We Didn't Expect The Pizza From This Country To Rival Italy's

When you think of the best pizza in the world, the places that first come to mind are probably Italy and NYC. In fact, in the 2024 edition of a guide to the best pizzerias in the world put out by an Italian group of pizza experts, the top pizzeria was located in NYC (Una Pizza Napoletana), and tied for second were two pizzerias in Italy. Surprisingly to some, however, the third best pizzeria in the world was The Pizza Bar on 38th in Tokyo, a city that — until recently — was not known for pizza.

This rise in Tokyo's pizza movement started in the '90s, paralleling Japan's love of Itameshi (Italian) food, with Susumu Kakinuma at his shop Seirinkan. It's here the Tokyo-style of Neapolitan pizza was invented and where most of Tokyo's pizzaiolos studied.

The key to the style is an extra punch of salt on the dough, a softer, chewier crust with more char, and using local wood. One of the top practitioners of Tokyo pizza, Tsubasa Tamaki, the chef behind Pizza Studio Tamaki, tosses in a handful of Japanese cedar at the last minute to give a slight bitterness to the dough.

If you want to find this style of pizza and you aren't near LA or NYC, you need to book a flight to Tokyo. The flight is worth it (if you can afford it) — there's a good reason Anthony Bourdain called Tokyo one of his all-time favorite food destinations.

There you can enjoy incredible pies at places like Pizza Studio Tamaki, Seirinkan, Pizza Strada, The Pizza Bar on 38th, Savoy, and more. In between stops for crushed tomato, mozzarella, and delicious crust, we also recommend trying the egg salad sandwich at a 7-11 in Japan. (Seriously, it has a secret ingredient that makes it unlike any other: kewpie mayo.)

If you do happen to live near LA or NYC, you're in luck! In LA you can dine at Pizzeria Sei, No. 8 on the top 50 list of best pizzerias in the U.S., which opened in 2022. Known for its monthly pizza omakase, it's considered one of LA's best restaurants. In 2024, on the opposite side of the country in NYC, Moody Tongue Pizza opened — a part of the Moody Tongue brewery that also has a fine dining restaurant, a bar, and sushi restaurants in Chicago, New York, and West Palm Beach. So if you want to try the Japanese-style chewy and salty masterpiece of tomato, cheese, and bread, consider a trip to LA or NYC soon!