As a California native living in Japan, I tend to be partial towards the usual "delivery takeout" pizzas from Dominoes or Pizza Hut (although Papa John`s is my favorite thus far) or the made-from-scratch types found at nice Italian eateries. However, the "pizzas" I find in Japan are definitely not what I or any of my other expat friends are used to.

Japanese-style pizzas tend to have toppings not common in North America, and maybe not common in Europe as well (if there is a European out there who can verify that for me). Local pizza advertisements in my neighborhood display toppings such as broccoli, wasabi, seaweed, mayonnaise, corn, potato chunks, mini sausage wieners, and so on. While I had never tried the local pizza here in Japan, I asked my other expat friends who had about the taste. Their input ranged from "weird, but okay" to "this is totally not pizza....", which turned me off towards Japanese pizza even more.

Still, because I had not eaten pizza in so long, I decided to look up some places online that would serve something slightly familiar to what I was used to. After a good 30 minutes of searching, I stumbled on a place called "Devil Craft"; not only did this place serve Chicago-style deep dish pizza, they had beer on tap. A wide variety of beer on tap may I add, ranging from Japanese domestics to American and European imports. Pizza and beer- who can argue with that??

So on a weekday, my friends and I decided to hit up the place and try it out. The building is conveniently located near the JR Kanda South exit, along a side alley of various food places ranging from ramen to curry plates. Since the alley parallels the station platform, we did not have to do any crazy turning or roundabouts to find the place. Although they open at 5pm, they were kind enough to let us in at 4:50pm. The first floor is a full sit-in bar, whereas the upper floors are more for both drinking and dining. We were led up a narrow flight of stairs to the third floor and ordered two large deep dish pizzas, along with a round of beer. What is pretty nifty about being on the upper floors is that the chef puts the pizza on a metal lift, then pulls it up to the server. The only down part about the whole experience was the 40 minute wait for our pizzas, but I personally thought it was worth it when I saw those beauties set on our table.

Devil Craft`s deep dish pizzas are not greasy like the usual ones, nor are they overtly salty in any way. The ingredients are straightforward and fresh, which probably makes it healthier than any other deep dish pizza I have had before. The crust is thin, but crunchy and the great constantly-rotating choices of beer really rounds out everything. Aside from deep dish pizzas, they also serve classic pizzas, salads, and a variety of appetizers.

Would I come back again? Of course! The pizzas are delicious, the atmosphere is great, and I know I am eating something made from quality and care. Plus, the owners are from the U.S., so they know what I want in a pizza!

More information on the Devil Craft website: http://www.devilcraft.jp/

Eat Well,
T.W.