For Karl-Heinz Weilmoser Jr. the circle must be back to square one, but from now on the ball is not in the goal but the pizza in the oven. In the center of Munich, “Henzi” Willmoser and his wife Nicole will present their new gastronomic concept “Pizzeria” on Tuesday morning, which will open on the same day. The two-story restaurant previously stood empty for two years, but the conversion was completed less than two months after the contract was signed, according to interior designer Martin Neumeyer.
So now Italian, despite all the Bavarian connections, is not new territory for the Wildmoser family. After training as a hotel clerk at the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, Willmoser Jr. ran the Italian “Fontana di Trevi” with his father, former Lowen boss and restaurateur Carl Heinz Willmoser Sr. Wildmoser junior was 19 years old. Wilmoser sees an origin in the opening of “Pizza Shop” and remembers his father, whom he has had no contact with since the 2010 bribery scandal surrounding the construction of Fruitmonger Arena.
Today, Weilmoser can count on the support of his family. At the re-opening are his wife Nicole, young daughter Lina-Sophie and 20-year-old son Benedict. Carl Heinz Weilmoser, who started with “Lenny’s” two years ago and now continues with “Pizza Shop”, says he can already speak about a new chapter in his life. This is a family project. In particular, Benedikt, who studies at the Munich Business School, has seen all aspects of the food business and brought his own ideas for social media implementation. “The kids are participating and I’m happy if they see their future here,” Wilmoser said.
The interior designer Neumeier, who had failed to lure guests to the second floor of the previous Asian restaurant, focused on the upper floor: a red and yellow ceiling intended to create an earthy feeling and Italo nostalgia, with lamps and obligatory hanging olive trees, circular arches on the walls. The ground floor is not so Instagram-friendly that photo enthusiasts are said to have posed under the green roof known as the “Urban Jungle” during the renovation. In addition, patterned murals and floor-to-ceiling windows, in view, the City Hall on the right, the Fraunkirche on the left.
An Italian in this position is also convenient for Mayor Dieter Reiter. On his way to his weekly lunchtime meeting at Bratwurst Glöckl am Dom, he congratulated the Willmoser family on the opening. The permanent table will also be placed in the “pizza shop” in the future, and Wildmoser has found customers with the employees of the city hall, because “this kind of pizza is one thing”.
Pinza for lunch. This more chewy variation of pizza is currently Wildmoser’s favorite, especially with mascarpone, figs, pears and raw ham. In Pinsa, the “pizza shop” is trendy, the rest of the menu offers a lot of Italian food, antipasti, pasta, pizza, dolce. Here too, retro colors and retro layout, you haven’t seen photographed dishes on the menu for a long time.