Leona’s Pizzeria & Restaurant locked away a secure spot in Chicago’s storied pizza lore when it first launched in 1950. Despite a slew of setbacks since then—including a recent decline in demand for dine-in service—Leona’s celebrated its 75th anniversary this month by throwing open the doors for store No. 4, Leona’s Express, which will offer drive-thru pickup in McHenry.
But the brand once had many more stores than that. Is it now primed for a comeback by shifting its focus away from dine-in?
Leona’s, founded by Leona Pianetto Molinaro Szemla, has journeyed down a bumpy road since the 1950s, but it once led the Windy City’s pizza community in some key innovations. For one thing, it was woman-owned from the start; Szemla first co-founded another legendary Chicago eatery, Pat’s Pizza, with her brother, Nicholas “Pat” Pianetto Sr. The siblings reportedly had a falling-out (later patched up), and Szemla started her own shop in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood—a bold move for a woman in that era.
Under her leadership, the restaurant was the first in the city to buy its own delivery cars in 1952 and the first to put branded signage on its vehicles, according to its website. At one time Leona’s reportedly employed “as many as 250 drivers.”
Szemla’s son-in-law, Leonard “Ben” Toia, eventually took over the shop and ran it with his sons, Leon and Sam Toia. In turn, they took the brand to greater heights in the 1970s and 1980s, growing it to 12 locations before selling the company in 2013.
By 2021, Leona’s fortunes had fallen, with only two stores still running as the pandemic set in. Billy Marino, the company’s current owner and CEO, took the reins in May 2022 and has set out to rejuvenate Leona’s.
In December 2024, the company announced it would close its Northside restaurant in Irving Park and co-locate with another iconic Chicago brand, Roma’s Italian Beef & Sausage, at 4234 N. Cicero. In a social media post, Leona’s explained, “Like many restaurants navigating the post-pandemic landscape, we’ve observed a significant shift towards carryout and delivery services, which now account for the majority of our business. Unfortunately, the demand for dine-in service has not returned to levels that justify the expense of maintaining a dining room.”
Partnering with Roma’s, the post noted, would allow Leona’s to streamline operations “while keeping our focus on carryout, delivery and events.”
Meanwhile, Leona’s new McHenry location marks another first for the area: It offers the first pizza drive-thru in Northern Illinois, the company says.
“Opening our doors in McHenry is a meaningful milestone for all of us at Leona’s,” Marino said. “It’s a chance to share the tradition we’ve built over generations with a new part of our community. We’re proud to offer the same iconic, classic flavors that have been part of Chicago’s world-class dining scene since 1950—now with the convenience of a drive-thru made for today’s diners.”
The new location still serves Leona’s signature lineup of Chicago-style pizzas, including thin-crust, stuffed deep dish, Sicilian and pan styles, plus a range of Italian-American comfort foods like pastas and flatbread sandwiches. Prominent on the menu are the Thin Crust 1950 Traditional, the Sicilian 1950 Traditional and the Stuffed 1950 Traditional, all topped with Italian sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, onions and mozzarella.
