Citizen Pie Roman Café on East 4th Street to Close

Citizen Pie Roman Cafe 2057 East 4th St., Cleveland Chef Vytauras Sasnauskas, who also operates wood-fired pizza shops in Collinwood and Ohio City, opened Citizen Pie Roman Café in the former home of Erie Island Coffee on E. Fourth Street. Unlike the Neapolitan pies he bakes to order at his other pizzerias, Roman Café sells Roman-style pizza al taglio, a focaccia-like pizza that is baked in advance. A daily assortment of rectangular-cut slices are at the ready for take-out or a quick reheat in the shop’s oven. Photo via Scene Archives Credit: Scene Archives

After operating Citizen Pie pizzeria in Collinwood since 2015, and Citizen Pie in Ohio City since 2017, chef Vytauras Sasnauskas opened Citizen Pie Roman Café on East 4th Street in April of 2020. Unlike the Neapolitan-style pies crafted at the first two shops, the downtown restaurant specialized in grab-and-go Roman-style pizza.

Management has announced that the restaurant will be closing after service on Sunday, June 23. There will be no changes in service at the Collinwood and Ohio City restaurants.

“We have made the decision to close the Downtown Citizen Pie Roman Café location, while the Ohio City Citizen Pie will continue to operate as normal,” states partner Jonathan Seeholzer of MRN.

Seeholzer hinges the decision on a couple strategic factors, including the shifting personality of the pedestrian street.

“E. 4th is increasingly becoming a sports and entertainment focused neighborhood,” he adds. “We are currently in discussions with several operators with concepts that better serve that audience.”

The downtown shop will be rolled into the Ohio City location, where diners can look forward to menu changes in the future.

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