Dal Donnaiolo in Kita-ku, Osaka

As part of our search for the best pizza in Osaka, we bring you a special review of Dal Donnaiolo, in the Nishitenma district of Kita-ku. Osaka’s Dal Donnaiolo is in a very comfortable neighborhood in Kita-ku, and just a short walk from Minamimorimachi station.

Dal Donnaiolo is a proper restaurant, doing a high-end version of pizza. They are more expensive than most of your other choices of pizza restaurants in Osaka (or Japan, for that matter), but they deliver something special; they do make an extra ordinary pizza.

When I first walked in, at 8 PM on a Sunday night, there were two other sets of guests. They sat me at the counter, with a perfect view of the pizza making operation, with an eye view into the maw of the traditional wood fired-oven.

I was greeted with smiles from a woman and the pizza maker. The woman was very friendly as she patiently tried to explain (and re-explain) the night’s special:

Ordering foreign cuisine (in this case, Italian food) in Japan can be especially challenging as they use a mix of native
Japanese words mixed with loan words (which are written in katakana). When they use a loan word, they will tell you it is not Japanese, but it is also not really the original word from the language they are borrowing from either.

For example a good example: They use the word “beer” in Japan, but they say “bee-ruu” and write it as ビール (which is not to be confused with the word for “building,” when they pronounce “beru,” even if that is not even close to the way the loan word is pronounced in English). The Japanese take these kinds of liberties with the words from foreign countries. So if you don’t speak Japanese, but you’re in a restaurant that serves some kind of international food, trying to understand what is being is said can be confusing on several levels at once (the Japanese, the foreign words – which may not be in your language either – and then the Japanese-spin on those foreign words). What I would call a doughnut (aka donut), is called a dou-na-tsu in Japanese, which is not in fact the loan word, but their version of the loan words – and this goes on and on in Japan.

The lovely and charming hostess explanation of the special was in a mix of Japanese, some English when she could(never expected, but always appreciated), and then, of course, several Italian words (each doing their best to retain their meaning as they are subjected to the katakana-loan words hatchet job).

I understand the word “sausage” (“so-sou-gee” in Japan-butcherese) then she lost me for a minute, then I recognized the name of a kind of cheese. I sort of knew what she meant. Basically, that is all I got from two or three attempts. I wanted to reward the effort, so in the end I surrendered and gave her the international sign of consent – a big American “thumbs up” (which has no katakana translation).

In some places they list their name as Dal Donnaiolo Pizza Napoletana, to give their rather exotic name some pizza-specific context; they do a Neapolitan-style pizza. And here I am giving you the English word for an Italian specialty (Napolitana), named after the city (Naples), for a pizza made in Japan. But that is what we are here for, so let’s keep going.

Neapolitan pizza happens fast. The oven is so hot (as pizza requires), that the cook time is but a few fiery moments. The preparation of my pizza happened just a foot or so from where I sat, separated only by some glass. The pizza master was happy to help me document the process, and posed for (or at least put up) with several pictures.

The whole pizza making process is very photogenic. Here, and elsewhere in Japan like pizza restaurants in Sapporo, or pizza shops in Tokyo, I always sit at the counter (if I can), and I have taken 100s of photos of the Japanese making pizzas (there are some on this site, in our review of That’s Pizza in Nishi-ku).

In about 5 minutes, my very special pizza was served.

I will sometimes complain (to myself, and anyone that will listen) that Japanese pizza can be little light on toppings; not so at Dal Dinnaiolo. And while Dal Donnaiolo makes a pizza at a higher price point than most of Japan, the sheer quantity of topics makes these pizzas a different product. I suspect the quality of these ingredients are higher as well.

My pizza came loaded with a green vegetable that reminded me of mustard greens, mixed with a rough Italian sausage (you could see the fennel seeds in the meat, which for me is a very good sign). The pizza was heavy and rich, so rich it qualified as decadent.

I have my personal “test” I do for all the pizza shops in Osaka (or anywhere I eat pizza); I tried to pick up a slice. That night’s “Special Sausage Pizza” came out fully-loaded. I gave it a few minutes for the cheese to settle down, and then attempted to pick up a slice. Neapolitan pizza has such a thin crust that it is not a great example of pizza that is easy to eat with your hands. In this case, the sheer weight of the toppings made it even more difficult, but… the test serves it purpose and helps give you a sense of what it’s like to try to tackle a slice.

My neighbors in the counter seats next to me were a cool couple (that happen to own their own restaurant). They ordered what looked like a classic margarita, but with anchovies.

20 minutes later they ordered yet again, and we all watched the pizza chef make a pizza with a green sauce that I assumed was pesto, but that was not quite right. I thought I heard the word “pistachio,” but I assumed I was mistaken… But that did in fact prove to be the case: the final product was a heavily-cheesed pizza, with a generous portion of thin-sliced mortadella, with both a sauce made from pistachios, and then, crushed “pistacchios” sprinkled on top.

This is a very special pizza restaurant; for pizza in Japan, yes, but would extraordinary anywhere in the world. The prices are well above average, but the quality, and the craft of creation, are operating on a higher level.

To be specific, my bill was 4500 JPY for a pizza, and a rather delicious imported Peronnni (on tap); that’s one person, pizza only. The couple next to me ordered at least two pizzas, and had a couple of rounds of drinks, I’d guess their bill was close to 15,000 JPY. For most people, that will likely mean Dal Donnaiolo is a bit of a budget-buster. But if this fits your price range, or you want a special experience – the pizzas will speak for themselves.

For more Osaka Pizza see:

— Critter’s Pizza in Chuo-ku
— [A] PIZZA in the Namba/Nipponbashi area of Chuo-ku
— Craft Beer & Pizza Imazato in Ikuno-ku
— Hughes Pizza in Kita-ku
— Henry’s Pizza in Osaka’s Chuo-ku
— Pizza Bar Full House in Kita-ku
— Pizzeria da Dots in Taisho-ku
— That’s Pizza in Nishi-ku
— Chicago pizza at Drunk Bears in Chayamachi Kita-ku
— The Goofy’s Pizza in Kita-ku
— Atarizza Pizzeria in Nishi-ku
— Pizzeria da Tigre in Osaka
— Regalo Pizza in Osaka