Grab a Slice! Pizza in Tokyo

Aug 30, 2022

Grab a Slice! Pizza in Tokyo

Pizza in Japan comes in many novel and exciting forms. There is your standard pizza from the bakery of all places, with its typical toppings of mayo and corn. Then you have your Chinese-Italian fusion creation, which is the oddly-delicious pizzaman. Plus, there are all of those pizza-flavored snacks. Then we have our delivery options, which seem familiar enough until you encounter all the different toppings like fish roe, seaweed, mayonnaise, and corn. I’ve heard good things about the local pizza topping combinations, but I’ll leave the taste tests to my readers since reactions can vary. For all of this, though, there are still plenty of great pizza options here in Tokyo, so making this list was difficult. Here are some of our favorite authentic pizzas (Neapolitan and American). 

Devilcraft – Hamamatsucho and Kanda

Though Devilcraft is best known for its beer, word has it that their Chicago Deep Dish Pizza is a hit with Windy City natives and locals. Good beer and good pizza. What more could you ask for?

Where: Risewell Bldg 1F, 2-13-12 Hamamatsucho, Minato-ku; Ishikawa Bldg 4-2-3 Nihonbashi-muromachi, Chuo-ku

Website: www.en.devilcraft.jp

Rocco’s New York Style Pizza – Oji

Ok, maybe Chicago-deep dish isn’t your thing, and you want the other major American pizza style. Let me introduce you to a place where you can grab a New York slice, Rocco’s. Run by an American, it has the New York style red, and white checked table cloths and a countertop display case with slice options. They are still not as big as the massive pies in the big apple, they still ooze with cheese, and the meat lover’s is chock full of pepperoni, ham, and Italian sausage, guaranteed to fill you up.

Where: 1-1-24 Oji-Honcho, Kita-ku

Website: www.roccosnewyorkstylepizza.com

Pizzeria e Trattoria da Isa  – Nakameguro

So as you can see, American-style pizza is making considerable inroads in Tokyo. There is another style, though, that is more dominant in the pizza scene; Neapolitan style. Of the many Neapolitan pizzerias in town, Pizzeria e Trattoria da Isa is perhaps the best. Shabby in traditional Italian style, this popular restaurant is the baby of award-winning piazziolo Hisanori Yamamoto. The trattoria is popular with Italian ex-pats (amongst them Alberto Zaccheroni, one-time manager of the Japanese national soccer team) and locals. The lines can be long, but the pizza is incredible. 

Where: 1-28-9 Aobadai, Meguro-ku

Website: www.da-isa.jp

Seirinkan – Meguro

Da Isa may be one of the best, but Seirinkan is one of the oldest players in the game. Long before Japan’s pizza boom, Susumu Kakinuma spent a year traveling Italy, tasting and testing, before bringing his discoveries back to Tokyo. He set up the Savoy chain of restaurants and, in 2007, opened Seirinkan. This steampunk-style restaurant themed on Jules Verne’s novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea takes delicious simplicity to the maximum. Though the pizzas spend just 60 seconds in the oven, the crust is slightly charred and salty, and the sauces are minimalist, with sprinklings of ripe tomatoes and basil and lashings of the most refined olive oil.

Where: 2-6-4 Kamimeguro, Meguro-ku

Tel: 03-3714-5160

Pizza Slice – Multiple locations

This one can be perhaps the one odd entry on the list, but sometimes you just want a good, simple slice of pizza. This simplicity is where Pizza Slice comes in. Their slices are delicious and affordable, and they boast three locations open late throughout the city where you can get your pizza fix. 

Where: Multiple locations in Shibuya, Aoyama, and Nihonbashi. Check the website for maps. 

Website: https://pizzaslice.jp/

L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele – Ebisu

If you are still unsatisfied with your options, then you can’t get any more authentic than L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele in Ebisu. This is a branch of a pizzeria from Napoli that has been making pizzas for 140 years. You can’t argue against a record like that. You only get two pizza choices here, marinara or margherita, but they are as close to Italy as you will get without buying a plan ticket. 

Where: 4-4-7 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku

Website: https://www.damichele.jp

Ultimatehope01, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons