Sunday, September 29, 2024

[EXCLUSIVE] Michelin Recommended Miami Pizza Shop to Replace The General Muir in Sandy Springs

A new pizza shop will soon open in place of The General Muir in Sandy Springs.  ToNeTo Atlanta was first to report that after less than four years in business, the Jewish-style deli which closed as of Sunday September 29.  We are now pleased to be able to exclusively share that its replacement is Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza.  

Chef Renato Viola opened his first pizza shop, then called "Visa O1," in Miami in 2014.  After credit card company Visa threatened a lawsuit, he adopted the "Mister O1" name instead.  In the decade since, he has expanded to more than a dozen locations in Florida as well as four locations in Texas and one in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  There are also another six locations "coming soon" across Florida, according to the company's website.    

"Chef Renato Viola came to settle in Miami Beach under the O1 Visa category, reserved for those with “Extraordinary Artistic Ability” of internationally acclaimed fame. Recognizing that his talent would be the foundation of a revolutionary pizza joint, he opened Mister O1 with the intention of creating something truly extraordinary." 

A source close to the transaction tells ToNeTo Atlanta that work has been quietly underway for several months to negotiate an exit for the owners of The General Muir.  (The General Muir at "The Point" near Emory University remains open.) 

The menu at Mister O1 is fairly simple, with 8 and 13 inch pizzas, calzones, burratas, and salads.  The pizzas reportedly feature an incredibly thin crust.  Prices at the Florida restaurants, which should be comparable to Atlanta, include $8-11 for small pizzas and $15-20 for traditional and special (13 inch) pizzas.  Desserts include a Nutella Pizza, Nutella & Banana Calzone, and Vegan Hazelnut Chocolate Pizza, according to the restaurant's website.   

The restaurant also offers both gluten free crust and vegan cheese options.  

In addition to the Sandy Springs restaurant, a second Mister O1 is planned for Buckhead.  Situated at the corner of Piedmont and Lenox Roads, Mister O1 will occupy a roughly 3,000 square foot space at the Prominence Apartments   (fka Modera Prominence) at 3699 Lenox Road.  Mister O1 will be located along Lenox Road in a space below CT Reforma Taqueria.  

The Atlanta franchises are being opened by business partners Miguel Blatt, Brandon Weitz, and Daniel Scala.  

The partners hope to have better luck in Atlanta than fellow Miami-based pizzeria Harry's Pizzeria, from chef Michael Schwartz, did in its effort.  Harry's, which did business in Atlanta as Genuine Pizza, opened at Phipps Plaza in Buckhead in January 2018 but closed the following January.  

Not that we consider Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy an authority on pizza, but it's worth noting that he gave Mister O1 a solid 8.9 in his "One Bite Pizza Reviews" in a December 2018 visit.  Mister O1 was also included in Michelin's "Recommended" Miami restaurants list in 2022.  

A source tells ToNeTo Atlanta that permits have already been filed for Mister O1 Sandy Springs with the hope that with light renovations, the pizzeria can be open before the end of the year.  The Buckhead shop is further out and is targeting a spring 2025 opening.  

Have you been to Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza?  If so, do you think it's "extraordinary?"   Who in Atlanta do you think offers the best pizza? 

Please share your thoughts.

ps, we're on IG and you should follow us @tonetoatl 

20 comments:

myjoy said...

I can't believe that restaurant is coming to Sandy springs. I ate in the Lake Mary one earlier this year and it was fantastic

Anonymous said...

Sounds like another glamorized, trendy, quick serve place. I'll stick with Johnny's and Mellow Mushroom.

Anonymous said...

Hey, wish any place well and happy to be proved wrong, but my first reaction wasn't exactly "Wow, we've needed a place that serves pricey, trendy pizzas in Sandy Springs. We have such a shortage of that here..."

Anonymous said...

Or Little Seizures. Super cheap!

Anonymous said...

Same as Hearth and Sunnyside?

Anonymous said...

I love pizza, and I love Sandy Springs… but we don’t need more pizza here!

Anonymous said...

No more pizza! Ugh!

Anonymous said...

Mr. O1 is fantastic.

Anonymous said...

In that same area already: Hearth, Sunnyside, Napoli, Mellow Mushroom, Clays, G's Pizza, Baronda, the chains which can't compare (Marcos, Dominos, MOD). Nearby Il Forno, Fellini's, Buon Fornello. Am I missing any?

Anonymous said...

Isn't there a Johnny's on Hammond?

Anonymous said...

Good luck to the new business. At least six elements of quality are needed for a restaurant to thrive: food; price; service; consistency; location; and convenience. A very high score in one can slightly offset a lower score in another element, but if a restaurant is lacking in any two elements, it's probably not a survivor. Another factor is saturation. Any geographic area can support only so many restaurants, even if they all score highly. The truth is there are too many restaurants in Sandy Springs competing for too few staff and servers and too few hungry mouths.

Anonymous said...

Don’t forget Kroger and Publix and Trader Joe’s. They sell frozen pizza. And Whole Foods. And Dollar Tree sells pizza chips.

Alex said...

Thanks for the unsolicited lesson. Will the final exam be multiple choice or blue book?

Anonymous said...

Napoli on Hammond, and Blue Moon on Glenridge!

Anonymous said...

We need a good Italian food place but there’s plenty of excellent pizza options already.

Anonymous said...

There won’t be an exam. But I do know everything about running a successful restaurant. More than you know. I just don’t need to actually run one to prove it.

Anonymous said...

The truth is there are too many restaurants in Sandy Springs competing for too few staff and servers and too few hungry mouths. Time will be the ultimate final exam.

Anonymous said...

We need Healthy food!!! Too much Pizza!

Anonymous said...

Looking forward to supporting a new business!

Anonymous said...

I stand by the option of a restaurant with boiled or steamed vegetables only. No salt, no fat, no meat, no sugar. They’d be busy 24/7. Lots of great things they could sell. It would be bigly.

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