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Hughes Pizza in Kita-ku, Osaka

Staff Rating:

Nakazakicho Station

4 Chome-1-20 Nakazakinishi, Kita Ward

[see on the map]

As part of our very thorough examination of the best pizza in Osaka, we bring you this first-hand review of Hughes Pizza in the Nakazakinishi district in Kita-ku, Osaka. An excellent choice for a slice, a beer, some art – and a comfortable hang-out, in a really beautiful old Osaka building.

Osaka’s Hughes Pizza (ヒューズピザ) is in Kita-ku, buried within a residential neighborhood, and can be reached on foot from Umeda station. (It’s even closer from Nakazakichō Station.) I used my phone to get there, but if you’re walking by, there are certain unmistakable signs you’re getting closer…

As if by magic, helpful portents will appear to indicate pizza potential; subtle signifiers suggest the presence of a pizza paradise.

Is it “Hughes Pizza” or “Hughes’ Pizza?” There is a Hughes (that is the proprietors last name). He is an expat, turned “local,” living in Osaka with his young family. I met him on the evening I was there, as I walked in the door; tall, friendly, with an easy charisma, he was welcoming and it was good to talk with him. He told me his friends call him “Hughsie.”

The exterior is a little subtle, but it looks like a business, and even at night – you should be able to figure it out. Once you’re inside, all the pizza magic can begin.

As I rolled in the door, the classic glass case was on display with the day’s pies.

When I showed up on Saturday night, Hughsie said, “This is what I’ve got left:” The choices where Jean (four cheese and honey), Spicy Hawaiian (ham, pineapple, jalapeno), a special mushroom pizza (with a white sauce), and, of course, pepperoni. I opt’d for the spicy island jam and the mushroom especial.

Along with the ever-present Tabasco, Hughsie has red pepper flakes to add a bit of heat to a slice. I believe this is the first place I have come across red pepper flakes at a pizza place in Japan. While all heat is hot, not all “hot” puts off the same flavor, and I’ll take red pepper flakes over Louisiana hot sauce every time.

On that night at Hughes, in the particular pizza-fueled inspired mania, I took the following note:

Slices are as much about fun as they are about an ideal way to experience pizza. Slices are a good time.

And that is about right. That was a tasty slice, but more so; I liked the experience of going for a slice at Hughes.

I can say that the best pizza of my life has not been slices. (Hmmm: in this current moment, if I could have any pizza in Japan, I would beat a path for DevilCraft in Tokyo – which happens to be a Chicago-style pizza.) And yet; why does a slice shop always have such a strong draw?: because it’s a good time. And especially with friends, or after a few drinks, or with friends after a few drinks – a slice is as much of a cultural spectacle as it is savory sensation.

I usually try to give every pizza I eat my personal, patented “Pizza Test:” Can you pick it up and eat it? Slices, especially crispy slices pass this test better than most (and better than every Neapolitan pizza). A Hughes slice can certainly be eaten without a knife and fork, and I like that; pizza should be eaten at the end of greasy finger-tips.

Kita-ku’s Hughes Pizza is not a big place, but has plenty of room to move around. There are about five low, wooden tables, which were about half-full at a busy time on a party night.

It’s very comfortable in there, and perhaps even more so – Hughes has distinctly impressive architecture.

Hughes Pizza is set up in what is (or was) an original Osaka building. Hughsie remodeled it when he took over the space (it was formerly a residence). Before opening for business, Hughes’ dad came to Osaka to provide some hands-on help with the interior changes. Not all of what you see is original, but much of the mostly wooden interior is timber from the early 1900s – and over 100 years old. In a country that is sometimes overly occupied with making sure everything is “new” (often with the use of cheap, plastic materials, meant to be torn up and remodeled every few years), the intentionally preserved old construction and dark wood are rare and wonderful indeed.

Against all that soot-colored wood is a surprising collection of original artwork.

The large piece with the orange background is very well done; a bare midriff girl serving slices in a 70s-esque, slightly creepy, psychedelic pizza dream (I say, with respect and some admiration – nice piece). Then the twisted Doraemon – hand painted, but with digital glitchy shifts – is both compelling and disturbing, and also very successful (bravo). It’s good work, and adds to the unique combination that give Hughes Pizza, as a place, so much personality.

In the category of NYC-style pizza slice places in Osaka, Hughes occupies his own position. Unlike the business model of most NYC spots, Hughes Pizza is deep in the a quiet, walkable heart of a residential neighborhood; while his pizza sign is effective, he doesn’t have heavy sidewalk traffic to set the mood. Instead, the special architecture, the art, and Hughsies personal appeal create a distinct profile – a part of the neighborhood as much as “serving” it.