Seirinkan Pizza in Nakameguro
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As I’ve mentioned previously, I have been on the hunt for the best pizza in Tokyo. For most of this journey, my wife has gone with me. But there are some things a man has to do on his own. One of those things is travel across town to eat pizza on a Tuesday at 11:30am right when the pizza shop opens. I did that today.
Seirinkan in Nakameguro: the line, the menu, and the Beatles-y decor
Seirinkan is located in Nakameguro, just a short walk from the Meguro River. If you’ve never been, this is known as a great place to see sakura in the spring. The river is lined with coffee shops, most of which don’t have seats, to my great aggravation. The Nakameguro neighborhood has a lot of cool restaurants like T Nakameguro and, for some reason, a lot of bicycle shops. On my walk from Yutenji Station (where my bus let off), I noticed several restaurants that had people lined up on the street. It’s that kind of neighborhood.
Just around the corner from the pizzeria, I saw a Vietnamese Banh Mi shop, a gourmet popcorn store, and a Sri Lankan restaurant. The restaurant itself is just off the main drag, and the only way I noticed it was that there were already nine people in line ahead of me, with four more lining up immediately after me. The signs are very small and the building almost looks run down. They’re really leaning on their cool factor here.
See, Seirinkan is a trendy spot. This is not just because of its association with Savoy and the evolution of Japanese pizza (which involves a thicker, chewier dough than Neapolitan pizza, and lots of crazy toppings), but because it was on Ugly Delicious, which I understand is a David Chang show on Netflix. There were both Japanese and foreigners in the line, as opposed to the omurice place across the street (named after Punch the monkey), which just had Japanese people.
I lifted a single finger (to indicate I was dining alone) and was directed up a spiral staircase to the second floor, where I was pointed to the bar. The decor inside Seirinkan is entirely Beatles themed. The walls are covered with Beatles stuff and the stereo plays Beatles music all day. I don’t know what the Beatles have to do with pizza. I think the founder probably just had a bunch of Beatles stuff lying around. It reminded me of a coffee shop in Bangkok that was too cool for its own good, which is not a good association because I hated that place. At least the stool at Seirinkan was comfortable, unlike the chairs at that coffee shop.
The pizza menu is very simple: three pizzas, that’s it. Marinara, 2,500 yen. Margherita, 2,800. Bianchi, 3,000. They also have antipasti and pasta on the menu, but I didn’t see anyone eating anything other than pizza.
I pointed at the marinara. The server said something to me that I didn’t catch. I motioned for her to lean in and say it again so I could hear it over Norwegian Wood.
“It’s last call for food,” she said in English.
Now, what could that have meant? “Last call” generally signifies that after right now, it’s no longer possible to order food. But the place had opened at 11:30 and it was now 11:33. I don’t know. I didn’t want anything else. I chose to drink water, but a guy two seats down had a beer before noon because life is tough.
I read The Underground Railroad on my Kindle (it’s just okay so far), but I didn’t have to wait long. One plus of there only being three pizzas on the menu is that they are ready to rock. At lightning speed, my pizza appeared, and it was as red as the pictures online had promised.
Pizza marinara at Seirinkan
First thing to pay attention to is the crust, as that’s the mark of a Tokyo style pizza. This crust is thick and a bit puffy, but not crazy puffy by Tokyo standards. The other thing I noticed was how much olive oil there was. I worried that would make it drippy and hard to eat, but it wasn’t. The crust easily handles that oil, and it didn’t taste of too much oil even though it looked it.
As I’ve noted before, I don’t like how flippant artisan pizza makers are with toppings, and Seirinkan fits that bill completely. The garlic, oregano, and basil were in clumps on certain parts of the pizza and not others, and I definitely thought there should have been more garlic for the price I was paying. This pizza is heavy on tomato, with chunks visible in certain spots.
The taste was absolutely tomato-heavy. In fact, the places that hadn’t been hit by garlic/oregano tasted purely of tomatoes cooked down in a pot with no seasoning. The spots that got seasoning were perfect, but others tasted of nothing but tomato, which is a taste I can replicate at home. The crust was thick enough that slices could be picked up without falling apart like Neapolitan pizzas sometimes do.
The middle of this pizza was all right, but doesn’t compete with places like Savoy with its strong flavors or L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele with its tomato sauce. And it can’t compete with Il Tamburello or Sabasu in terms of toppings and ambiance. But there was one way this shop had all those beat.
Verdict: is Seirinkan worth its price and the wait that comes with notoriety?
It’s the crust, man. The crust is what makes this place. The texture, the seasoning, the rise - it all just works. It’s like eating the world’s greatest breadstick, dipped occasionally in tomato sauce and olive oil. I couldn’t get enough. This may not be Tokyo’s best pizza, but it’s Tokyo’s best crust, without a doubt. It’s easy to see why people flock here. I wish I could make a pizza with the tomato sauce from L’Antica, the garlic and oregano from Savoy, and the burrata from Il Tamburello, along with this crust. It would be the ultimate pizza.
It’s tough to judge how Seirinkan fits among the other top pizzerias in Tokyo because its reputation has put expectations too high. You can go to those other places I mentioned for less money at lunchtime and not have to stand around outside. Plus, all those places have got more welcoming ambiance, as Seirinkan seems built exclusively for Echo Park beardos. The thing they don’t have is this crust. If you live in Tokyo, you have got to try this place once. And if you’re just visiting, I would say trying this pizza is worth one of your vacation meals simply because it’s the ultimate example of what a Tokyo-style dough can be. If you’re a pizza aficionado, you need to try it.
Where to find Seirinkan pizza in Tokyo
Address: 2 Chome-6-4 Kamimeguro, Meguro City, Tokyo 153-0051
Hours: 11:30am-2pm, 6pm-9:30pm M-F; 11:30am-3pm, 5-9:30pm Sat-Sun
Reservations: TableEx
As I mentioned, there was a line 14 deep at Seirinkan by 11:30am on a Tuesday. If you can’t get there when it opens, you may be waiting a while, and then it might not be worth it. You can also reserve a table at night, but it’s honestly not a good date spot or family establishment. It’s also, unfortunately, a bit expensive. I probably won’t go back myself, but if Eriko wants to try it, or a visiting friend wants to go to the place they’ve heard about, I’ll gobble that crust like… a guy who gobbles crust.
