Pizzeria Carlino's in Daikanyama

When I was a kid, "Good pizza" meant "Big pizza." Whichever delivery chain would bring you the largest pizza was the best. When I was in high school, daVinci's got all fancy, and "good pizza" became "pizza with like chicken Alfredo or something on it." In college, "Good pizza" was "this pizza is cheap." Those were the days of Dominos' 5-5-5, where you and two friends could each get a medium pizza for $6 apiece including tip. 20 years ago, "good pizza" in LA was "giant slices with tiny pepperonis." Then a little over a decade ago, "Good pizza" became Neapolitan pizza. Now, "Good pizza" in America means one thing: "Do they have hot honey?"

Japan has had its own pizza evolution. There are Neapolitan places, puffy-crust Tokyo-style pizzerias, and some other spins on the format. But very few of these places offer hot honey. A new joint is trying to change that.

Pizzeria Carlino’s: a food truck serving Neapolitan pies

As a giant city, Tokyo generally has everything: whatever you’re looking for, you can find it (except decent bacon). But one thing it lacks is food trucks. Maybe it’s the dearth of parking lots, but travelers from Los Angeles, Portland, London, or elsewhere may be shocked that there aren’t trucks offering trendy food all over the place. And the ones that do exist generally aren’t very good. I had to unfollow a lot of food influencers for steering me toward the wagyu BBQ truck, which was absolutely awful. I believed in you, YouTube guy, and then I paid $20 for three tiny slices of brisket that were several days old. If you can’t trust fake-positive foodfluencers, who can you trust?

All that is to say I was unsure of Pizzeria Carlino’s, which has gotten some decent press for being among the best pizzerias in Tokyo. Founded by a former opera singer, they serve traditional Neapolitan pies, or so I was told. It’s supposed to have a line most days, and only offers two kinds of pizza, supposedly. Limited menus and lines are common in Tokyo. The pictures looked good, and I’ve been on the hunt for the best pizza in Tokyo, so we went.

And then we turned around and left, because even though it’s open on Saturday, it wasn’t open this particular Saturday. What a waste. We tried Pizzeria e Trattoria de ISA, which was decent but not best-in-Tokyo quality. Two days later, it was Sports Day, so we tried again.

The pizzeria is on a little side street, resting halfway down a hill. There was no line, but there was a bit of a wait. The guy (it’s a one-man operation) told us it would be about 20 minutes for our pizza. Prices were exceptionally low, and the limited menu had been overstated: yes, there were only three pizzas on the menu, along with the day’s special. But there were six specials that day, meaning nine pizzas overall, three times as many as at Seirinkan.

We ordered, and stood for a long time in what was actually a pretty nice October day. In the summer or winter, I could see this wait being a problem. There also aren’t many seats: 4, to be exact, for more customers than that. We ate standing up. Eriko went to take pictures of a memorial to famous singer Misora Hibari that was just across the street. Eventually, our pizza was ready.

Pizza marinara at Carlino’s in Nakameguro

Puffy crusts are all the rage in Tokyo, and this crust is among the puffiest I’d seen. It was 50% crust, a bit burned but nice and soft on the inside. They also provided (non-hot) honey to put on the crust. Confusingly, the marinara had parmesan cheese on it, so if you’re a vegan, be sure to say so before he puts cheese on your pizza.

There was a decent amount of garlic and oregano on the pie, but it was definitely sauce-forward. There was a lot of sauce, and it was a great combination of savory and sweet. Thicker and less sweet than the sauce at Sabasu, but not thick-as-hell Pizza Hut paste, either.

The only issue was that with so much crust, there was nowhere for the sauce to go, so it pooled in the middle. And since we ate standing up with no cutlery (he cuts the slices for you with scissors), we used our hands, and sauce slid off the front as we picked the slices up. We sopped up the remaining sauce and toppings with our crust. It was satisfying.

Verdict: is Pizzeria Carlino’s worth waiting in line for?

There are downsides to Carlino’s, besides the fact that it’s not a good place to visit when the weather is bad. The lack of seats is a bummer. The wait is a bit much. And because it’s one guy doing everything, he can’t give his full attention to the pizza. I saw him a couple times looking at the oven, like, “Oh, I gotta get that pizza out,” but he was busy preparing drinks or making change (and then touching your pizza dough without washing his hands). It would be nice if he had someone else there so he could concentrate on his art.

That said, Carlino’s is definitely among the best pizzas in Tokyo. And that’s just the marinara. I would like to try some of their new-wave creations, like spec & gorgonzola or the diavola with yellow tomato sauce and (gasp) spicy honey. The prices are quite cheap (1,400 yen for the marinara, $8.83 USD), but it is cash only, so bring your coin purse.

While there are other pizza places in Tokyo doing puffy crusts and fancy toppings, this is the only one that feels like it’s on the cutting edge in the same way as the fanciest places in New York that I see on the Internet. I’d love to see what this guy could do with a full restaurant, although apparently he’s looking into expanding to another truck in Komazawa, which would be very convenient for us.

If someone asks you if Tokyo has good food trucks, you can tell them “Yes. One.” It will be true.

Where to find Pizzeria Carlino’s in Tokyo

Address: 〒153-0042 Tokyo, Meguro City, Aobadai, 1 Chome−5−2 B3F

Hours: 11:30am-3pm MWF, 11:30am-7pm Sat, 11:30am-6pm Sun, closed Tues-Thurs. THESE HOURS VARY SO CHECK BEFORE YOU GO DON’T BE LIKE US.

Instagram: Pizzeria Carlino’s

I cannot stress enough that this place is located on a hill. That means planning your route is crucial. Do not go to Nakameguro Station, or you’ll have to walk up the hill. Instead, go to Osaka-ue or Daikanyama, walk horizontal and just a little bit down to the pizza place, then go down the hill to the Meguro River on your way back. Violate these directions at your own peril.