Steph C.
Yelp
Seirinkan is a Neapolitan-style Tokyo pizza joint that has gained international fame thanks to Korean American restaurateur David Chang. I was surprised to find that it felt like a super cool neighborhood pizzeria, with a largely Japanese crowd. Tourists come here, of course, but I didn't see anyone else who was so blatantly American.
This being Yelp, though, I'm going to share our little itinerary with my fellow tourists. We took the train to Nakameguro and walked to Seirinkan from the station, and after a wonderful dinner, we wandered through Daikanyama and Ebisu, walking off some of our pizza. These neighborhoods were busy and vibrant by almost any standard, but they felt quieter than the other parts of Tokyo we saw, with less big business and tourism. Dinner at Seirinkan is an excellent reason to visit this part of town.
I made a phone reservation once I got into Tokyo, just a few days in advance. I was told that we could only have the table for an hour and a half, and as we were just planning to nosh on some pizza and explore the area, this was fine by us. Our reservation was for 6:00 on a Tuesday, right when the restaurant opened. We showed up on time and got to witness how fast the place filled up. I think every table was occupied at like 6:03.
The place was fun, a vertical restaurant with the pizza oven on the first floor and the dining areas up a curling metal staircase. I've seen Seirinkan described as steampunk, which I guess makes sense given the amount of pipe metal in the decor. It also had a Beatles theme, with a Beatles-only playlist because why not? Everyone loves pizza and the Beatles.
Service was fast and friendly, and as we were just there for the pizza, we didn't have to make many decisions. We got draft Ebisu, which was very refreshing on a hot day, and ordered one each of the two pizzas on offer, the margherita and the marinara.
They were totally delicious, personal size pizzas that were clearly shaped by hand, not quite round with crusts that were thin in the middle and puffed high at the edges. The crust was chewy and satisfying, and I loved the sweet, acidic tomato sauce. The margherita came topped with mozzarella and basil, the marinara with oregano and garlic. If there had been more topping options, I suppose I would've gone for them, but the pizza was tasty enough that the purist schtick wasn't annoying. I do wonder, though, why there are twenty appetizers and salads and pastas on the menu and not, like, a pepperoni pizza.
This was the cheapest dinner of our trip by a wide margin, with the pizzas coming in at ¥1,500 each and the draft beers at like ¥650 or ¥700. We were out of there in less than an hour, full of fantastic pizza. If you're at all curious about Seirinkan or the Tokyo pizza scene, definitely check this place out. You need a reservation, but it's otherwise a very easy dinner in an interesting neighborhood, and it'll set you back like $30 to $40.