Pizza is one of the foods that everyone is attracted to. Of course, the most attractive thing is its deliciousness, but it also enjoys us visually, such as the powerful appearance of a large dough topped with various ingredients and the cheese that pulls a string when separating hot. Will do it.

This time, the En-eating editorial department got information that there is a popular Neapolitan pizza specialty store in Higashinakano. It is almost impossible to enter without a reservation, and it is rumored that even if you make a reservation, you may get a 90-minute replacement system. What is Italian pizza? In order to solve the mystery, we headed to the pizza specialty store "PIZZERIA CIRO"!


■ I came to the pizza specialty store "PIZZERIA CIRO" in Higashinakano
PIZZERIA CIRO is a 2-minute walk from the west exit of JR Higashi-Nakano Station and just off the street of the shopping street.





First of all, observe the cooking. A pizza that is made at a speed that is not noticeable to the eyes and is put into the kiln. It only takes a few minutes to bake. The kiln can also be seen from the table, so you can wait while watching the place where your pizza is made.



■ Order Margherita with "Antipast (appetizer) set" limited to weekday lunch
At PIZZERIA CIRO, the price of pizza is the same for lunch and dinner. You can choose from 31 types, and the price is set widely from 463 yen to 1,621 yen. The pizza I chose this time is the standard "Margherita" for 778 yen. I ordered this with the "antipasto set" (+445 yen), which is only available at lunchtime on weekdays. In addition to pizza, this is a great value set where you can enjoy drinks and appetizers.


◆ Assortment of 4 appetizers
The appetizers for this day are salami, fried mozzarella, marinated vegetables, and marinated salmon from the left. All of them are delicious, but the most notable is the fried mozzarella cheese! When you insert the knife, the hot mozzarella melts. You can enjoy crispy batter and elastic texture. Mozzarella, which has no habit and is milky, does not get messy even when fried, and it is delicious that you can eat as many as you like!



◆ Margherita Pizza
The pizza was brought in when I finished eating the appetizer. This is the rumored pizza that the Italians have already made! !! It's a bigger size than you can imagine!




The tomatoes, which have a strong acidity and umami, are very juicy. The hot mozzarella has two textures, a melted surface and a central part that retains elasticity. The dough that supports plenty of ingredients is fragrant and thick, and has a chewy texture. The sourness of tomatoes, the milkiness of mozzarella cheese, the aroma of the dough, and the flavor of olive oil add to the deliciousness of each bite.


According to the store manager, the thick fabric is a characteristic of Neapolitan pizza. It is more satisfying to eat than the crispy dough Roman style. This pizza, which has a large volume of ingredients and dough, has a presence more like "rice" than a snack. For those who think that "Italian pizza is delicious but not enough", PIZZERIA CIRO's pizza is sure to be very satisfying.


I also tried the Neapolitan way of eating that was drawn on the wall of the shop! Radially cut pieces are rolled from the narrow center to the outside to form a cylinder, and then cut into bite-sized pieces for eating. The tightly packed roll-shaped pizza gradually spreads the taste of the ingredients in your mouth as you chew, and you can enjoy a different texture and taste than usual.





■ What kind of store is PIZZERIA CIRO?
After lunch, we interviewed the store manager, Mr. Ishikawa.

◆ Why is it a pizza specialty store?
Specialty stores have a style that is common in Italy. By narrowing down the dishes to be served to pizza, labor costs etc. can be suppressed and it can be served cheaply.

Mr. Ishikawa: "The authentic Italian pizzeria (pizza shop) is a pizza specialty store that does not offer pasta etc. That's why we offer a wide variety of pizzas at reasonable prices. Our store is the same as the authentic one as much as possible. We want to offer cheap, fast, and delicious pizza, so we are operating as a specialty store. "


◆ What kind of store are you aiming for?
It's more casual than a traditional Italian restaurant, and it seems that it aims to be a restaurant that is like a beef bowl restaurant that even one person can easily enter.

Mr. Ishikawa: "We are aiming for a casual restaurant that you can easily enter and eat, such as a gyudon restaurant or a ramen restaurant. In fact, there are customers who eat it separately, but there are also customers who can eat one piece quickly by themselves. Not a few "

◆ How many pizzas do you bake a day?
After receiving an order, the dough is stretched and baked in a blink of an eye. Mr. Ishikawa, who has such craftsmanship, cooks nearly 200 pizzas a day on Saturdays and Sundays!

Mr. Ishikawa: "On average, 80-90 sheets are baked on weekdays, and twice that on Saturdays and Sundays."


■ Feel free to have pizza in Japan
There are two possible reasons why PIZZERIA CIRO's pizza can make Italians even more. First and foremost, you can eat delicious Neapolitan pizza baked in an authentic kiln. Secondly, I think it offers the authentic pizzeria style of pricing and variety that only a specialty store can offer.

A style where you can easily enjoy pizza in Japan. PIZZERIA CIRO suggested the option of "pizza at a specialty store" in addition to beef bowl and ramen when "I want to eat full without spending money alone".