There’s a moment, the first time you pick up a slice at Pegaslice Roman Style Pizza, when the crust makes a sound.
Not quite a crunch, more of a crackle, the kind you’d expect from a good baguette rather than a pizza. That sound is the whole point.
Pegaslice, which opened in July at 7398 Calle Real behind the 7-Eleven in El Encanto Heights west of Glen Annie Road, is Goleta’s home for Roman-style pizza, and I’ve been going back more often than I’d like to admit.
If you haven’t had Roman-style before, here’s what you’re in for.
The pizza is baked rectangular in a pan, from dough fermented for 72 hours until it’s full of big air pockets. The result is crisp outside and almost cloud-like inside.
The texture reminds me more of a croissant than of any pizza I grew up on.
It is also, crucially, light. You can eat three slices and still feel like a functioning person afterward, which I can’t say about most pizza.
Pizza Runs in the Family
The man behind it all, owner and chef McLeod Noormand, comes by his craft honestly. He is a third-generation Santa Barbara pizza man.
His grandfather, Albert Noormand, was one of the original founders of Giovanni’s Pizza in Montecito in the 1980s, and his father, Shawn, has run Giovanni’s in Carpinteria since the 1990s.
McLeod spent about nine years in that Carpinteria kitchen and also cooked at Tamar in the Funk Zone before striking out on his own.
What pulled him toward Rome was a trip to the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, where he tasted the work of a Roman pizza master and decided he had to learn the technique.
He followed that teacher to a three-day training course in New Jersey, then spent years and countless test pies refining his dough.
The result is Roman style with his own spin, and the So-Cal twist he puts on it comes through in every bite.
The Menu
The slice case is where to start. A classic Margherita runs $4.50, and most slices sit at $5.50: a straightforward pepperoni, a Hawai‘ian, a pesto-and-mozzarella Tricolore, a Zesty Green with spinach, ricotta and lemon zest, and a teriyaki barbecue chicken slice that shouldn’t work and absolutely does.
The Bianco, with ranch, confit garlic, sautéed mushrooms and roasted jalapeños, is the one garlic lovers should order first. The showpiece is the $6 MortaVodka: vodka sauce, stracciatella, mortadella and chopped pistachios.
Half and full pans feed a crowd, and there’s a gluten-free cauliflower-crust option.
Beyond pizza you’ll find Florentine-style sandwiches on a thin, crisp ciabatta-like bread, Calabrian chili crunch and hot honey wings, PEGA Fries loaded with mozzarella and house-made pancetta, rocket and Caesar salads, milkshakes and vanilla soft serve.
Students get a $10 combo, which feels right for a shop just down the road from Dos Pueblos High School.
What I Keep Ordering
I’ll be honest: I have a rut, and I’m happy in it. The pepperoni is my benchmark. It’s simple, just tomato sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni, but on that crust the pepperoni crisps at the edges and the sauce tastes bright instead of heavy.
It’s the slice I’d use to convert a skeptic.
Then there’s the mortadella panini, the Bourdain: crispy mortadella, provolone, Parmigiano Reggiano, Dijon, and mayo, pressed hot. The mortadella turns crisp and a little caramelized, the cheese melts into every gap, and the mustard cuts right through the richness.
It’s salty, indulgent and wonderful, and it’s named for a man who would have loved it.
Why You Should Go
What impresses me most is who’s behind the counter. Noormand is 24. At an age when most people are still figuring out what they want to do, he’s running a chef-driven restaurant, leading a team, and building something with real personality.
And he’s dreaming big, with hopes of Pegaslice one day growing into something as beloved as In-N-Out Burger. I think it’s wonderful that such a young business owner is doing such an incredible job, and that kind of ambition deserves to be rewarded.
So go. Grab a pepperoni slice, order the Bourdain, and bring a friend. Goleta has something special on Calle Real, and everyone should support it.
