Ask experienced connoisseurs of authentic Italian pizza to name the best pizzeria in Tokyo and you will get a variety of answers.

Presenting the question to my Italian circle of friends from various regions of Italy always elicits differing passionate responses that add a lot of spice to life. Sometimes it gets out of hand and I ask myself "why isn’t there one pizzeria in each city that inhabitants can rally around and put up on a pedestal?"

My Roman friend espouses the merits of the "crunchiness" of the Roman style Pizza crust while my friend from Naples swears that there is no substitute for the style of pizza from the place pizza originated from which is a thick crusted more doughy variety with less cheese and sauce.

Taking this into account – a person’s favorite pizzeria will probably be one that does a great job making the style they prefer! And Tokyo extends the opportunity to taste them all and some interesting slants on traditional favorites.

Allow us to introduce two of the main players who have perfected the art of nurturing the dough, finding the right balance of ingredients to take on defined character, and of course, the rising of the dough.

Recommended Tokyo Pizzerias:

Napule, Italian Pizzeria & Restaurant in Omotesando, Tokyo:

Tokyo chefs and restaurants are known to occasionally master other countries' culinary cultures so well that they achieve global fame. This is certainly the case for Hisanori Yamamoto, Napule's resident pizza chef who recently returned victoriously from the 2007 World Cup Pizza Championship in Naples, Italy. Napule specializes in authentic Neapolitan style pizza that is served fresh out of their wood-burning oven.

Read a review of Napule

Pizza Carmine, Italian Pizzeria and Restaurant in Mejiro, Tokyo:

A quintessential friendly Italian neighborhood pizzeria nestled in the quiet residential neighborhood of Mejiro. At any one time, the restaurant's large tables are usually adorned with a few of the many traditional Italian Pizzas, including Carmine's originals, that the restaurant specializes in. Carmine recommends the Pizza Ortolana which combines a Margherita base (cheese, tomato sauce, basil) with Eggplants, Zucchini, Paprika, Mushroom and Artichokes - an Italian favorite with a lot of ingredients for only 1,600 Yen during dinner.

More on Pizza Carmine