Pizza Studio Tamaki

One of the world's most celebrated pizzas now has a New York address. Pizza Studio Tamaki (PST) is now open in the East Village inside Moody Tongue Pizzeria's former address. World-renowned pizzaolo Tsubasa Tamaki is behind the venture, introducing his chewy, salty and blistered Tokyo-style Neapolitan pies to the masses, which are guaranteed to soon factor in to every New Yorker's pizza ranking.

The vibe: Did you ever visit Moody Tongue Pizza? Then you might get a bit of déjà vu as much of the restaurant's former "dark and moody" design remains, with a black and white color palette, including the speckled bar near the front. But new additions include a brand spanking new pizza oven that blasts pies at 900 degrees. It's viewable if you've gotten a booth in the back or lucked out at one of the stools in front of the kitchen, arguably one of the best seats in the house.

The food: So what is Tokyo Neapolitan pizza, anyway? For Tamaki, it all starts with the flour. Milled in Japan, Tamaki's tightly guarded recipe starts with a flour blend of American, Canadian and Japanese wheat, of which he took 18 years to perfect. Once made into dough, it is fermented for 30 hours before being stretched and almost pinched to form a crust. It's finished with a quick scorch in the oven, which has been coated in Okinawan salt and a fire that burns with Japanese cedar shavings. What results is a noticeably saltier bite, a sturdier middle compared to the soupier centers that are associated with Neapolitan pies and that classic fluffy and chewy bite, with telltale blistering at its edges.

A house favorite for good reason goes to the Tamaki, whose steaming hot plump cherry tomatoes have a tendency to burst if you look at them too long. But that's okay, mashing the tart morsel directly into the pie with its nicely smoked mozzarella is kind of the move. The 5 Formaggi is a cheese lover's dream—funky, smoky and rich—made even sweeter with a drizzle of honey. As for the Bismarck, the best bite is getting all of its parts, earthy mushrooms, herby bits sausage and runny egg, all in one go. 

The starters? Yes, you can get the broccoli, prepared rather simply with fried garlic chips and rather slick with EVOO or the arancini, that's fried a bit too hard with cheese that runs out. But frankly, if you've waited this long for a reservation, we say save your stomach and go for the pizza.

The drinks: Since Moody Tongue operates the PST franchise, they've taken over the beverage program. Meaning you can get one of their beers from the Michelin-starred brewery here with your pie, from the light and refreshing orange blossom Belgian blonde or the bubblegum plum wild ale. But if you don't want to fill up too fast on suds and slices, you can keep things light with one of the spritzes (Aperol, Hugo and a purple plum variation with a sprig of lavender) or a fruity fizzy something that combines club soda with your choice of mango, guava, strawberry or white peach.

Time Out tip: Surprise, surprise, getting a reservation here is tough. However, they do allow for walk-ins, and you may have a better chance right now flying as a solo diner. Starting on June 4th, the restaurant will be releasing reservations 14 days out at 10am, so set your calendars if you'd rather come with a group.