"Mauro Colagreco fires modern Neapolitan pizza on Menton's quay, a top-100 pizzeria in 2025; go for a relaxed first date."
About Pecora Negra
A bright red wood-fired oven burns olive wood at the back, and the dough has spent the day on a slow rise. Pecora Negra is Mauro Colagreco's pizzeria on the Quai Gordon Bennett in Menton, a casual cousin to his three-star Mirazur up the coast. The name mixes Italian and Spanish for black sheep, a nod to his Italian-Argentine roots. Pizzas run €11.50 to €22, and the Pizza del Momento changes every week with the market. In 2025 it was voted among the world's hundred best pizzerias.
The Kitchen
Mauro Colagreco runs Mirazur in Menton, the three-Michelin-star room that topped the World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2019. Pecora Negra, which he opened in 2019, is his everyday project: modern Neapolitan pizza made with sustainably milled flour and a high proportion of whole wheat, baked fast in a wood-fired oven fed with olive wood. The menu reads short and classic, with Margherita, Marinara, Cetara, Diavola, Genovese and Cacio e pepe, plus a Jardin du Jour on a white base with seasonal vegetables and fior di latte.
The one to order is the Pizza del Momento, the weekly market-driven pie Colagreco calls the most personal thing on the menu. Pizzas run €11.50 to €22 and antipasti €4.50 to €17.50, with the kitchen at Quai Gordon Bennett on the Menton seafront. In 2025 The Best Pizza Awards placed it 69th among the hundred best pizzerias in the world, and there are now sibling rooms in Lyon and Strasbourg. It stands tall among the best pizza worldwide.
The Room
Pecora Negra is a relaxed seafront pizzeria, not a fine-dining room. Tables spill toward the Quai Gordon Bennett and the marina, the red oven anchors the back, and the sound is easy chatter and the clatter of an open kitchen. Light is bright and casual by day, warmer in the evening. There is no dress code, and you will see swimsuits and cover-ups at lunch and linen at dinner. Tables are close and turn quickly, with families welcome. It is the kind of place you walk to after the beach, not one you dress up for.
Best for a First Date
Book Pecora Negra for an early, low-pressure first date because nothing about it tries too hard. A €15 pizza and a glass of rosé keep the stakes and the bill light, the seafront tables give you the marina to look at when the talk lags, and a Colagreco kitchen means the food still gives you something to discuss. Walk over after the beach, share a Margherita and the Pizza del Momento, and see how the afternoon goes. It is far easier to read each other here than across a tasting menu, and you can leave whenever the moment is right.
Not for
Not for a formal dinner or a special-occasion blowout: this is a casual seafront pizzeria with close tables and quick turns, not the three-star Mirazur experience up the coast.
Frequently Asked
Is Pecora Negra worth it?
Yes, especially on value. Pecora Negra gives you a Mauro Colagreco kitchen at pizzeria prices, with pizzas from €11.50, and in 2025 it was voted one of the hundred best pizzerias in the world. It is casual and busy rather than refined, so come for a good, cheap, well-made pizza by the sea, not a fine-dining night. More of the coast is on our Menton dining guide.
How do you book Pecora Negra?
Often walk-in, but book in summer. Pecora Negra takes reservations and is busiest at lunch and on warm evenings, when the seafront tables fill, so book a day or two ahead in July and August. Off-season you can usually walk in. Call +33 4 93 96 30 38 to check. Tables turn quickly, so even a short wait rarely lasts long.
What should I order at Pecora Negra?
Start with the Margherita, the test of any pizzeria, then the Pizza del Momento, the weekly market pie Colagreco calls the most personal on the menu. The Jardin du Jour with seasonal vegetables on a white base is the vegetarian pick. Antipasti run €4.50 to €17.50 if you want to share first. Finish with a gelato.
Is Pecora Negra really by Mauro Colagreco?
Yes. Pecora Negra is Mauro Colagreco's own pizzeria, opened in 2019 as a casual counterpart to his three-Michelin-star Mirazur in the same town. He built it around sustainable flour and modern Neapolitan technique. There are now sibling branches in Lyon and Strasbourg. It is the same chef behind the World's 50 Best number one of 2019, cooking at a very different price.
Reserve a Table
Reserve at Pecora Negra
Reservations and walk-ins. Call +33 4 93 96 30 38; busiest in summer.
Affiliate disclosure: Restaurants for Kings may earn a commission when you book through our reservation links, at no cost to you. Our scores are editorial and never paid for.
Practical Information
AddressQuai Gordon Bennett, 06500 Menton, France
NeighbourhoodPort de Menton
CuisineNeapolitan Pizza
PricePizzas €11.50–€22; antipasti €4.50–€17.50
Dress CodeNo dress code
SeatingSeafront tables, casual
ReservationPhone / walk-in
