Ronan, LA’s Next Great Wood-Fired Pizza Contender, Opens on Melrose Avenue

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Matthew Kang is the Lead Editor of Eater LA. He has covered dining, restaurants, food culture, and nightlife in Los Angeles since 2008. He's the host of K-Town, a YouTube series covering Korean food in America, and has been featured in Netflix's Street Food show.

There’s a fantastic new place for wood-fired pizza now open in Mid-City/Melrose Avenue and it’s called Ronan. Sotto and Alimento veteran Daniel Cutler oversees this pizza and small plates restaurant with wife and general manager Caitlin Cutler. The two worked at Sotto together, though Caitlin has experience at Hatchet Hall and Huckleberry after a career in corporate finance in New York City. Meanwhile, Daniel handles everything dough-related on the menu, with inventive pizzas boasting supple but charred crusts, levain bread with a wonderfully brown crust, and unexpectedly fun small plates like grilled asparagus with cured egg yolk and preserved lemon aioli.

The shareable dishes expand to an additive chicken liver pate (Cutler also developed the highly regarded chicken liver dish at Alimento), served with cracker-like pane carasau. There’s some larger things here too, from a grilled whole snapper with fermented green tomato and roasted fennel, good enough for a big table, or a grilled Pead’s & Barnett’s fennel pollen-dusted pork chop that Cutler butchers himself. Check out the opening food and drink menus here.

On the drinks side, bar director Nick Meyer (Tesse, Sotto) assembles a whimsical set of cocktail leaning on seasonal ingredients like a Jerusalem Cruiser that mixes Israeli midori, purslane, lemon, and floc de gascogne, best drunk with a side of sliced coppa. The 70 seat restaurant has a long communal table in the dining room plus some four-top booths. Outside, there’s a long line of tables that can accommodate larger groups and anyone looking for fresh air. Interior design comes from NYC-based Michael Groth (who went to high school with Caitlin) with custom millwork from Third Life Design’s Dave Meyer (Nick’s father and honorary “dad” to the restaurant team).

Ronan opened Sunday, September 2 and will serve daily (except Tuesday when it’s closed) from 5:30 to 11 p.m. on weekdays, with a later midnight closure on weekends. Book a table on Resy.

Ronan. 7315 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046.

A Pair of Sotto Vets Opening New Pizza Project on Melrose [ELA]

Kingfish crudo with wild fennel and black olive at Ronan — Kingfish crudo with wild fennel and black olive

Chicken liver at Ronan — Chicken liver with barolo chinato, foie gras, and flame raisins

Wide angle of Ronan with a long communal table, banquettes, and dim lights in a minimalist space.

A pair of hands work an uncooked pizza on a large marble slab inside of a restaurant.

Marinara pizza with anchovies on a white plate at Ronan — Marinara pizza with anchovies at Ronan

Sweet cheeks pizza with guanciale, ricotta forte, and cacio e pepe honey

Cured copa with the Jerusalem Cruiser cocktail

Angel’s milk cocktail with frangelico, unfiltered sake, creamy almond, and cinnamon

Che fico with grilled figs, aged balsamic, and vanilla ice cream (left). Beach bum tiki cake with banana ice cream and mint (right) at Ronan — Che fico with grilled figs, aged balsamic, and vanilla ice cream (left). Beach bum tiki cake with banana ice cream and mint (right)

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