Spike’s in SLO transformed into wood-fired pizzeria Bear & the Wren. Here’s a look inside
Walking into the space that was once Spike’s Pub in downtown San Luis Obispo, guests are now greeted with a fresh ambiance and open kitchen, with a wood-fired oven at the heart of it all.
“There’s something intimate about fire, and I think cooking with fire brings a lot of people together,” Bear & the Wren Chef AJ La Rosa said.
The restaurant, a Neapolitan-style pizzeria, opened Wednesday, Jan 29, in The Creamery, located at 570 Higuera St. #2.
The restaurant’s wood-fired oven was imported from Italy and built in Healdsburg, according to Bear & the Wren founder Jason Barringer.
Catering business started with a truck
But before this eatery had an Italian oven or a home in downtown SLO, it was a catering service that towed its oven around in a custom 1952 Chevy truck.
Barringer said he purchased the truck with a vision in mind but no prior restaurant experience.
“We wanted to get into catering and create an experience for people with food and the truck and drinks,” Barringer said. “That was kind of our main goal ... not be behind the scenes catering but more of an addition to the experience of the event.”
The name came from a nickname “Bare,” that was given to him as a shorter version of his last name and his daughter’s middle name, “Ren.”
Although Barringer was new to the food industry, his partners Jason Nuss, Rick Panaro and La Rosa all brought years of experience with them.
“We’re a huge family. We’ve worked so hard, and I think all of our knowledge and collaboration went well,” La Rosa said.
The four partners said after opening the truck in 2016, they hoped to be able to transition into a restaurant space. After looking at many locations over the years, they found one that fit their needs.
“The first couple years of catering allowed us to gain a following in the community, not only doing weddings and events, but we did a couple public events with local wineries, the makers markets, that way we were able to connect with the community more,” Nuss said.
La Rosa said he served as a fine dining chef for years and wanted to transition to a more “approachable” dining experience. La Rosa previously worked with Nuss, who began working in restaurants at age 14 and is now manager of Bear & the Wren.
It’s all about the pizza
However, the pizza expertise that drives the wood-fire eatery comes from Rick Panaro, who has been making pizzas for 10 years.
“It’s definitely my passion, it’s all I ever think about, dream about, is pizza,” Panaro said.
Along with wood-fired, Neapolitan-style pizzas, the restaurant now serves Detroit-style pan pizza — called ‘Bear Squares’ — something they could not do out of the truck. They also provide a variety of wine and beer on tap with a majority made by local wineries and breweries.
Along with pizza, the restaurant features appetizers, including fried Brussels sprouts and Caeser salad. It has eight beers and a cider on tap, as well as 20 to 25 wine selections focusing on local vintners.
“The menu here is a technique-driven menu,” La Rosa said. “We specialize in pizzas right now, but with my background in food, I would like to do a lot more than just pizzas.”
All four partners said the restaurant has been well-received and they are looking forward for what’s to come.
“I think anyone in this industry knows how tough operating a restaurant is. It’s long, long hours, and it’s very challenging hard work, but I think the thing about us is we thrive off of it. It’s our passion,” Nuss said. “People react to that, when they know your heart’s in something.”
Barringer said they are unsure what the future of Bear & the Wren’s catering business will be, but for now, they will focus on the restaurant.
Bear & the Wren is open Tuesday through Saturday 5 to 10 p.m. Nuss said they plan to open a patio space in the near future.