The Pizza Bar on 38th

The Pizza Bar on 38th might be one of the most decorated pizzerias in Tokyo: 50 Top Pizza World in 2024, Michelin Bib Gourmand accolades from 2022 and the Gambero Rosso Three Slices award for three consecutive years. It happens when pizzaiolo Daniele Cason teams up with the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Nihombashi to bring some serious culinary credentials into a compact, 8-seater venue that sits on the (you guessed it) 38th floor of the hotel. The Rome native has been perfecting his craft since he was 14, and his career has propelled him around the world to the kitchens of luxury hotels in England, Egypt, Thailand and Italy. It’s lucky Cason’s love of pizza is driving The Pizza Bar on 38th forward. His creations sit somewhere between Roman-style thin crusts and the airy, puffier base of Neapolitan pizza. His dough is made from only one gram of yeast and 80% water, followed by a 48-hour fermentation to achieve an incredibly light and easily digestible crust. As for the toppings, they remain a surprise — both the lunch and dinner menus follow an omakase-style course, featuring appetizers, six to eight varieties of pizza and dessert. Cason still uses local produce to execute using ingredients like mushrooms from Akita Prefecture and wild kotake. Classic flavors also take center stage, with staples like marinara, buffalo cheese and mascarpone capped before they get fired in the oven. The seats surround an elegant L-shaped marble bar, and the focal point is a wood-burning oven where Cason commands the space with confident flair, chatting with diners all while instinctively knowing the perfect moment to pull out yet another beautifully crafted pizza base. Michelin Guide accolades: 2022 - 2023 - Michelin Bib Gourmand 2024 - Michelin Selected