Reno's Pizza Re-opens After Fiery Crash

A big bright glass window now replaces the boarded-up makeshift memorial that lined the outside of the pizza parlor at Ventura Boulevard and Tujunga Avenue in Studio City.

Reno's Pizzeria & Restaurant re-opened Monday with little fanfare, but a bright and shiny new look.

Reno's owner Nick Tsaturyan had his friends and family there for the lunch hour and said, "We are open again, we have a few new things on the menu, and a new look."

The flat screen TV that literally melted in the fireball explosion was replaced, and there's a new chair, a new bar and new signs. On Sept. 9, three youths crashed into the side of Reno's after hitting two trees and bursting a gas line. The crash erupted into a fiery explosion in the car.

The melted metal sign on the Ventura Boulevard side of the restaurant is all that remains of the crash, although there is still occasional bouquets of flowers left on the sidewalk outside.

"It has been 40 days, it has been hard, but we are open again," Tsaturyan said, holding his nearly-2-year-old grandson, Nick.

On the newly expanded menu are dishes like Shrimp Fry, Schnitzel and a Combo Rice dish with grilled chicken, sauteed beef, fresh mushrooms, onions, broccoli, garlic, bell peppers and topped with a marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.

The restaurant opened much earlier than anticipated, and the pizzeria has been located at the Studio City site for 20 years.

For more information, go to or their website, StudioCityPizza.com.