Mister O1, a Miami-based pizza franchise that was named “best pizza” in Florida by Food & Wine, is opening up its first Texas location in Dallas Monday on Oak Lawn Avenue. Founder Renato Viola hails from southern Italy and has crafted a sprawling Italian menu of pizzas, calzones, and salads. Also expect antipasti and a burrata bar.
The pizza dough rests for at least 72 hours before being it’s shaped into a thin-crust pie, according to a press release. Mister O1 will serve classics like Margherita, pepperoni, and meat lovers, but its specialty pizzas take the cake: the Alessandra jalapeño is topped with mozzarella, mushrooms, avocado, and jalapeños, and the il Pescatore is a fishy pie with tuna and anchovies.
If you’re looking to go all out, there are the star-shaped pizzas, a signature dish from the pizza joint. The star shape is formed using a round pie that has been sliced around the edge. The ends are then brought together to form points around the center. You can pick up the slices by the crispy, pointy, crust.
For those feeling particularly dazzling, the Star Carlos is a star pizza with ricotta, mozzarella, Spanish sausage chorizo, tomatoes, arugula, avocado, parmesan, and jalapeño sauce. A curious one that caught my eye is the coffee paolo, another star-shaped pie with mozzarella, blue cheese, honey, coffee, and spicy salami calabrese.
The menu also includes Italian wines, salads, several calzone options, and access to the antipasti and burrata bar (Hi, burrata e white truffle oil). The Dallas franchise will be overseen by John LaBarge, former senior vice president of operations and franchise business at Corner Bakery Cafe.
The restaurant’s name originates from Viola’s move to Miami, which was under the O-1 visa category, according to the company.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services grants O-1 visas to those who have “extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, or who has a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry and has been recognized nationally or internationally for those achievements.”
So, it’s safe to say we have high hopes.
3838 Oak Lawn Ave. Ste. P175
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