At Ronnie’s, Chain Restaurant Classics Arrive in Hollywood Style

Pop-up sensation Ronnie Muñoz is ready for his big Hollywood reveal. The former fine dining chef became an LA-wide name during the pandemic thanks to profiles in places like the Los Angeles Times, and now he’s moved from his food truck to essentially a whole block on Sunset Boulevard, just west of Bronson.

The new Ronnie’s Kitchen + Cocktails is a slight departure from Ronnie’s Kickin’ Chicken, Muñoz’s mobile food operation that sprung up to serve spicy fried chicken during the pandemic. At the corner restaurant — formerly Delancey — Muñoz will focus on craft American comfort food, turning out riffs on chain staples like a bloomin’-style chopped and fried whole onion, or a skillet-baked cookie with a large scoop of ice cream for dessert. It’s all done with a knowing eye toward nostalgia, but with more care taken on technique and ingredients. Muñoz’s previous background at places like Craft and Paley in Hollywood helps.

Beyond the “flowering” onion and Ronnie’s standards like a fried chicken sandwich and confit wings, expect chicken tenders, an iceberg salad, and a whole array of cocktails, craft beer, and wines by the glass. Dom Miller, formerly a pastry chef with Gwen and Hearth & Hound, is on to oversee the pastry department as well.

While Ronnie’s represents the first leg of Muñoz’s new journey, complete with booths, brick walls, and TVs for that sports bar and neighborhood hangout appeal, it certainly isn’t the chef’s only project on the block. Along with partner Rob Vinokur, Muñoz is planning to open a quadrant of ideas in the attached spaces, including a burger takeaway called Besties this week. That walk-up window is located directly on Sunset Boulevard in the former Twin Sliders space, so don’t expect any seating, just grab and go service. Past that is Todos Santos, a soon-to-come hideaway for leafy patio evenings with margaritas and coastal Mexican fare. Around the corner on Tamarind, eventually, will be an as-yet-unnamed grab and go corner store, with a few nods to New York City’s bodega foods like breakfast sandwiches as well.

For now, it’s all about the new Ronnie’s Kitchen + Cocktails at 5936 W. Sunset Boulevard. The restaurant, spread across 80 seats inside (and with a small-ish patio to boot) is open formally as of Wednesday, March 23, keeping hours from Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight, with an extension to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

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