In the past few years, LA has undergone something of a pizza renaissance, with different styles of well-made pies popping up over the city. Since 2018, Ronan in Los Angeles has carved out a unique space for itself with its puffy, perfectly blistered sourdough pies—but also its excellent cocktails, thoughtful starters, and always-lively vibe.
“Even though the market is becoming saturated, there’s space for everybody,” Ronan co-owner Daniel Cutler says. “Everyone’s got a different style of pizza.”
Ronan’s also become well-known for its collaboration dinners, like past ones with the Parm Boyz pop-up and an upcoming event with Santa Monica seafood spot Isla. As Ronan prepares to reopen on Monday nights this fall, we sat down with Cutler and his partner and wife Caitlin Cutler to chat about what makes Ronan a neighborhood darling and more.
Read on for what makes Ronan in Los Angeles stand apart in a crowded pizza city, and make a booking on OpenTable.
What do you think Ronan’s “X factor” is?
Daniel Cutler: I think a lot of it has to do with the space itself. When it’s buzzing, it gives off an energy that I haven’t seen in a lot of restaurants. One of the factors is the proximity of the kitchen to the bar; you really see what you’re going to get.
Caitlin Cutler: Daniel is going to be modest, but I think it’s one of the last standing, truly chef-driven restaurants. Ronan is only meant to have one location, unlike a lot of restaurants now that feel cut-and-paste. You see that on the menu. This is what Daniel likes to cook and eat, and it’s really personal.
What’s the one dish you’ll never remove from the menu?
Daniel: The Señor Carrots [roasted carrots with spiced yogurt, honeycomb, and coriander]. It’s a dish where you put a bunch of easy things together but as a combo it transcends into some other thing. When we opened the restaurant, our daughter was watching a show where one of the characters had a donkey named Señor Carrots. People are always asking about the name, but it really has nothing to do with anything serious.
What’s the underdog of the menu?
Caitlin: The How ‘Nduja You Want It pizza [with spicy sausage, gorgonzola, and green onion]. We’ll never take it off the menu, though. When I tell people that it’s my favorite pizza, they look at me like I’m lying. Very few things on the menu are ego-driven, but it’s the type of thing where even if we only sell two or three a week, it’s never coming off because we love it so much.
What is the hidden gem on the wine list?
Caitlin: Our sparkling wine selection. Champagne with pizza is just so celebratory. For us it’s the quintessential New Year’s Eve. We have some really quirky sparkling wines that don’t get a lot of attention from our customers. I live for our Lambrusco by the glass from Quinticello. I call it ‘my wine.’ It’s the first drink I’ve had after pregnancy with all of our kids.
Daniel: If we can’t find the Lambrusco, Caitlin will be scouring the internet for it. She once had six bottles shipped from Seattle.
Who’s your longest regular?
Daniel: My mom. Or Caitlin’s dad.
Caitlin: David and Dawn Lehmann are a couple that was referred to the restaurant by Dina Samson, the owner of Rossoblu. They moved into the neighborhood shortly after we opened. They’ve become family friends. We send each other Christmas cards
Who’s your longest-serving staff member?
Caitlin: Jeremy was our nanny’s fiancé when we opened. He’s now our general manager and beverage director. The restaurant really feels like it’s in the hands of family at this point. Our other longest-serving staff member is Isaac, who came to us from our neighboring coffee shop Toasted & Roasted, which has since closed.
What’s the most memorable request you’ve received from a customer?
Caitlin: We had two customers who’d had their first date at the restaurant. The boyfriend emailed to request the same table to propose to his girlfriend.
What’s the best seat in the house?
Daniel: It’s always the bar for me. We’re bar rats at restaurants. But also, at Ronan, a lot of stuff happens right there behind the bar, so you get a great view of all the action. It’s busy and bustling.
When is the best time to find a reservation?
Caitlin: If you’re having a hard time finding a reservation on OpenTable, call the restaurant around 4 or 5 pm the day before you want to come in. Usually something opens up, but especially finding Friday and Saturday reservations can be tough.
What’s been the biggest change at the restaurant since the opening?
Caitlin: Covid shifted us in two ways. First, we moved more toward comfort food and food that could travel well so it could be geared to takeout. The pandemic also forced Daniel and I to step back and allow other team members to grow. It gave us more balance. It was really hard to extract us from the restaurant until we were forced to.
Daniel: Our style of service has changed. At first, we over-hired and over-trained, but now it’s much more of an all-hands-on-deck situation. It helped us to stay alive during the slow times of the Hollywood strikes. We get maximum effort from minimal staff now.
What’s your favorite award you’ve won?
Daniel: It was nice to be on the Eater 38 for a while.
Caitlin: We’re both from LA, so anytime we get recognition from The Los Angeles Times or Eater LA, it’s a big deal to us.
Daniel: Getting in the MICHELIN guide was also really big. I didn’t know there were classifications for more casual restaurants.
Karen Palmer is a pizza- and pasta-obsessed food writer based in Los Angeles. She is the former editorial director of Tasting Table, and her work has appeared in Eater, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, and many other publications. Follow her on Instagram at @karenlpalmer.
