Seirinkan Pizza Restaurant in Nakameguro, Tokyo

The Seirinkan Pizza Tokyo restaurant reminded us of an English bulldog. When its component parts are viewed individually, they hardly look interesting, some may even find them unsightly. But when everything is viewed together, the oddity and uniqueness may be what makes it appealing.

The Seirinkan Pizza restaurant has been in business in the Nakameguro area of Tokyo since 1995 (previously with the name Nakameguro Savoy). It has earned a reputation for introducing the Neapolitan – style pizza to Tokyo. It has received good reviews, with some calling it the best pizza in Japan, and some say it is among the best Neapolitan pizza in the world. This article in the Eater Guide to Tokyo is a useful primer on Seirinkan.

Seirinkan Pizza Tokyo

Seirinkan Pizza is housed in a small three-storey building. It looks old and dilapidated. There is no obvious signboard. The name is written in chalk on the small “Open” sign at the entrance. It was a full house when we got there without a reservation. But we were allowed in on one condition – we must finish our meal within one hour.

The interior of the restaurant felt like it was in worse shape than the exterior. Exposed pipes, peeling paint on the walls, dim lighting and the shaky metal circular staircase were the highlights. The raw industrial atmosphere might be appealing to some but not to us, but still, we think it is good to experience something different once in a while. A poster of the Beatles adorn the wall behind the bar. Non-stop Beatles music is played at Seirinkan Pizza. It looked liked it was going to be a hard day’s night.

Seirinkan Pizza Tokyo Menu

Only two types of pizza are served at Seirinkan – Margherita or Marinara (1,500 yen each). There are more choices of pasta and antipasto but overall the variety of food is quite limited. The menus themselves are minimalist – loose sheets of paper in a plastic folder. Here are pictures of the menu.

Neapolitan pizza

Neapolitan pizza is a style of pizza that originated from Naples, Italy. It is made with made with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese with some simple toppings. Neapolitan pizza is a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) product in Europe, and the art of its making is included on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage (Wikipedia). There are accordingly various specifications concerning ingredients and techniques which have to be complied with. The result is a pizza with a thin crust base with a broad rim.

Both the pizzas looked artisanal with their uneven shapes and rough look. They tasted fine but the tough rim requires a strong jaw. It was an experience trying out these pizzas, I think I prefer the Roman style pizza that is more common.

We tried the Bongole Rosso pasta (1,900 yen). It was a messy plate of linguine vongole. The taste was good, but this was the least attractive plate of pasta we have ever seen in a restaurant. It looked like something I would do at home – just scoop it all up onto a plate and Let it Be.