Pizzeria Sei
Pizza restaurant · South Robertson ·
Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizzas with chewy, blistered crusts
Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizzas with chewy, blistered crusts
"It's deceptively simple: Just a counter, some stools, and probably the most beautiful pizza oven you've ever seen. The whole operation is right there in front of you, which immediately tells you they're not hiding anything. Owner William Joo, who trained at Providence and Ronan before opening his own place, delivers Neapolitan-style pizza executed with Japanese precision. The crust achieves that perfect balance of char and chew, and the toppings are minimal but impeccable. Don’t skip the antipasti, particularly the burrata or prosciutto. Keep it Italian—natural wines that won't compete with the delicate flavors they're building. The beer selection is small but thoughtful, all choices that make sense with wood-fired pizza. You're coming for pizza that respects the craft. No Instagram gimmicks, no fusion nonsense, just the best version of something that sounds simple but isn't." - Celeste Moure
"Thick or thin. Sauced or left bare. Traditional or irreverent. Pizza is the shape-shifter of the culinary world, with seemingly endless variations and an insatiable appetite for the newest iteration. Enter Pizzeria Sei, where individual pies are made with a Japan-meets-Italy flair. A handful of diners perch at the counter to watch the chefs hard at work prepping these savory treats. Wondering where the Japanese comes into play? It's the cornicione—with its trademark puffy pinch with a mochi-like chew. White pies are more offbeat, as in the Bismarck topped with a poached egg, while red pies lean more Italian. The Margherita is a go-to, topped with simple tomato, basil, fior di latte and olive oil, then cooked in a gas- and wood-fired oven." - Michelin Inspector
"Sometimes we want chewy, nicely charred Neapolitan pizza and we want it fast. This is what Pizzeria Sei does best. The bare-bones Pico-Robertson restaurant has a small menu of seven slightly puffy, crimped-edge pies, including a briny but not-too-salty Napoletana with capers and anchovies, and the Bismarck, which balances prosciutto cotto, egg, and fior di latte but is never too decadent. Grabbing a seat here usually means sitting at the bar around the dome-shaped oven as you watch your pizza blister to life in a matter of minutes, making it easy to be out the door in well under an hour. Reservations are released two weeks out on Mondays at 10am. It's also possible to check for walk-in availability, as they keep a few seats open per hour. Tuesday night “Omakasei” reservations drop a week in advance on Wednesdays at noon, with 16 slots that book quickly." - brant cox, sylvio martins, cathy park
"Verdict: Pizzeria Sei’s distinctive Tokyo-influenced pies are worth planning your night around—and given the limited size of the space, you might have to. Along with dinner service, Sei offers a ten-course “omakasei” for $150 on Tuesday nights, a three-hour festival of carbs featuring creative pizza-esque dishes. Reservations are released two weeks out on Mondays at 10am. It's also possible to check for walk-in availability, as they keep a few seats open per hour. Tuesday night “Omakasei” reservations drop a week in advance on Wednesdays at noon, with 16 slots that book quickly." - brant cox, sylvio martins
"William Joo trained at Providence and Ronan before opening his own Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizzeria in Pico-Robertson. Joo and wife Jennifer So operate this minimalist gem with a dedicated team serving a tight array of wood-fired pizzas boasting chewy, mochi-like crusts. Italian standards like margherita, marinara, and a caper-and-anchovy-topped Napoletana share menu space with more envelope-pushing pies like Joo’s Castelvetrano olive- and sopressata-topped Diavola and the prosciutto cotto-, egg-, and truffle-oil adorned Bismarck. Sei continues to garner attention for its understated excellence. Pizza enthusiasts can try to get a counter seat at Joo’s monthly omakase, a pricey but truly spectacular adventure into the mind of a pizza chef." - Matthew Kang
