June 2025 update. Yoshihisa Otsubo won first place in the 22nd Pizzaiuolo World Championship by the Associazione Pizzaiuolo Napoletani. Bravissimo, chef! Seeking comfort in pizza at Ningyocho Pizzeria Il Tamburello. The Napoli pizza special was salsiccia e friarielli. The friarelli green is farmed by an Italian at Tenuta Campi Flegrei in Fukuoka. The punch of…
Tag: pizza
Tokyo Shortlist
Where to eat in Tokyo? So many amazing meals. Hard to get a bad one. Here are some of my favorites: For Eater: https://www.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-tokyo-japan For Food & Wine: https://www.foodandwine.com/yukari-sakamoto-8603981 For AFAR: https://www.afar.com/authors/yukari-sakamoto My Tokyo Guide for the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/japan/tokyo-local-guide/ For Tokyo Weekender: https://www.tokyoweekender.com/author/yukari-sakamoto/ Kanazawa for Food & Wine: https://www.foodandwine.com/worlds-next-great-food-cities-7484717 Cathay Pacific on Kyoto: https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_KR/inspiration/dining/best-restaurants-in-kyoto.html…
Ebisu Marumo Pizza
My favorite pizzeria in Tokyo is Pizza Marumo in Ebisu. A delight to go with fellow foodies so we could enjoy so many pizzas. The umami pizza is with shaved #kombu #kelp, #anchovies, and mushrooms. Marinara, Margherita, and Bismarck with ham and an egg. Chef Motokura’s crust has lots of water so it’s light and…
Pizzeria il Tamburello
Fabulous truffle and Gorgonzola #pizza at Puzzeria il Tamburello in the Nihonbashi area. Served with toasted hazelnuts, pine nuts, and honey. Three croquettes to start the meal. Aonori, potato, and pasta croquettes. All fabulous. Italian music in the background.☺️ Il Tamburello is celebrating its 14th anniversary! Delighted to finally make it. Popular shop with only…
Crazy Pizza
I am so excited to see Crazy Pizza opened in the new T-Market at Toranomon Hills. It was hard to decide and it’s fabulous that the shop will do half and half so the decision making isn’t as stressful as it could be. The crust is thin and light. The seasonal pizza is seri or…
Pizza Marumo
2023 October update. Pizza Marumo was just voted top ten pizzeria in the world by the Best Chef Awards. Pizza Marumo opened near Ebisu station in December of 2022. The pizza crust is delicate and with a high amount of water making it light. The menu of pizzas is also quite extensive. Hard to choose…
New York Pizza at Shibuya Pizza Slice
Having lived in NYC I was spoiled with many options for pizza by the slice. My favorite was Two Boots and there was one in the West Village near my home. I would have taxi drivers bring me there if were returning home from an overseas trip. In Tokyo we have incredible pizza, like Nakameguro…
Mandarin Oriental Pizza Bar on 38th
Tomato Salad at Pizza Bar on 38th The specialty of the Pizza Bar on 38th. Marscapone, black olives, and truffle essence. This is so rich in umami and impressive. The first time I had this I woke up the next day thinking of it. Even a week later it haunts you, in a good way….
Nakameguro da Isa
Many friends tell me that they love the pizza at da Isa in Nakameguro. The shop is very famous and is often featured in magazines and on television for its pizza. Whenever I come to this part of town though I usually make a beeline for Seirinkan. At lunchtime at da Isa there is a…
Rocco’s New York-Style Pizza
Rocco’s New York-Style Pizza has been on my radar for a long time. We have great pizza in Tokyo, like the classic Italian Neopolitan style, cooked in wood-burning ovens, as can be found at the famous Nakameguro Seirinkan. What is harder to find is the New York-style, baked in a deck oven, and sold by the slice….
Ginza Vomero – Italian Lunch in the Shadows of the Kabukiza
Just behind the mammoth Kabukiza theater in Ginza is an energetic Italian pizzeria and trattoria, Vomero. The welcome is warm and there is a lot of activity in the open kitchen, especially around the wood-burning pizza oven. The 1,580 JPY lunch course menu starts off with an appetizer plate of salad and some small bites…
Nakameguro Seirinkan – One of the Best Pizzas in Tokyo
Susumu Kakinuma makes some of Tokyo’s best pizzas in Nakameguro. Alan Richman, the decorated food journalist documents Kakinuma and his pizzas in this timeless GQ magazine article. It is worth the journey across the city to Nakameguro for one of his pies. There are two pizzas, the marinara and the Margherita. Here is Richman on Seirinkan….
Pizzeria GG
Anyone who knows the Tokyo food scene is aware of the many wood-burning ovens and great pizzerias in the city. Some of my favorites, like Seirinkan in Naka-Meguro, are a trip for me to get to. I’ve been looking for something closer to where we live on the Chuo line. Sadly, most of it is disappointing….
Roma Pizza in Tokyo
Napoletana pizza are not the only type of pizzas tempting diners in Tokyo. Roma pizzas, with a thinner and thus crispier crust, are also popular and authentic versions too are available in the city. Pizzeria Romana Gianicolo Minato-ku, Azabu Juban 2-8-8, Watanabe Bldg. B1 03-6435-2080 11:30 – 14:30; 18:00 – 22:30 closed Monday http://www.gianicolo.jp/ Pizzeria…
Napoletana Pizza in Tokyo
Perhaps the best place to get a really great pizza outside of Italy is not New York City but in Tokyo. The website for the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana lists thirty-five authentic Napoletana pizzerias in Japan. Many of the pizzaiolos have apprenticed in Italy, bake their pizzas in wood burning ovens, and do an outstanding job…
Seirinkan
Photo by Chuck Tanaka Peterson As a New Yorker who visited Japan often in the early ‘70s as a child, I have ingrained in my memory a pizza that was topped with squid legs. I remember the disappointment of the tentacles peeking out from under the cheese almost taunting me. For the longest time I…
Food Sake Tokyo 