Lil Ronnie's, the quick-serve pizzeria tucked into Tremont at 2365 Professor Ave., is closing its doors Monday, Oct. 26. The shop's owners, Brian Moss and Brian Holleran, who also own Il Rione in Gordon Square, have decided not to renew their lease on the space and will instead put their full attention back into the original restaurant.
Holleran confirmed the decision not to renew the lease, according to Cleveland Scene, which first reported the closure. The two had signed a three-year lease for Lil Ronnie's, and rather than keep juggling two operations, the pair opted to run one place instead of expanding further, per the same report.
Lil Ronnie's occupied the storefront that was formerly home to Edison's Pizza, next door to Edison's Pub, a spot where a pizza shop had been a fixture for more than 15 years. cleveland.com reported in November 2023 that Il Rione planned to open the slice shop in that former Edison's Pizza storefront, with Holleran describing the partnership he shares with Moss in ownership of Il Rione. Before that, the space briefly operated as Edison's Next Door Pizza, closing just a few months after opening, cleveland.com noted at the time.
A Different Kind of Slice Shop
Lil Ronnie's was designed as a distinct operation from Il Rione's Gordon Square location rather than a simple satellite outpost. The shop made its dough on-site, and its pies were served in a style different from what diners find at Il Rione, according to the article. Its menu, built around slices and whole pies, also differed from the full-service offerings at Il Rione in Detroit Shoreway.
That approach marked a shift from the full-service dine-in model Il Rione built over the years. clevescene.com's first-look coverage noted that unlike the full-service Il Rione, Lil Ronnie's sold only whole pies and slices, with three regular options always on the counter: plain, pepperoni and white. The shop was a walk-up, counter-only spot with no seating, according to corner.inc.
Why the Owners Are Stepping Back
The idea behind Lil Ronnie's had been to let customers order Il Rione-style pizza by the slice, something the Gordon Square restaurant never offered since it only sells full pies, cleveland.com reported when the project was announced. The shop was initially framed as an expansion of the six-year-old Il Rione into a slice-focused Tremont format, clevescene.com reported in a roundup of new restaurants.
But running the shop didn't go quite as planned. The owners later said Lil Ronnie's operating process proved less streamlined and efficient than intended, per the article announcing the closure. With Il Rione about to turn nine years old in a couple of months, Holleran said he and Moss enjoy the work, have an excellent team, and control their own destiny — and he added that Il Rione still has substantial room for improvement, a goal the pair plans to chase now that they're focused on a single location.
Il Rione opened in 2017 and has built a reputation as one of Northeast Ohio's most beloved pizza spots, according to cleveland.com. With Lil Ronnie's set to close Monday, Moss and Holleran are putting that reputation — and their energy — squarely back on Gordon Square.
