Tabelog ratingOwner-chef Chiba Takehiko placed third at the 2012 Caputo Cup, the Neapolitan pizza world championship. He stretches, tops and bakes every pizza himself in a wood-fired oven. From the counter you watch the whole performance, and several reviewers compare his work with the peel to a swordsman's. The restaurant (イル・ピッツァイオーロ) won the Tabelog Award 2026 Bronze. The dough is the signature: thin, crisp and unusually light for Neapolitan style, with a slight chew. Reviewers say they can finish two pizzas without feeling heavy.
The most-named pizzas are the Margherita DOC, made with Iovine buffalo mozzarella and fresh cherry tomatoes, and the quattro formaggi with honey. The marinara (tomato and garlic, no cheese) is the one to order if you want to taste the crust on its own. Seasonal pizzas earn repeated praise, among them a Bismarck with soft egg and pancetta, summer vegetables with salsiccia, and a saury-and-whitebait cicignelli. The stone-oven red chicken thigh is called a must-order. A gentle golden retriever, Theos, greets guests at the door.
The main complaint is pace. Pizzas arrive one at a time, sometimes about 30 minutes apart, and a meal can run to 1.5 hours. Some guests found the pizza merely good for the hype or the price, and some seats sit under a cold air conditioner. Single reports mention grubby fixtures, a part-timer who refused an order without apology, and a bill more than ¥1,000 above menu prices with no explanation. A few guests disliked having a dog indoors.
Reviewers in 2024–2026 paid around ¥2,200 for a Margherita (¥1,870 in 2024), ¥3,080 for the Margherita DOC, ¥1,870 for the marinara and ¥2,970 for the quattro formaggi. The red chicken thigh ran about ¥1,830 for 180g, with larger cuts costing more. The lunch salad-and-drink set added ¥600–660, and a house wine decanter cost ¥1,500–1,650. Expect to spend about ¥3,000–4,000 at lunch and ¥4,000–5,000 at dinner. Most reviewers consider this fair for the ingredients and skill, and some call it cheap. A minority find lunch steep.
- Getting there: 3 minutes (250m) from Kita-Sendai subway station, Exit Kita 1; 6 minutes (450m) from JR Kita-Sendai on the Senzan Line; 4 minutes from the Daihara-iriguchi or Hayama-cho bus stops. Reviewers note the walk is uphill through a residential area.
- Booking: essential. Walk-ins are turned away. Book online via Tabelog, TableCheck or OMAKASE, usually 1–2 months ahead. Phone bookings are not accepted. You cannot choose between table and counter seats. Changes to the date or party size incur a fee under the cancellation policy.
- Seatings: fixed slots. The door opens exactly at the slot time, so early arrivals wait outside. Allow 1.5 hours.
- Dog: a golden retriever lives in the restaurant. Book only if you are comfortable with that.
- Payment: VISA, Master, JCB, AMEX and Diners cards; transport IC cards (Suica etc.), Rakuten Edy, nanaco, WAON, iD and QUICPay; QR payments via d Barai, Rakuten Pay and au PAY.
- Children: welcome.
- Seats: 12, at the counter and tables. There are no private rooms and no private hire.
- Smoking: non-smoking.
- Parking: 3 spaces.
