soup. I was pretty impressed with how loaded and stuffed the signature salads looked as well, and I will definitely try the Lombardo Pasta Salad the next time I place an order so that I can try more of the menu.
I headed out for my lunch break shortly after, figuring my order would be about ready either before or just as I arrived, since I was looking at about a 12-minute drive over to downtown Farmington. La Pecora Nera is essentially located right at the heart and center of downtown at the southwest corner of Farmington Road and Grand River Avenue. I snapped a couple of quick photos of the storefront and interior to showcase some of the other beverages, snacks, and unique items for sale before approaching the counter to pick up my order.
For starters, I was thrilled that the eatery was even open since it was the day after Christmas, but apparently, I wasn’t the only eager beaver since there were a few other patrons inside who were just finishing up eating at a table, and another gentleman walked in right after me to also pick up a to-go order. As I was closing out my payment, I chatted briefly with the employee who was working the register to learn a bit more about La Pecora Nera and what they’re all about. It turns out, the deli utilizes sourdough focaccia bread for its sandwiches from none other than Rising Stars Academy! I’ve covered the RSA several times, both for this food blog and my job. They’re an absolutely wonderful organization led by some of the kindest and most caring folks, with an inspiring mission and service that they provide for the community. So, naturally, La Pecora Nera immediately got brownie points before I even bit into a sandwich!
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While chatting with the staff, I also learned that, apparently, there are plans to open a fourth location in Plymouth! Since I was rather hungry and didn’t want to hold up the person behind me waiting to pick up his order, I didn’t inquire any further to try to learn more, but context clues indicated that this upcoming new location is still in the planning and development stage. Hopefully, we’ll get a formal announcement soon providing a timeline for when it’s expected to open and where. Based on the locations of the current three, I’d wager that the fourth location will be in downtown Plymouth, which would make for a great location for the growing deli, as well as sandwich enthusiasts on the west side of Metro Detroit!
I got back to my workplace and went to my “lunch office” where I quickly ripped open the to-go bag and began unfurling the sandwich wrapping. I was in awe at how stacked this sandwich came, packed with plentiful layers of Sy Ginsberg corned beef, the deli’s red cabbage slaw, pickles, mozzarella, and homemade thousand island dressing. It took serious amounts of restraint not to immediately grab a half and go for a chomp, after all, a foodie’s phone always eats first! I also uncapped the Tomato Basil and emptied the golf ball-sized crouton chunks into the insanely aromatic soup.
Barely a second after taking the photo above, I grabbed the spoon and went for a hearty scoop of the soup. This soup was presumably made in-house, as I identified bits of minced garlic and basil by hand, and noted the well portioned seasoning throughout the mixture. This soup was delicious, savory, and really knocked it out of the park. The tomato flavor was prominent, with hints of garlic, pepper, and mint from the basil — which was expertly woven in. I loved the croutons, which were not only sizable but also maintained a nice crunch while absorbing some of the warm liquid that they had become immersed in, resulting in a nice soft/crunch duality upon consumption. I know I said I planned on trying the pasta salad next time, but I can promise you there will be more inclusions of the Tomato Basil soup in future orders.
I picked up one of the two halves, and was again in awe at how soft and perfect this focaccia was, it was hands down some of the best bread I’ve ever had in my entire life! You could tell this bread was very fresh, crafted without preservatives or conditioners. As you’ll see upon closer inspection above, this bread was airy and light, but still maintained a nice golden brown along the top — a perfect bake. The sandwich was layered beautifully, with the dressing and pickles paired nicely with the creamy slaw. My only wish was that I could have had a little bit more Thousand Island, not because I didn’t feel like there was enough, but because the deli’s homemade version was just that good. It really stood out and had a little zest to it, aided by the bite from the pickles.
While I could rant and rave all day about the bread, slaw, and homemade dressing, the real show stealer was, in fact, the corned beef! That’s because La Pecora Nera gets its corned beef from one of the best in all of Metro Detroit: Sy Ginsberg. If you’re not familiar with that name, you’re probably familiar with or may have tried Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor, which has used Sy Ginsberg’s famous corned beef since the day they opened! Ginsberg operated out of several facilities over the years across Metro Detroit, and currently still processes his family’s cured meats out of Eastern Market and supplies several restaurants and grocery stores across Michigan and the country!
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That’s what makes this corned beef so special; its history is woven into so many success stories for other Michigan businesses, and is the exceptional creation by a man with a passion for providing authentic and memorable delicatessen experiences for all. The corned beef is so juicy that it just melts in your mouth. The endless layers of thinly sliced cured beef are pure delight, with all the other ingredients enhancing the overall flavor profile. The salt brine is top tier for this corned beef, and when taking a full bite from the sandwich, you really get the depth and full range without any part of the Reuben’s taste being out of balance. A wonderful sandwich that I look forward to enjoying again at some point, but only after I’ve tried a few of those other sandwiches!
For more information about La Pecora Nera and the latest updates on the upcoming fourth location, click here.
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