Mohri Salvatore Cuomo

I recognize that the "best pizza" is all relative. Some people like thin crust, some people like thick. Some people like lots of toppings, some people like their pizzas sparse. Two of my favorite pizzas in the world are polar opposites from each other: Zachary's pizza in Berkeley serves up Chicago-style, California-influenced deep dish pizza (in fact, the deepest dish pizza I've ever had) so heavy with toppings that a single slice will leave you stuffed. The Cheese Board, also in Berkeley, serves food that embodies the spirit of Northern California - fresh, earthy, bohemian, unique. How can a pizza be bohemian? Try Cheese Board's daily changing pizzas, which are always a surprise and you'll realize what I mean - on one occasion I had a ricotta cheese and lemon slice topped pizza that I raved about for days. The Cheese Board doesn't add tomato sauce, but instead lets the flavors of cheese and fresh California vegetables shine through.

I was introduced to a delicious pizza in Tokyo recently, and while it may not be the best pizza in the world, it is really good. Really, really good. So good that I've been having it weekly since I first tried it! Salvatore Cuomo is as ubiquitous as a restaurant can get in Tokyo - with restaurants ranging from the eponymous casual family pizzeria restaurants all over the city to the higher end Kitchen Salvatore in Roppongi Hills, there is a branch of the restaurant in pretty much every major neighborhood. So really, there's no excuse not to try Salvatore's scrumptious D.O.C. pizza, a modern take on the classic margherita pizza made with sweet, juicy cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil.

Salvatore's crust is slightly sweet, perfectly chewy yet paper thin - the perfect canvas for Salvatore's creative mix of toppings. I only wish the pizzas were a little bit bigger - my stomach has adjusted to Japanese portion sizes, but one Salvatore pizza just isn't enough!

The restaurants also serve solidly executed pastas, but pizzas are the stars on the menu. The following are from Mohri Salvatore Cuomo, a casual restaurant with outdoor seating in Roppongi Hills.

Salvatore's award-winning D.O.C. pizza

Tiny anchovies and garlic

Prosciutto and rucola pizza

Food rating: ****
Bang for buck rating: 4

The essentials:
http://www.ystable.co.jp/restaurant/mohri/index.html
Location: B2 level, Hillside, Roppongi Hills
Average price of meal for two: 5000 yen (~$55)

Pizzeria 1830

Apparently the first pizzeria was opened in Naples in the year 1830 - hence the name Pizzeria 1830, located in the shadow of Tokyo Midtown in Nogizaka. Lured by the promise of true Napolitan-style pizza, I was truly looking forward to dinner at Pizzeria 1830. The menu is extensive, with pizzas that include tomato sauce or not, and various combinations of toppings. For a group of four, the mixed appetizer plate and two pizzas were more than enough. The crust is paper thin, barely strong enough to hold up the cheese and toppings - if you try to lift the pizza from your plate with your hands, it will start folding into itself - this is no American-style pizza!

After my visit to Pizzeria 1830 a couple months ago, I visited Rome and discovered that the pizza in Rome was indeed almost exactly like the pizza at Pizzeria 1830: super thin crust blistered at the edges, spots of melted fresh mozzarella, and just a smattering of toppings. So while I might have wished for more cheese or more toppings prior to my trip to Italy, now I know that Pizzeria 1830's pizza is authentically Italian.

Mixed appetizer plate

Sausage and mushroom pizza

Food rating: *** and a half
Bang for buck rating: 3.5

The essentials:
http://www.stillfoods.com/1830/
Location: 9-6-28 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Average price of dinner for two (with drinks): 4500 yen (~$50)

Pizzakaya

Sometimes, you don't want sushi or fusion Italian or any of the other haute cuisine that Tokyo is so good at. Sometimes, you just want good old American style pizza. The kind that reminds you of all the Domino's and Pizza Hut and Little Caesar's and Papa John's you ate growing up in a household where both parents worked.

Pizzakaya is Tokyo's most "American" pizza joint - the crust is a bit like Domino's, but the concept is a bit like CPK - "innovative" combinations such as Ahi tuna and avocado, bacon cheeseburger and a Pakistani spiced-beef version called Rahat's Pizza. It is by no means outstanding, but it's pretty darn decent pizza in a city where good greasy food is hard to find. When only American-style pizza will do, Pizzakaya hits the spot.

Half Pizzakaya gourmet- half New Love pizza

Food rating: ***
Bang for buck rating: 4

The essentials:
http://www.pizzakaya.com/
Location: on Roppongi dori, walk towards Nishi Azabu crossing from Roppongi crossing
Dai-ichi Koyama Building 2F, 3-1-19 Nishi Azabu
Average price of meal for two: 4800 yen (~$55) for medium pizza, salad, appetizer and drinks