Pizzeria e Trattoria Da Isa

It's a rare day when there isn't a line on the pavement outside this Nakameguro pizza restaurant, which has been luring diners from all over Tokyo since it opened in early 2010. Recently, it relocated to a new riverside address just a few minutes away, now nestled along the scenic Meguro River. Pizzaiolo Hisanori Yamamoto picked up a string of trophies in Naples on his way to opening his own shop – and that seems to be where he got his sense of aesthetics too.

And the pizza? Damn near perfect. You'd be hard pressed to find a pizza in Tokyo that betters Yamamoto's sourdough creations (and they're almost always his creations: the man barely strays from the oven during opening hours). The margherita is textbook stuff, while off-kilter innovations like the Maestro Kitano (pomodoro sauce, mozzarella, basilico, salsiccia piccante spicy pork sausage and gorgonzola) are also well worth a try. Too bad that Yamamoto ditched his excellent calzones, though he's kept the deep-fried pizze fritta if you're looking for a real artery clogger. The menu also offer a decent selection of antipasti and pasta, but it's the pizzas that are the undisputed stars here.