A small pizzeria chain from Southern California is expanding its presence in DFW: Burattino Pizza, known for its thin-crust pepperoni pies, is opening a location in Plano, at 6405 W. Parker Rd. #300, taking over a space previously occupied by Papa John's.

According to DFW franchisee George Gomiashvili, the restaurant is slated to open in December.

Burattino was founded in 2016 in San Pedro, California, then acquired by entrepreneur Emil Chiaberi, whose savvy use of social media transformed the concept into a viral sensation, with millions of followers across Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

The chain has five locations in California, one in Salt Lake City, and one in North Richland Hills, its first in Texas, where its opening in March was met with long lines, true to form considering its crazy social media following.

Gomiashvili, a veteran restaurateur and winemaker from California, says that Burattino embodies "California-style pizza," with a thin, crunchy-yet-chewy crust, edge-to-edge toppings, and bold, imaginative recipes.

”It’s a crisp, thin crust baked in brick ovens with a strong focus on high-quality pepperoni pies and unique ingredients like fermented black garlic," Gomiashvili says. "The goal has always been to keep the menu simple but do a few things extremely well."

Burattino is most famous for its pepperoni pizzas, with multiple pepperoni options including pork, beef, and wild boar; and for the crunchiness of its crust.

Other notable menu items include:

• Dirty Pepperoni — pepperoni and black olives on Burattino's Black Garlic Sauce
• White Clam — white garlic sauce, chopped clams, bacon, garlic, oregano, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese
• 120 Pepperoni — pepperoni pizza with mozzarella and marinara sauce. The 120 stands for 120 slices of pepperoni
• Mexican Pepperoni — red and green chorizo, bacon, garlic, red onion, jalapeños, mozzarella cheese, on chunky mild salsa

The Mercedes pizza is a sampler, allowing you to order three of Burattino's classic pizzas in one: Meatlovers, Hawaiian and Margherita, XL size only. Pizzas start at $13 for a cheese pizza and top out at $28 for the Mercedes.

In addition to pizza, they offer calzones, mozzarella sticks, salads such as a chicken Caesar, and baked wings in four flavors: plain, hot, Korean BBQ, and garlic parmesan. Much of their approach is "extreme" including the Cheese Lava Pie, with a four-cheese blend — mozzarella, provolone, feta, and Parmesan — placed both inside and on top of the crust, creating a hot cheese lava that makes for outrageous social media posts.

"The response to our recipes in North Richland Hills has been amazing," Gomiashvili says. "The 120 Pepperoni has been a standout, and our fermented black garlic pizzas and Cheese Lava Pie are other signatures that show what makes Burattino different."

Gomiashvili says they're still getting to know their audience in Texas, but that the reception they've received has been encouraging.

"Our approach is the same: distinctive pizza people love, generous portions, everyday prices and genuine hospitality," he says. "We want to become a neighborhood favorite that people feel connected to and come back to regularly."

In addition to Plano, they're also opening a location in Arlington at 6204 S. Cooper St. #108, forecast to debut in February 2027.

When it comes to scouting locations, they look for second-generation restaurant spaces that are easy to convert.

"Plano was a Papa John’s, and Arlington was a Simple Simon’s," Gomiashvili says. "Both had much of the infrastructure in place, which allows us to reopen more quickly. We also like Plano and Arlington for their dense, diverse communities and large families. That’s a great fit for our generous pizzas and everyday prices."

He says that the core menu and operating hours will be the same at all three locations. They'll also introduce specials and rotating pizzas.

"The main differences will be the service format and beverage program," he says. "Arlington will have a full bar with a cocktail program. Plano will focus mostly on delivery and takeout, potentially with some beer and wine to go rather than an extensive beverage program."

Meanwhile, for North Richland Hills, they've applied to sell beer and wine and anticipate they'll have approval in about a month.