Andy Nguyen has been chasing this one for more than a decade.
The restaurateur, who previously opened themed concepts based on Hello Kitty and Sonic the Hedgehog, has spent years trying to get the rights to open a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pizzeria. After what he described as years of indifference and false starts with former rights holders at Viacom, he has finally landed a deal with Paramount. The restaurant opens June 20 along Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade.
"I finally got that green light," he told The Hollywood Reporter, seeming, in the reporter's words, still shell-shocked by the news.
The restaurant leans entirely into the 1987 animated series, ignoring the more recent live-action films. Nguyen calls it the "Millennial Turtles" approach. "Those original cartoons, the way they were drawn, there's a sense of fun that just brings you happiness," he said.
Paramount's Josh Silverman, president of global products and experiences, described the 1987 series as "a keystone piece of creative" for the franchise and pointed to a concept the studio uses when developing similar projects. "There's a term we use: 'new-stalgia,'" he said. "It's new for kids but nostalgic for adults, often their parents."
Paramount is planning to open two more TMNT pizzerias by the end of the year, in Sao Paolo and Mexico City. Silverman said those locations will be "spiritually the same, also based on the '87 animation." The studio also has two TMNT franchise films scheduled for 2027 and 2028.
To make sure the food holds up, Nguyen brought in pizza consultant Angelo Womack, a veteran of the acclaimed Brooklyn pizzeria Roberta's. The thinking was straightforward. "If we weren't going to be in New York, we needed a New York pizzeria chef to help us build a true product," Nguyen said. "We don't want this to be a novelty gimmick. This place can't just look cool. The food is the surprise element. It's good. We know we need to beat expectations. Otherwise, fans crush you."
Womack described the challenge as "wanting to please everyone from the pizza snobs to the Ninja Turtles snobs." The Santa Monica location draws inspiration from New York cult favorites Scarr's, Mama's TOO! and Brooklyn DOP. The cheese is Grande, the tomatoes are California Stanislaus, the flour from King Arthur, and the local water has been pH-balanced to match Manhattan's. One pizza on the menu, the Shredder's Revenge, features pepperoni, jalapenos, and Mike's Hot Honey as an homage to a Scarr's staple called the Hotboi.
Womack did draw one firm line. There is no basil on any slice. "I couldn't see Donatello eating that," he said, "and kids don't want to see it."
The Santa Monica location opens June 20.
