Jon & Vinny’s Opened in Studio City With Cocktails, Pasta, and Pizza

Nearly a decade after the first Jon & Vinny’s debuted on Fairfax, the team behind the popular Italian American restaurant chain opened its fifth location in Studio City on August 14. The newest outlet on Moorpark Street took two and a half years to develop and is open daily serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and for the first time, cocktails.

With each new location, owners Jon Shook, Vinny Dotolo, and Helen Johannesen aim to replicate the ambience and buzz of the original while offering something different that excites the local community. “Does the neighborhood want us there or not? There will always be people that don’t want you somewhere, but what does the majority say?” says Shook. The combination of encouragement from neighbors and staff who live in the Valley confirmed to the trio that they were moving into the right location.

For Studio City, the owners borrowed design elements from the other locations like light wood furnishings and soft lighting. Shook says that he wants customers to innately know they are in a Jon & Vinny’s no matter their location. What sets Studio City apart is its full liquor license and bar; only wine and beer are served at the other outposts. Bar reservations are unavailable to encourage people to casually drop in for a drink or bite.

Johannesen’s bar menu is based on classic cocktails but with a Jon & Vinny twist. “[We’re] trying to strike the perfect balance that our food does so well,” Johannesen says. “You know, that beautiful spot between the seasoning, deliciousness, and craveability? It’s translating that over into the cocktail program.” The menu features two takes on a Negroni, one served on the rocks and another poured tableside, as well as LA favorites like a margarita. High-end spirits will be available by the glass. “We want to make drinks that we would make for friends at home or that we like to drink,” Johannesen says. “Because at the end of the day, that’s what feels good and that’s what Jon & Vinny’s is all about.” In addition to cocktails, Johannesen oversees wine and beer offerings, plus retail bottles behind the bar.

The food menu at the Studio City restaurant is purposefully the same as the other outlets. Shook says that the consistency is meant to avoid misleading diners who look forward to a specific dish. “How disappointed would you be if you showed up to your local Jon & Vinny’s that just opened in your neighborhood and it didn’t have your dish?” he says.

For breakfast, the restaurant serves Anson Mills polenta with olive oil and Parmigiano Reggiano, buttermilk pancakes, spaghetti carbonara, and a breakfast pizza with potatoes and a fried egg. The lunch and dinner menus focus on house-made pasta, pizzas, and larger proteins like chicken Parmesan and red wine-marinated sirloin steak. Some of the bestsellers include margherita pizza, spicy fusilli, and a gem lettuce salad with Calabrian chile dressing. Lemon ricotta cookies, tiramisu, and Italian rainbow cookies are available for dessert. The Studio City location offers a kids menu with spaghetti, shells, and pizza, plus a seating arrangement designed to accommodate families inside and on the patio.

Even five locations in, Shook, Dotolo, and Johannesen still reverberate with excitement. The Studio City location will bring new merch inspired by local movie studios that Shook is looking forward to, while Dotolo hopes more people will come out for breakfast. Johannesen is most excited about the bar, which she sees as a manifestation of how the trio collaborates. Most of all, they’re grateful for the initial response from the community, and for the opportunity to become a new neighborhood restaurant. “I didn’t realize how many people this location resonates with,” Johannesen says. “There’s this really amazing moment for us to serve a community here.”