Owners Brian Moss and Brian Holleran have built a restaurant out of all our favorite things: good drinks, good music, a cool space and, of course, pizza.
Il Rione is the Frankenstein of restaurants.
It’s built of all the best parts: a killer classic rock playlist, drinks that kick and, best of all, top-notch pizza. Unlike Frankenstein’s monster, however, this experiment feels organic and unintentional.
Buffalo Springfield bounces off the original plaster-and-brick walls and exposed beams of the 1917 building in Detroit Shoreway. This old-school elegance is juxtaposed by the snazzy subway-tiled open kitchen. Though the place is always bustling, a couple can typically snag a seat at the bar without too much trouble.
Don’t fear the clam ($24-$32) with pecorino and garlic or the speck ($18-$23) with thinly sliced ham, pistachio, lemon ricotta and hot honey.
Owners Brian Moss and Brian Holleran never utter the word artisan, though the approach to the wood-fired New York-style ‘za, which focuses on a concise list of traditional ingredients such as Calabrian chiles, prosciutto and arugula, certainly exceeds the ethos of restaurants that claim to be much more than that. ilrionepizzeria.com
