The opening represents something of a full-circle moment for founder Gibran “Mr. Moto” Fernandez, whose early career in pizza began working at Pizza On Pearl, a longtime La Jolla favorite owned by his uncle, Aram Baloyan. Mr. Moto briefly operated out of the Pizza On Pearl space before sustained customer demand led to the return of Pizza On Pearl under its original concept, prompting Mr. Moto to refocus its expansion elsewhere.
Since launching in Pacific Beach in 2015, Mr. Moto Pizza House has grown steadily across San Diego and beyond, becoming known for its New York-style slices. Expansion over the past decade has included both successes and retrenchments, with closures in Convoy, Ocean Beach, Encinitas, and its earlier La Jolla experiment.
Today, the company operates six locations across San Diego County, along with two in Orange County, maintaining a smaller but more deliberate footprint. The new University City location appears to align with that strategy, placing the brand in a busy retail hub near residential neighborhoods, offices, and UC San Diego.
For La Jolla-area fans, the Renaissance Towne Center opening signals a return of Mr. Moto to familiar territory, this time with the benefit of a decade of brand evolution behind it. The upcoming debut adds another chapter to the local pizza lineage that helped inspire the concept in the first place.
Mr. Moto Pizza House is expected to open in February 2026 at Renaissance Towne Center in San Diego’s University City area. For more information, visit mrmotopizza.com.
Originally published on January 23, 2026.
