Sometimes the most modest, hole-in-the-wall eatery has the best food. Such is the case with Milano Shokudo, a pizzeria across the street from the west exit of Tobu Department Store, almost next door to Toyoko Inn in downtown Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture.
Milano Shokodo has two full-sized restaurants in town too, but I prefer this pizzeria. Service is faster. You can see and smell your meal being cooked. The atmosphere is intimate, with banter between customers and staff possible. Prices are reasonable especially for the pizza and sandwiches.
The first time we visited, it was winter. About 15 minutes after we ordered, a waitress appeared at the door, let in a gust of cold wind, stomped snow off her boots and brought us our order. We had ordered from a menu board that lists items from a second location by the same name, around the corner on Union Dori. Our food came from a kitchen down the street, and it was still warm! I have yet to dine at the Mirano Shokudo around the corner, but judging from the scent outside, it also serves pizza. We will have to check it out next time, especially if there are no seats at the shop across from Tobu. By the way, that 15-minute wait for our order that came from Union Dori was the longest we have had to wait for any order at Mirano Shokudo Pizzeria.
A 20 cm pizza costs between 380 and 650 yen. Actually, that's not so big. Pay 200 yen extra and get a 30 cm pizza. For me the highlight is the slightly charred, soft, steaming crust. A lot of Japanese pizza has a cracker thin crust. Milano no Shokodo's crust, in contrast, has more substance and subsequently is more filling. Toppings are fairly conventional if you don’t look at the dessert pizzas. All but one of the nine pizza options includes tomato sauce. All but the anchovy pizza (380 yen) use a generous quantity of mozzarella cheese; one pizza, aptly called gorgonzola, is also topped with gorgonzola cheese (650 yen). Dessert pizzas come with the toppings of chocolate, custard or seasonal fruits (370~420 yen). There is also a bar, a selection of deli salads (smoked salmon 300 yen), meat dishes (lamb 1680 yen), pasta (870 yen or only 550 yen if you take out), and a selection of cakes and puddings at the deli counter. Oh, and I recommend their sandwiches, from 300 ~ 420 yen, on that slightly charred, soft, just baked flat bread.
The restaurant seats 12, eight at four tables and four at the counter. It's cozy, possibly romantic, but also comfortable for the solo diner. The music playing last time was the sound soundtrack to Titanic but no candlelight. There's no parking, no highchairs, no rice, few greens, and the menu is only in Japanese (Italian rendered into Katakana sprinkled with some Chinese characters). Either bring a Japanese-literate friend or point to what you want at the deli counter, and just say “peeza” for pizza or “sando” for sandwich.
Our family of three have dined at Milano Shokudo Pizzeria on several occasions now, always parking our bicycles out front. The chef is an amiable guy, quick to make suggestions on wine and specials if you ask. He has a great smile but the poor guy has burns on his arms to prove the hazards of working so close to fire. In addition to a couple of pizzas, we order a decanter of his recommended wine (750 yen), and his special, a pricey, succulent roasted meat dish, and then we finish with a dessert each; our bill comes to about 5,000 yen.
Due to the pizza oven, inside is warm, and sometimes smoky. I have seen diners smoke inside too. I hope once summer comes, they will get an air conditioner installed. Take-out orders are a popular option. For me, I just can’t get enough of that steaming, charred, oven fresh pizza crust/bread.
