That’s Amore: Tokyo’s 10 Best Pizza Spots

When it comes to excellent food in Tokyo, pizza is probably not the first thing that springs to mind. Restaurants like Ginza Kyubey hold the crown for sushi, while queues for ramen legend Tsuta famously start before 7 am. 

But pizza? Those not in the know might be surprised to find that Tokyo is actually one of the best cities for pizza in the world — rivaling pizza capitals like New York and Naples. 

The thing is, with so many great pizzas in this sprawling city, how do you know where to start? We’ve rounded up some of the best pizzerias in Tokyo. 

A regular fixture on the Michelin Guide, Pizzeria e Braceria L’Insieme is top of this list for a reason. It’s a pizzeria in one of the truest senses; in contrast to the elaborate blue-and-white mosaic signage above the door, the interior is spartan almost to the extreme. But guests don’t come for the decor; they’re here for the pizza.

Located in the old neighborhood of Kameido, Chef Matsumaru Shunsuke chose it as the location of his restaurant because its laid-back feel reminded him of Naples. However, unlike many of the chefs on this list, Chef Matsumaru has never once studied in Italy. His resume, however, includes some of the finest Italian restaurants in all of Tokyo, where he did a circuit for 13 years before starting L’Insieme.

His signature pizza, appropriately named the L’Insieme, is shaved parmesan, arugula (otherwise known as rocket) and smoked provola cheese. But the other hot favorite is the Americana pizza, which is a white pizza (no tomato sauce) loaded with mozzarella, sausage and French fries. Strange? Yes. Delicious? Also yes. 

It’s no wonder that it’s held a Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2018, among other accolades: Italian pizza authority 50 Top Pizza ranked it 23rd in Asia and 62nd in the whole world.

Not many Tokyo pizza places are more lauded than L’Insieme, but The Pizza Bar on 38th is one of the very few that hold this distinction.

Located on the 38th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, The Pizza Bar on 38th needs no explanation. Many gourmet publications routinely call it the best pizza in Japan, if not the world, and it certainly has the accolades to match: 50 Top Pizza named it the best pizza in the whole Asia-Pacific region in both 2023 and 2024, and the third-best pizza in the entire world. 

The restaurant also makes regular appearances on gourmet award rankings year after year, receiving a place among the Michelin Selected in 2024 (previously Bib Gourmand in 2022 and 2023) and Gambero Rosso’s coveted Three Slices for three years running.

There’s no recommended dish here at The Pizza Bar on 38th; the menu is all omakase-style, meaning that the toppings are left entirely up to head chef Daniele Cason on the day itself. It may be coincidental, but it’s a little bit of a nod to the omakase traditions that are so common in Tokyo sushi and kaiseki restaurants.

Find out more: What Is Omakase? Tips for Enjoying Japan’s High-End Sushi Experience

There are only eight seats at the counter, though, and what a fight it is to secure one of them. Those who manage to, however, can look forward to an evening of easy conversation with Chef Cason, and of course, some of the best pizza in the whole of Japan’s capital. 

In spite of both L’insieme and The Pizza Bar on 38th both being regular features on the Michelin Guide, the true most popular pizzeria in Tokyo is without a doubt Savoy Azabujuban, founded in 1995. Shuttering briefly for renovations in 2022, the restaurant returned in August 2023 with a vengeance (and to the intense delight of Tokyo’s many pizza lovers). 

Savoy Azabujuban has actually been reborn into three separate pizza counters, named Domi-La, Woodstock Tokyo and Savoy Classic respectively. Each of the three counters specializes in a different type of pizza, but the whole operation happens in one combined space, giving it an exciting, eclectic atmosphere. 

Domi-La is by far the most experimental with its pizzas, with a clear favorite being the nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch) pizza. A luxurious, oily fish usually found in high-end sushi and kaiseki restaurants, the nodoguro is generously spread all across the pizza with spinach. It’s a simple pie, and yet exotic enough to turn heads, but not stomachs. Other equally exotic toppings include wagyu beef tartare with mayonnaise and mozzarella. 

Meanwhile, those on a date night should check out Woodstock Tokyo. It’s the counter where pizza graciously steps aside to let course menus focusing on wood-fired cuisine take the spotlight. 

Woodstock Tokyo boasts an oven made by legendary ovenmaker Yamamiya, using oak wood burning at 500°C to grill everything from Miyazaki wagyu beef to bluefin tuna from famed wholesaler Yamayuki, to even hairy crab paella (best enjoyed in autumn and winter, when the crabs are fattest and sweetest).

But former regulars of Savoy will find themselves most at home at the Savoy Classic counter. There the old menu is still very much intact, including its famously extensive appetizer menu of 14 different appetizers. When it comes to the pizza itself, it has to be either marinara or margherita to start — both of these will never disappoint. Simple is best, after all. 

Savoy’s other outlet may not be quite as popular as its elder Azabu Juban sibling, but the quality is still there in spades. In fact, thanks to its feature on the very first episode of Netflix’s Ugly Delicious, it’s drawing larger crowds than ever before.

Located just a block and a half southwest from the “main” Azabu Juban outlet, Savoy Tomato & Cheese is very much a back-to-basics approach to pizza. It may not be nearly as flashy as the massive dome-shaped ovens of Woodstock Tokyo, but those looking for reliable pizza staples will definitely find them here. 

Like Savoy Classic, the marinara and margherita are an easy recommendation, though those looking for more adventurous toppings will also find them in abundance here. Tuna and wasabi aren’t just for sushi.

A Netflix feature may be a boon to restaurant owners (unless the feature is on Kitchen Nightmares), but it can be a real headache for those looking to reserve a seat. Nonetheless, a Savoy pie is definitely worth a try for anyone who manages to secure one. 

While Savoy may be a mythical name in the realm of Tokyo pizzerias, its legend actually began here. You see, Seirinkan wasn’t always called that; it was actually the original Savoy, known as Nakameguro Savoy.

Seirinkan — which also featured in the Netflix series Ugly Delicious alongside Savoy Tomato and Cheese — no longer bears the Savoy name, but that doesn’t mean the quality has suffered any. If anything, being where Savoy first began, it could be argued that it’s the “truest” of Savoy’s flavors. 

Unsurprisingly for a Savoy restaurant, the two most popular pizza orders are — you guessed it — marinara and margherita. But this is by default: the restaurant literally only makes those two pizzas. But since they only do two types of pizza, you know they get it so very right: the Bruce Lee philosophy of practicing a single kick 10,000 times. 

What is surprising, however, is that the restaurant’s pasta selection is extremely extensive. The menu ranges from lobster scampi, traditional puttanesca (anchovies and black olives) and amusingly for an Italian restaurant, ketchup-based napolitan spaghetti. 

Nakameguro is dotted with amazing Italian food, but when it comes to pizza, it’s almost impossible to beat Seirinkan. The restaurant’s popularity is only helped by the fact that it’s literally a single block south of Naka-meguro Station. 

Pizza Marumo’s head chef, Motokura Yuki, was voted the 10th best pizza chef in the world in The Best Chef Awards 2023, and the 14th best pizza chef in the world in this year’s awards. That should be enough to tell you about how good Pizza Marumo’s pizzas are. 

But unlike Seirinkan’s adherence to the perfection of just two types of pizza, Pizza Marumo distinguishes itself with variety. A look at the menu reveals that Pizza Marumo offers six different types of pizza bases, covering 18 different pizza types: from the standard tomato, to the less common cream, to cheese for the true mozzarella maniacs. 

In true Japanese form, there’s the amusingly named mayonnaise-based Teriyaki Boys. For vegan diners, there are vegan pizzas, and finally a single dessert-based pizza — topped with seasonal fruit — to round things out.  

Don’t for one instant fall under the impression that Chef Motokura spreads himself too thin with the sheer variety of pizzas, however. A single bite will have you wanting to try the entire menu. It might take you a while — and several visits — but it’s definitely possible. 

While most of the restaurants on this list are centered around the Roppongi and Azabujuban areas, Massimottavio is a bit of a journey away, being located in the Eifukucho suburbs in western Tokyo’s Suginami Ward. 

Ranked 25 on the 50 Top Pizza Asia-Pacific list, it’s far and away the greatest attraction on the Inokashira Line to pizza lovers — never mind that just a few stops down there’s Studio Ghibli Museum and the Kichijoji neighborhood, often voted the most livable neighborhood in Tokyo. (It’s no wonder, given that one of the best pizzerias in Tokyo is just a couple stops away on the express train.)

After a legendary clash of opinions with the management at La Piccola Tavola, where he had manned the oven for over a decade, Naples-born chef Massimo Minicucci started Massimottavio literally the next block over, and the rest is history. Some feel that La Piccola Tavola has lost its shine ever since he left; others feel that each offers its own thing. 

The only way to confirm is to try them both for yourself, which shouldn’t be too difficult. Unlike most of the small pizzerias that populate this list, Massimottavio’s massive 120-seater capacity stands in stark contrast to restaurants like the eight-seat counter of The Pizza Bar on 38th, which means that reservations are a simple matter to secure.

Coming in at number 29 on the 50 Top Pizza Asia Pacific, La Tripletta sneaks in just under L’Insieme (28th place). 

Like Pizza Marumo above, many guests marvel at the sheer variety of pizzas on the menu, with more than 30 at a time in a rotating seasonal roster. Disciples of the Seirinkan and Savoy schools can go for pies with a tomato-only marinara base — can’t go wrong with simplicity.

Other classics like rossa and bianca — tomato and cheese, and mozzarella respectively — come topped with truly eclectic combinations like that of the Rosa Marina: cabbage, broccoli, garlic, and the two-hit combo of ‘nduja spicy sausage and whitebait from Shizuoka Prefecture.

Soccer diehards, meanwhile, will want to try the Diego, named after the legend Maradona. A combination of his favorite ingredients, the pizza is a basic margherita of tomato, basil and mozzarella, followed up with another hat trick of tuna, red onion and spicy salami. 

Many of the other chefs on this list have made it to this year’s edition of The Best Chef Awards. Chef Tsubasa Tamaki — the head chef of Pizza Studio Tamaki — has the distinction of being the highest-ranked Japanese chef on this list at 9th place, just below Chef Cason of The Pizza Bar on 38th. 

Chef Tsubasa is renowned for being trained by Chef Kakinuma Susumu, the godfather of the Neapolitan pizza tradition in Tokyo — and the man who began both the legacies of Seirinkan and Savoy. Just a year after opening his first restaurant, it was featured in the Michelin Guide for four consecutive years. As such, his pedigree is undeniable. 

But another big selling point of PST is its commitment to the best possible ingredients. Vegetables are grown organically in the famous Hisamatsu Farm in Ibaraki Prefecture, while his jamon serrano is cured in a clandestine Kyoto operation. 

An Okinawa native, Chef Tsubasa even sources shikuwasa citrus and sea salt — one of the most crucial ingredients in making pizza, he says — from his home prefecture. 

Leave the cash at home: Guests looking to try some of Chef Tsubasa’s legendary pies should note that PST Roppongi is cashless only, so make sure you have a credit card or some other form of cashless payment ready.

Pizza Studio Tamaki actually has a somewhat lesser-known outlet in Higashi-Azabu, not far from the Tokyo Tower, and just outside the northern Nakanohashi Exit of Akabanebashi Station. 

It doesn’t seem to enjoy the same popularity as its Roppongi sibling — which is strange, given that it was the original branch of PST, and the first one to be featured in the Michelin Guide Tokyo in 2018. 

However, opinion is gradually shifting, perhaps due to the immense popularity of the Roppongi outlet taking its toll: many Tokyo pizza veterans are of the opinion that the Higashi-Azabu outlet has greater consistency, and the smaller crowds make for a better dining experience. 

Is this true? Only one way to find out: make a reservation at both and see for yourself. 

Note: Like its younger sibling in Roppongi, PST Higashiazabu is also completely cashless.

While you’re eating your way through Tokyo’s pizza slice scene, why not treat yourself to the delights of wagyu beef, Tokyo’s vegan dishes and the scenic sights of dinner cruises.

Pizza in Tokyo can vary from around ¥2,000 to almost ¥4,000, depending on where you go. While it’s certainly not one of the cheapest options in Japan, it certainly will be worth every yen(ny).

Marinara and margherita are two of the most popular Neapolitan pizzas. Margherita has a tomato base, which is then topped with mozzarella cheese and basil. 

Marinara, on the other hand, has no cheese at all: only tomato, garlic and oregano.

Neapolitan refers to anything from the city of Naples, Italy. Seeing as pizza is widely believed to have originated from Naples, the most foundational pizzas like margherita and marinara are said to be Neapolitan. 

The similar-sounding Napolitan, however, refers specifically to a type of ketchup-based Japanese spaghetti, though the origins of both names are Naples.