Pizzeria da Dots in Taisho-ku, Osaka

We are so dedicated to helping you find the best pizza restaurant in Osaka, we have yet another pizza restaurant to share: Below is our review of Pizzeria da Dots in Taisho-ku, Osaka.

Osaka’s Pizzeria da Dots makes a fine pizza, but for reasons that go above and beyond the pizza itself, we recommend Pizzeria da Dots – more of a restaurant than a “shop,” Pizzeria da Dots offers a one of a kind experience.

As you can see from the first pictures in our review of Pizzeria da Dots in Taisho, the location is very special.

They make a beautiful pizza.  And we’ll say more about that below, but first we’ll show you the location.
Pizzeria de Dots is part of and entertainment area called Taisho Tugboat – which is a complex of places to eat and drink and socialize (there is no boat, it’s more like a pier).  I can’t endorse the larger collection of shops (which has perhaps 10 different places to order food and drink, including craft beer at Marca, a burger place, a korean place, and more), but Pizzeria da Dots is a separate experience that literally and figuratively stands apart.

Just a short walk from the Taisho Osaka Metro station, the Taisho Tugboat area is on the south bank of the Shirinashi river, across the water from the Kocera Dome.

As you walk down toward the river, there is a very nice Mondial Kaffee 328 Tugboat shop (one of several Mondials in Osaka, this one has a bakery on site). Across from Mondial, the pizzeria sits right on the water.

Night or day, the location of Pizzeria de Dots on the river offers a unique view of Osaka, and a fantastic atmosphere for a meal (or a drink). If you can score one of tables by the windows (on the north side of the restaurant), you can look down through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the water. From one of those seats, the river is about five feet from your table.

Compared to one of Osaka’s pizza slice shops, Taisho’s Pizzeria da Dots is more of a “fine dining” experience. In addition to pizza, they have a full bar, and the menu includes a big collection of appetizers, pasta dishes (their Bolognese looks tempting), and some desserts.

Pizzeria da Dots is done in a cosmopolitan style that could work well in a major city anywhere in the world.  It does not have a “local” feel and it is not a deeply personal place. Like a nice hotel, the restaurant operates with a high level of quality and service that is easy to enjoy.

Let’s get back to the pizza:

They have a full menu with 12 different kinds of Napoletana pizza.  That includes all of the most familiar pizzas  – like the Margherita – and more.  They do a Cicinelli (like I had at Critters). I was particularly tempted by the Prosciutto Mascarpone (prosciutto, mascarpone, black olives – sounds fantastic, I’ll have that next time).

In this case, the Bacon and Salami pizza proved to be irresistible. When it arrived, the unusual irregularly-shaped, puffy crust made for a beautiful presentation.

But…

This is definitely “knife and fork” pizza. It kind of has to be; with all that meat loaded on a more-or-less traditional, floppy, Napolitano-style crust (probably with extra olive oil poured over the top), she is a fragile, messy pizza.

Wonderful flavor, excellent crust, tasty… but you can’t pick it up. I issued my classic “pizza test” and both times when I tried to pick a slice up it tragically fell apart.

There was this Japanese guy at a nearby table trying to eat a slice with one hand, while using a fork in the other hand as an assist – trying to guide a reluctant Neapolitan slice into his mouth.  That guys gets proper respect for avoiding the knife and and fork ritual – when almost anyone else would find it unavoidable.  Bravo to you, pizza warrior.

If I don’t particularly like Napolitano pizza (and I don’t), and I think pizza should be eaten “te de” (by hand), how is it that I like Pizzeria de Dots, given all those challenges and detractors?  Wouldn’t I normally complain about a pizza like this?  Yeah, I might.

In the end, I do think Pizzeria de Dots is one of the best pizza places in Osaka, but not necessarily based entirely on the pizza itself.

As a place to have a meal in Osaka, Pizzeria de Dots is an obvious winner. It’s very comfortable, the view is unbeatable, the presentation meets a high standard.  As a pizza shop (and Pizzeria de Dots is much more than that), I’d give it a high 7, or maybe a solid 8.  As for the overall experience of a meal at Pizzeria da Dots I’d give it a high 8 or a 9.  Objectively great spot.

The pizza was delicious. The ingredients were fresh, and generously applied. The crust was excellent. All that is true, but you should come for the truly exceptional experience of pizza by the river. That makes Pizzeria de Dots exceptional.

If you’re looking for a good deal: for lunch they have a set, with a pizza, a salad (with a sweet ginger dressing), and a drink for 1700 JPY.

Taisho itself is an interesting part of town. Located just three kilometers toward the Bay from Namba station, it’s near the heart of the city, but not exactly “central.” As an entertainment concept, Taisho Tugboat is modern, and well produced. The heavy wood in the structure saves the concept from feeling like a “food court” (which is otherwise probably a fair description). Isolated by itself, at the edge of the project, Pizzeria da Dots is the centerpiece. The interior of Taisho Tugboat is smokey, but the seating on the exterior, next to the river, offers something worth experiencing.

In another part of the world, the river views from this part of the Taisho district of Osaka would merit the designation of very high-end real estate. But in Taisho, you’re at one if the more spacious restaurants I’ve ever been in in Japan, and across the river is a Super Viva home improvement store (the Japanese equivalent of a Home Depot).

The Taisho Tugboat project is a strong effort to put some shine on the neighborhood of Taisho. And Pizzeria da Dots is the kind of “anchor tenant” that helps make it all work.

Highly recommended.

For more Osaka Pizza see:

— Critter’s Pizza in Shinsaibashi Chuo-ku
— Nipponbashi’s A PIZZA in Chuo-ku
— Craft Beer & Pizza Imazato in Ikuno-ku
— Pizza Bar Full House in Kita-ku
— NYC-style slices at Hughes Pizza in Kita-ku
— More slices at Henry’s Pizza in Chuo-ku
— That’s Pizza in Nishi-ku
— Drunk Bears Pizza in Kita-ku
— The Goofy’s Pizza in Kita-ku
— For a fancy pizza, see Dal Donnaiolo in Nishitenma in Kita-ku
— Pizzeria da Tigre in Shinmachi in Nishi-ku
— La Pizzeria da Napoletana Regalo in Fukushima