Is there a saying that goes, “Don’t judge a restaurant by its name?” If not, there should be.

Located at Wilshire Boulevard and St. Andrew’s Place is the unfortunately named pizza parlor, Mr. Pizza. Yes, the name is cheesy and utterly forgettable, but, after hearing about its sweet potato-stuffed crust, I gladly braved an hour-long Metro bus ride to try it out.

Korea’s finest · An immensely popular restaurant in Korea, Mr. Pizza has only one location in the United States: Koreatown in Los Angeles. - Sophia Lee | Daily Trojan

Despite its unoriginal name, the restaurant — a well-known chain in Korea — is surprisingly modern and chic. The ceilings are held high with impressive pillars, the walls are vibrantly colored and there is even an open kitchen where you can view your pizza dough being tossed in the air.

With wide windows beckoning in the sunlight and a bar complete with a plasma TV, Mr. Pizza is definitely not your average pizza joint.

Unfortunately, the service was rather inadequate. It took a good 15 minutes for the staff to notice my friend and me. Though the waiter served complimentary pickles and peppers immediately, it took more than 20 minutes for the food to arrive. When it finally did, all negative thoughts about bad service were forgotten.

Fusion cuisine can be a hit-or-miss. When it’s a miss, it’s terrible. But when it’s a hit, prepare for a fascinating gastronomical cultural tour, in which your tongue will be teased and tantalized by dimensions you never knew existed.

Mr. Pizza produces pizza creations that you won’t find in a traditional pizza parlor. Forget Dominoes, or even the famous Mozza. Forget that old-time debate between thin-crust and deep-dish pizza. Every component of the ingredients Mr. Pizza puts together complements each other perfectly in a beautiful stuffed-crust pie.

The restaurant has a special menu for Premium Pizzas, which showcases a recently added pizza called the Gesal Montand Gold Pizza. This hefty pie, which costs $26 for a regular 10-inch, boasts ingredients that include Alfredo cream sauce, ground beef, bell pepper, crab, paprika, bacon, cheddar cheese, oregano and blue cheese dressing with a sweet potato mousse-stuffed pizza crust.

Another popular pizza is the Potato Gold. At about $20 for a regular size, it is studded with tomato sauce, mushrooms, ground beef, corn, onions, baked potatoes, cheddar cheese, bacon, nacho chips and sour cream.

There are other ingredients besides crab if you desire a seafood pizza. The Shrimp Gold is another mix of different ethnic cuisines that somehow seem to be made for each other: Cajun shrimp, salsa sauce, mushroom, ground beef, corn, onion, bell pepper, olives and cheddar cheese.

The highlight of the pizza was undeniably the sweet potato-stuffed pizza crust. The crust, which is made of chewy dough and covered with toasted cheddar cheese, is stuffed with a sweet potato mousse. This light and delicious mousse is not the common orange sweet potato that tastes like mashed carrots; it is made with the Japanese satsumaimo, which is less sweet, but intense like roasted chestnuts. It tastes almost like a dessert bread, but makes a terrific combination with the savory pizza toppings.

There are other pizza options besides the Premium ones, such as the Bulgogi pizza, which is a simpler pizza topped with bulgogi beef, onions, bell peppers and mushrooms on a regular-crust pizza.

Though the concept of infusing the famous Korean beef on a pizza is innovative at best, the execution was a failure. The beef was overcooked and dry, and overall the pizza was disappointingly flavorless. There’s no question here — stick to the Premiums.

Mr. Pizza has only one restaurant in the entire United States and, luckily for Angelenos, it is located right in the heart of Koreatown. But don’t let the terribly hokey name fool you: Mr. Pizza will wow you with its impressive creations and leave you clamoring for more.