Extraordinary Pizza at Mister O1

Chef Renato Viola’s first pizza restaurant was on South Beach inside an office complex with no signage or marketing. It was affectionately dubbed the "hidden pizza spot" and those that found it created incredible buzz. Ten years later, Chef Viola has 20 Florida locations for his Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza. It is an incredible success story.

Viola recently opened his Pinecrest location (on June 25th), and unless you pay close attention, you might also miss its location. At the southern tip of Suniland Shopping Center (8189 SW 117th Street), just behind City National Bank, you’ll see a sign for Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza.

The sign itself tells some of the history of Chef Renato Viola. Mister (Letter-O) 1 is a nod to the O-1 visa program. The O-1 visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows people with extraordinary ability or achievement to work temporarily in the United States. In this case, Viola was recognized with a visa for his art of pizza-making. In fact, he has won many awards in his native Italy, Europe, here in the USA, and his Miami Beach location is even Michelin Recommended.

All 6 of his Miami-Dade County stores are corporately-owned and all adhere to a very exacting standard to ensure consistent quality. Pinecrest’s General Manager Julian Castillo explains, “The proofing maturation for the dough is a minimum of 72 hours. This allows the yeast bitterness to mellow and makes the pizza more easily digestible.” He went on to explain, “all the Miami-Dade locations get supplied from a central location and all ingredients are sourced locally and from Italy (yeast, flour and prosciutto). It’s all quality, and our staff is pretty special too.”

From the outside to the inside, you’ll experience a modern décor and the restaurant plays the same '50s rock playlist across the chain. It’s about consistency. Chef Renato Viola explains, “Diners visiting any of [our] restaurants will notice that Mister O1's thin-crusted pies always taste the same, and are served by friendly, attentive staff that makes everyone feel at home.”

My family and I were treated to a variety of their pizzas and desserts so that we could properly sample the menu. We were encouraged to share pizzas, and as I looked at other patrons, most tables did just that. By sharing you can try specialty pizzas that you might otherwise be shy to order for yourself.

Their recommended specialty pizzas, known as Extraordinary Pizza, include four varieties of star-shaped pizzas with outer pockets that are filled with soft cheeses. They are the Star Luca, Michele, Beckham and Carlos pizzas. One that I tired and loved was the Coffee Paola which has tomato sauce, mozzarella, gorgonzola blue cheese, natural honey, coffee and spicy salami calabrese. And, while I do not drink coffee, I loved this pizza. So unique!

Chris, Brittany, Beau (age 11), and Harper (age 10) Simpson were first-timers at Mister O1. “We love to see photos of the food before we eat anywhere,” explained mom Brittany. “We had to get the star pizza and we loved their in-house olive oil. Their thin crust is yummy!” Chris said, “While I usually prefer a thicker crust, this holds together well and has a nice crunch to it.”

“Amazing, I love it,” exclaimed Beau. “I eat a lot of pizza and this is one of my new favorites. This place has the best basil, it is thin and not crusty.” Sister Harper added, “I like the colors of the restaurant, and the star pizza is fun to pull apart and share.” The parents also remarked how their kids were impressed with the full coloring book and crayons provided. Brittany explained, “It kept them happily busy while we enjoyed our wine.”

In all, there are 23 pizza varieties on the menu. You can also customize to perfection. Calzones are also offered as well as a few dessert options that, you guessed it, are served in pizza pie form.

“Miami Heat star Tyler Herro is a fan of Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza and has been to the Pinecrest location often,” says GM Castillo. “The store has 32 employees and we hire local and always think about our community.”

Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza is quite reasonably priced for the extraordinary food quality. It’s under $20 per pizza. They also serve large salads/antipasti dishes and have wine in addition to the normal beverage fare.

If you want to try out Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza, you could go to one of their locations in Madrid or in Saudi Arabia, but Pinecrest might be easier to get to. Take-out or full service. Go to mistero1.com or call them at 786-983-5366 for more information. Their hours are 11:30AM - 10:00PM every day of the week. Tell them MiamiHal sent you!