Tucked down a back alley behind Nakameguro Station, with its multi-storied steam-punk fit-out and Beatles soundtrack, Seirinkan is one of Tokyo’s top pizza spots – if not the top pizza spot. Owner-chef Susumu Kakinuma serves two types of pizza – margherita and marinara – plus a range of pasta and side dishes. Pizza purists will tell you that to make Italian-style pizza, you need Italian ingredients, but Kakinuma disagrees.

With unadorned concrete walls, Seirinkan, Tokyo's original pizza hideaway, feels like it’s built inside a bunker. Susumu Kakinuma, the owner and pioneering pizzaiolo, cut his teeth in Naples, returning to his native land well equipped to roll some dough. Here he keeps the menu purposely simple, with just two pies: a traditional margherita and a cheese-less marinara.

(International) Seirinkan These are not your run-of-the-mill survival pizzas but some of the best pies in the world. The chef spent a year in Italy and came back to open Seirinkan in the largely residential area of Nakameguro. It's a bit difficult to find but well worth the effort.

The godfather of Japanese-style Neapolitan pizza, Seirinkan has been on the same block on the south side of Nakameguro Station for the past 22 years. While “Seirinkan” literally translates into “the house of holy or sacred wood,” owner and chef Susumu Kakinuma doesn’t credit his pizza awakening to a holy experience, in fact, his inspiration came from watching American films as a teenager, specifically Saturday Night Fever. “The first time I thought pizza looked amazing was in the scene where John Travolta is walking around.

Seirinkan, featured in the Michelin Bib Gourmand for three consecutive years, first opened in 1995 as the legendary restaurant SAVOY on a shopping street near Nakameguro Station, bringing the authentic taste of Neapolitan pizza to Japan. The owner later sold SAVOY and rebranded it as Seirinkan in 2007. The restaurant’s signature Margherita and Marinara pizzas are classic Neapolitan-style creations that have earned it the reputation of being a "sacred place" for pizza in Japan.

Seirinkan in Nakameguro is an authentic Neapolitan pizza restaurant that can be described as the essence of Neapolitan pizza in Japan. This Neapolitan pizza specialty restaurant offers only two types of pizza on its menu: margherita and marinara. The restaurant is overflowing with the spirit of “delivering the best pizza to the customers,” and the dough, sauce, and even the baking conditions are made with the utmost care and attention.

Seirinkan is another of Tokyo's top-rated pizza spots, but what differentiates it from many other places is that they have just two types of them on the menu – a Margherita (tomato, basil, and mozzarella) and a marinara (tomato, garlic, and oregano). They also serve up a variety of antipasto dishes and pasta, plus affogato and tiramisu if you're craving something sweet. 2 Chome-6-4 Kamimeguro, Meguro City, Tokyo 153-0051

While Savoy may be a mythical name in the realm of Tokyo pizzerias, its legend actually began here. You see, Seirinkan wasn’t always called that; it was actually the original Savoy, known as Nakameguro Savoy. Seirinkan — which also featured in the Netflix series Ugly Delicious alongside Savoy Tomato and Cheese — no longer bears the Savoy name, but that doesn’t mean the quality has suffered any.

The city has long embraced thick-rimmed pies thanks to Susumu Kakinuma who dutifully produces Naples-style pizza at Seirinkan in Naka-Meguro. The three-story pizzeria lists 2 pies on its menu (margherita and marinara), but if you’re lucky, the pizza master may grant your request of an off-menu white pizza topped with buttery melted cheese. Also check out Savoy, a short cab ride away.

What Richman doesn’t write about is my second favorite dish at Seirinkan after the pizza, broccoli. Boiled until al dente, then sautéed in a pan with crispy garlic chips and olive oil, this is the perfect partner to the pies. Kakinuma kindly shared the recipe with us on a recent visit and while we have made it a few times at home, it’s never as good as it is here.

Lunch was a simple affair at one of Tokyo's best kept secret: Seirinkan, a pizzaria that offers only two choices of pizzas, margherita or marinara. There is a larger selection of pasta, sides and drinks but the draw at Seirinkan is their pizza. I went for the delicious and basic margherita which hit the spot and destroyed my tastebuds for other kinds of pizza.

Listen to the Beatles while you gorge yourself on an authentic Margherita pie at Seirinkan, made famous by the Netflix hit Ugly Delicious. You’ll have a hard time picking from the rows of specialty restaurants nestled right under the train tracks. Okamo Club is a great place to start, serving up the freshest catches of the day raw, grilled, fried, or stewed.

Another of Tokyo’s Neapolitan pizzerias, Seirinkan stands out because of Kakinuma Susumu’s desire for perfection in his craft. Having spent a year traveling across Italy, the aspiring pizzaiolo returned to Japan and opened a shop named Savoy, which later was renamed Seirinkan in 2007. This pizzeria has only grown in popularity.

Seirinkan was one of the first Neapolitan-style pizza restaurants in the city and is considered the original Tokyo pizza pioneer. They’re a unique Tokyo Neapolitan-style (the dough is saltier than the Italian version) and utterly delicious. There’s just two pizzas you can order here: a margherita or a marinara.

There is Savoy Tomato and Cheese and Pizza Mariumo, Seirinkan, and even the new Trunk(Hotel) property off of Yoyogi Park now boasts a wood-fired oven pizza restaurant buzzing with locals. And then, hiding on the 38th floor of the Mandarin Oriental, is Pizza Bar, which sits in a class all its own.

Susumu Kakinuma is the godfather of Japan’s Neapolitan pizza movement. More than two decades ago, he arrived in Naples to learn the region’s careful art of dough, sauce and cheese—but no one would give him a job. So, he spent a year eating and watching.

Made famous by Netflix's Ugly Delicious, Seirinkan offers a selection of antipasto and pasta but just two pizzas; your choice of either Margherita or Marinara. A simple case of do one thing and do it damn well!

Although Seirinkan is highly beloved by food critics, it wasn’t our favorite. However, everything that was wrong with Seirinkan was right at Pizza Strada.