Sabasu Pizza in Akasaka
About 10-15 years ago, there was a real artisan pizza boom in America, specifically in Los Angeles. I don’t know if it was the consequence of Mozza or if there was just a fire sale on pizza ovens, but Neapolitan pizza places were all the rage. For my bachelor party, we went to a pizza festival (why yes, I am fat; how did you know?), where booths were set up from different pizza restaurants offering tiny samples. Out of maybe 25 booths, all but one was serving a traditional Neapolitan Margherita.
I mention that story because those pizzerias weren’t necessarily making Neapolitan pies and weren’t necessarily making American pies. They were in the middle, a sort of crunchy, sweet version of Neapolitan pizza, an artisan resurgence committed to doing the basics well and making sure every person got their own full pie (an important element of Italian pizza).
What does that have to do with Tokyo? Well, like America, Tokyo has had its own artisan pizza boom, resulting in the Tokyo pizza of places like Savoy and Seirinkan. And while there are places that serve New York or Chicago-style pizza, there’s also a spot serving a pizza that reminded me a lot of that Westernized artisan Neapolitan pizza that dominated the U.S. right before I left. Come along with me on a trip there, why don’t you.
Sabasu’s chill space and pizza-making process
Located on a side street in Akasaka, Sabasu inhabits the ground floor of a hotel that used to be a youth hostel that used to be a house restaurant. I arrived promptly at 5pm because I didn’t have a reservation, and was immediately shown to the counter, right in front of where an Australian man was making the first of the day’s pizzas. I don’t know what Australian style pizza is. Maybe it’s this.
The space is gorgeous - low light but now too low, lots of space between the tables, a little garden just outside, chill music played on vinyl - and I felt unhurried the entire time I was there. Compared to the chaos of Kevelos and the weirdness of Seirinkan, this was a very welcoming environment. I could sit and read my Kindle and eat at my leisure without feeling pressured to hurry up and finish.
The kitchen is not huge, but that’s okay because the chef doesn’t have to churn out a million pizzas an hour like at Kevelos. The oven isn’t gigantic, but gets the job done. They have a few appetizers on the menu, though not as many as I’d seen photos of online. They didn’t have prosciutto and melon, but they did have something called “Garlic pizza” that I would have tried if I’d come with another person.
There are some wild pizza combinations, including those that use black garlic, but I went with a favorite of mine: cured meat followed by clogged arteries and certain demise.
Spicy salami pizza at Sabasu
The salami piccante pizza was brought quickly, and was bigger than I thought it’d be. The crust had a wee bit of cheese and some burned parts, and there were a couple burned salami bits that reminded me of American pepperoni pizza.
The cheese wasn’t super flavorful, but also wasn’t rank, which in Japan is a victory; I often don’t get cheese on my pizza, so I’m probably a poor judge of that, but I was glad it wasn’t too cheesy. The salami taste was strong, but not as spicy as the spicy salami at Il Tamburello, which I’d just had less than a week before and would be comparing this pizza to. There was a lot of salami on it, and big slices, which I loved. I’m the type of guy who orders “pepperoni lover’s” pizza and acts like I’m going to save some for lunch tomorrow.
Under the toppings, the sauce was thin and pinkish, with a sweet taste. It reminded me of that artisan American pizza, not a savory tomato flavor, but a very specific sort of sweetness that goes well with salty toppings, like you get in a calzone. Again, not as spicy as I’d hoped, but as soon as I tasted it, I was brought back. I’d almost forgotten about pizzas that tasted like this.
The sourdough crust was quite thick and poofy in the Tokyo style. It was so thick and bready that it tasted more like an American crust than Neapolitan or Japanese style. There was a bit of a flour taste to it, with some crunch. In the center, it was thick enough that I actually didn’t need a knife and fork to eat the pizza, but I used them anyway because I wasn’t raised in a barn.
All in all, this pizza, even though it didn’t look like an American pizza, recalled memories of my homeland. It’s a quite specific taste, but welcome in a week where I was trying a lot of pizzerias that were all dancing around the same ideas.
Verdict: does Sabasu’s pizza deserve to be mentioned among Tokyo’s best?
The pizza cost 2,600 yen ($16.43), a decent price considering the amount of salami and the fact that this is one of the nicer pizzerias I’ve eaten at while researching Tokyo pizza, at least in terms of ambiance. I liked the pizza at Sabasu, and if I’d tried it a month ago, I probably would have been ecstatic. But their spicy salami wasn’t quite as good as that at Il Tamburello, and the bold flavors of Savoy and Seirinkan have conditioned me to expect something stronger.
What really won me over, aside from the uniqueness of this kind of pizza in Tokyo, was the restaurant itself. This is a great place to eat alone or with people, a casual yet refined atmosphere that could work for a nice night out or a weekday lunch. Sabasu is a place I could comfortably recommend to anyone, tourist or local, foodie or average Joseph, Italian or Japanese.
Does it have a better pizza than Seirinkan? No. The crust here can’t touch the crust there. But would I rather meet you here for dinner than at Seirinkan? A thousand times, yes. It’s a better overall experience, for sure. If you care about ambiance, prefer classic toppings on your pizza, and want something a little more substantial and American-ish, this is the spot for you. It’s going in my regular rotation. Gregg approves.
Where to find Sabasu in Tokyo
Address: 6 Chome-13-5 Akasaka, Minato City, Tokyo 107-0052
Hours: 5pm-9:30pm M, W, Th; 11:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-9:30pm Fri-Sun; closed Tues.
Reservations: Tablecheck
I was able to walk right in at 5pm, but I’m guessing that most nights, especially on the weekend, it gets crowded, so if you’re not eating alone, you’re probably better off having a reservation. Oh, and they speak English, and you can definitely pay by card, so don’t worry; tourists are welcome.
