Over time, the San Diego born pizzeria, Mr. Moto Pizza, has gained tremendous popularity with their delicious stuffed knots. Eight years ago, Gibran Fernandez, otherwise known as Mr. Moto, believed it would be a clever idea to stuff these popular breadsticks with mozzarella cheese and savory toppings, yet he never imagined that the simple idea would explode to become a quintessential item on his menu.

In 1973, a pizzeria in Queens, New York, came up with the garlic knot as a way of not wasting leftover pizza dough scraps. Garlic knots, which might arguably be one of the best snacks of all time, have since become a staple in the average New Yorker’s diet. Mr. Moto wished to bring that same famous garlic knot to the city of San Diego in hopes that it would bring that exact fame and East-coast authenticity.

Mr. Moto has previously stated, “The perfect combination of a generous amount of garlic, rosemary, and cheese, as well as the pillowy texture of the bread combined with our homemade ranch and or sweet marinara has been a true sensation for my pizzerias. I did however decide to transform the original shape of the “knot” into a more croissant-like shape which gives our garlic knots a softer texture inside, combined with a crispier one on the outside.”