This famous Tokyo pizzeria is taking over the kitchen of Sake No Hana at the end of the month

New York’s pop-up pizza calendar just got a serious international upgrade. From February 24 through February 28, cult-favorite Tokyo pizzeria Seirinkan will temporarily swap Shibuya for the Bowery, taking over the kitchen at modern Japanese restaurant Sake No Hana for a five-night residency that blends neo-Neapolitan pizza with Lower Manhattan energy.

If you’re deep in the pizza rabbit hole, the name Susumu Kakinuma probably rings a bell. Widely considered the godfather of Japan’s Neapolitan pizza movement, the master pizzaiolo helped shape Tokyo’s hyper-precise pizza scene—and this marks his first time cooking in New York City. He will join Sake No Hana chefs Jason Hall and Yoshi Kojima behind the ovens, turning what’s normally a sleek Japanese dining room into a cross-cultural celebration of carbs.

The collaboration has apparently been years in the making, reports Eater. After Tao Group chefs visited Tokyo and tracked down Seirinkan, conversations slowly evolved into a full-blown residency—complete with imported flour from Japan and a very specific approach to dough. Expect the signature mochi-mochi texture often associated with Tokyo-style Neapolitan pies: springy, chewy crusts with smoky char, thanks in part to techniques like tossing sea salt onto the oven floor.

Menu-wise, the focus will be tight and intentional. Seirinkan will serve three of its hallmark pizzas, including a Margherita, Marinara and a Bianco topped with fresh wasabi. Alongside the pies, small plates like octopus, roasted broccoli and snow beef tartare with Parmigiano Reggiano are on offer, alongside Sake No Hana staples like hamachi crudo, chicken wing yakitori and a rich wafu carbonara.

The timing also makes this an interesting moment for the city’s Japanese pizza scene. Another Tokyo pizzaiolo, Tsubasa Tamaki, popped up elsewhere in the city earlier this month, meaning New Yorkers have recently had the chance to sample two distinct interpretations of Tokyo’s pizza philosophy without leaving the boroughs. While Tamaki leans experimental, Kakinuma is known for his stripped-back minimalism and exacting technique.

Reservations for the residency are already live and if past buzz around Seirinkan is any indication, seats may vanish quickly. For a city that never tires of debating slice superiority, this brief Tokyo takeover offers something different: a chance to taste how one of the world’s most meticulous pizza cultures interprets an Italian classic.