Lonely Pine Steakhouse, the cozy Pleasant Ridge spot with the road‑trip‑through‑time vibe, is firing the grills back up. Madeline Sheblessy, the chef who previously ran the restaurant’s kitchen, has bought the steakhouse and plans to reopen it in mid‑to‑late April. She and partner Mike Riley say they will keep the retro, Route‑66‑meets‑mid‑century feel while tightening the menu around sustainable, farm‑to‑table ingredients. The restaurant closed in October 2025 after a leadership change that paused operations.
Chef Takes Ownership
Sheblessy purchased Lonely Pine from Gorilla Cinema Presents owner Jacob Trevino and rolled out the news on social media. "My goal as a chef in Cincinnati is to collaborate and make Cincinnati restaurants the best," Sheblessy told CityBeat. In that same announcement, the new owners promised "mid‑century Route 66 flavors, a little nostalgia, a little magic," while assuring regulars that the restaurant’s core identity is staying put.
Local Roots And TV Spotlight
Sheblessy has been racking up national attention; she has appeared on Food Network shows "Guy's Grocery Games" and "Chopped," according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. The Lonely Pine shut its doors in October 2025 after the restaurant's leadership decided to pause operations, FOX19 reported. That mix of TV credentials and a shuttered neighborhood favorite has locals watching closely for the reopening date.
What To Expect
The refreshed menu is set to lean even harder into sustainable, farm‑to‑table cooking, with Sheblessy building relationships with small regional farmers across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, per CityBeat. An exact opening day is still under wraps, but the team is aiming for mid‑to‑late April. For now, the restaurant’s website is parked on a "stay tuned" landing page while the owners get ready for relaunch; the closure notice is still up at Lonely Pine Steakhouse.
Neighborhood Return
Lonely Pine first opened in Pleasant Ridge in 2019 and helped anchor the block's dining options, as Hoodline noted when it covered the debut. The return under a chef‑owner has neighbors and longtime diners eager to see whether the steakhouse can recapture the retro charm they have missed since it went dark last fall.
