Frey’s Famous Pizzeria in Minato City, Tokyo
As part of our project to show you the best pizza in Tokyo, we bring you a top contender; Frey’s Famous Pizzeria in the Rippongi district of Minato ku, Tokyo.
Frey’s Pizza in Tokyo is located… It’s in a comfortable, quieter part of Rippongi, away from the clubs and bars. While it is more than a pizza stand, it’s a small, little shop, providing a simple café-restaurant experience.
Let’s talk about the pizza at Frey’s in Tokyo.
There are about six pizzas on Frey’s pizza menu. They have a mozzarella and pecorino Cheese pizza, a Pizza Salad (greens on top), their Mushroom pizza (think gourmet mushroom), a pizza called Smokey (which is basically a margherita pizza, with smoked mozzarella, tomato, and basil), and their Sunny Side Up (which features an egg and garlic), and the pepperoni pizza at Frey’s (which also has some green pepper on it).
(For another, very good example of a “salad” pizza, check out the beautiful and organic salad pizza at Makino Pizza’s once-a-month pop-up in Sapporo, Japan.)
The pizzas at Frey’s Famous Pizzeria cost between 2,000 and 2,200 yen each, are fairly big, but probably not what you would call “large.” And each guest is required to order their own pizza, and a drink. I don’t like “rules” at restaurants (rules are inhospitable)… but that seems fair enough.
One convenient part about the “one pizza per guest” rule is that you don’t have to agree with anyone else, you can most certainly have whatever you want. If you come with a group or a friend, you can order at least a couple of different kinds and trade slices, giving you a chance to try several of the specialty pizzas at Freys.
In addition to the one-pizza per guest minimum, they have some other distinct quirks at Frey’s; the first of which is that they don’t cut the pizza. From my position as the Official Pizza Czar of Japan, I can say with authority that pizza should be eaten with your hands. Not exclusively, but generally. For the most part, “knife and fork” pizza is embarrassing, sloppy pizza. However, while Frey’s pizza is served with a knife, you can in fact, cut your own slices. And the pizzas are small enough that a hand-cut slice can be picked up and eaten that way all pizza should be eaten, “te de” (by hand).
(This “cut it yourself” feature can be found at various Napoletana pizza restaurants in Japan, including at Regalo Pizza in Osaka, and at Pizzeria Quarantuno 41 in Nagoya – both places serve the pizza w/ a fork and knife, and invite you to cut it yourself.)
The next thing you might notice about the pizza at Frey’s is that the pizzas are not round; they are irregular – and that is so unusual, it is impressive. There is not real reason for a pizza to be round (and sheet pizza is not). In my own kitchen, I never bother to try to make the pizzas round, and often bake my own pizza in an oval or asymmetric shape, letting the tension of the dough lead the way.
For restaurants, you will almost never see non-round pizza, and while it does not effect the taste, I appreciate Frey’s willingness to step out of the mold and make pizza the way they want to make it. Good for you, Frey.
On the day we stopped into Frey’s Pizzeria, we arrived close to 2 PM, and although the shop is small, it was easy to get a seat; two of us, at the counter. As always, a seat at the counter provides a view of the inner workings of the kitchen, and that is often a good experience. When one other couple joined us in the shop (at a table by the window), that shop felt almost full. It’s not a big place.
For my part, I almost always want a pizza with some meat on it. At Frey’s the only pizza with meat is the pepperoni, so that is what I ordered. And they delivered a beautiful pizza, that not only tasted amazing, but looked fantastic.
That is a beautiful, near-perfect looking pizza.
Frey’s Pizza is another Tokyo restaurant that does Neapolitan style pizza. The Japanese seem almost incapable of creating a pizza restaurant experience that is not Napoletana focused.
Japan has some pretty good pizza slice places (we have been to several pizza slice places in Tokyo), but for the most part, if you want to go out for pizza in Tokyo, you’re going to find almost exclusively Naples-style, thin crust, “fancy” pizzas. The pizza at Frey’s Pizzeria does fit that category, and yet, steps out into it’s own lane and creates something unique and wonderful.
Highly recommended.
To add to the list of peculiarities mentioned earlier; if I am correct, I believe your meal at Frey’s includes a post-pizza coffee. I believe that is right. Pizza and… espresso. I don’t know enough about the history or ownership of Frey’s, but the addition of the coffee does add something “European” to the experience. A very nice touch.
For more Tokyo Pizza see:
— Marumo Pizzeria in Ebisu, Tokyo
— Pizza Bar on 38th’s omakase pizza at the Mandarin Hotel in Chuo City, Tokyo
— Rippongi PST Pizza in Minato City, Tokyo
— Savoy Asabujuban Pizza in Minato City, Tokyo
— Devil Craft Pizza in Kanda, in Chuo City, more Chicago pizza at DevilCraft Gotanda in Shinagawa, Tokyo
— Shibuya pizza at Kevelos, in Tokyo
— Sabasu Pizza in Akasaka, Tokyo
— Komazawa Pizzeria da Peppe Napoli Sta’ Ca” in Setagaya City, Tokyo
— Deep-dish pizza at Pizzakaya (Detroit style) in Minato City, Tokyo
— Seirinkan Pizzeria in Meguro, Tokyo
— Butcher Republic in Ebisu, Tokyo
Pizza Slices in Tokyo
— Rocco’s NYC Pizza in Kita City, Tokyo
— New York style pizza slices at New York Tonyz Pizza in Tokyo
— NY pizza slices at Nim’s Pizza in Asabujuban in Minato City, Tokyo
— Pizza Slice Cat Street in Shibuya, Tokyo