Aiming to open in December, PonyBoys will bring modern Mexican fare to Chagrin Falls. The powerhouse team behind the new restaurant includes Ryan Scanlon, former Director of Culinary for Chef Art Pour Restaurant Group, which includes Burntwood Tavern, M Italian and Leo’s Italian Social, and Christian Kalinyak, the former Director of Design for the same restaurant group.
“It’s a big step for Ryan and I,” says Kalinyak.
The team took possession of the Violante’s Restaurant space at 506 E. Washington St. about two months ago. Interestingly, the property sits immediately adjacent to Burntwood Tavern, where Scanlon served as opening chef. He continued to work for the company as it expanded throughout the state and beyond.
“We liked it because it was a small spot, limited number of seats, pretty controllable and in a great community,” notes Scanlon, who lives in the area.
When completed, PonyBoys will seat 60, including a 15-seat bar. When the patio comes online in spring, it will add another 20 to 25 seats.
The bill of fare is described as “elevated Mexican street food.”
“That whole vibe of modern Mexican is a really underserved market, I feel, in this whole Chagrin Valley area,” says Kalinyak. “You’ve got a couple cool places down in Cleveland and Ohio City, but there’s nothing in the suburbs that complements that. And who doesn’t love a great taco, right?”
Kalinyak, a furniture maker by trade, is fabricating everything – the lighting, tables, bartop – in his Chagrin Falls workshop.
“As far as the décor goes, everything is handmade by myself in my shop,” he says. “So it’s really handmade, from the kitchen out to the front of the house.”
Look for PonyBoys to open in December.
This article appears in Nov 3-16, 2021.