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That’s Pizza Minamihorie in Nishi-ku, Osaka

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+81665359210

Nishi-Nagahori Station or Yotsubashi Station

Nishi Ward, Minamihorie, 2 Chome−13−17 パークサイドピクチャー西心斎橋 1階

[see on the map]

As the latest addition to our reviews of pizza in Osaka, we bring you our notes about That’s Pizza in the Minamihorie district of Nishi-ku, Osaka.

We ended up at the Nishi-ku store of That’s PIZZA 南堀江店, sort of by surprise. We were touring some of the many excellent local Osaka businesses in the Minamihorie area, and were actually on our way Nishi-ku’s Gakuya Burger, and passed That’s Pizza on the way. It looked good. I even stopped and took some pictures, but, headed off to our predetermined burger spot. When Gakuya turned out to be closed, I certainly knew where I was going instead.

It turns out that That’s Pizza has four stores in Osaka; it’s a local chain, but feels very much like a neighborhood spot. This That’s Pizza Nishi-ku has an excellent location (arguably in one of the best neighborhoods in Osaka), and west-facing, so it has brilliant light coming through the windows. It’s a sunny shop, just across from Takakiyabashi Koen.

Osaka people love pizza, and as seems to be the trend in Japan, the Neapolitan style pizza is the most common choice. That is what they make at That’s Pizza in Nishi-ku. They do a wood-fired, Neapolitan pizza, in a variety of styles. And they do all that with a really cozy, original cafe feel.

Looking at the menu, you have a host of choices. They split the menu into a combination of tomato-based pizzas (like their classic Marinara or Margarita pizzas) and mozzarella-based pizza (which include the ubiquitous Quattro Formaggi, four-cheese pizza). They go a bit less-traditional with their Tuna Corn pizza (which is a very Japanese idea of a what a pizza could be), and their Sausage and French Fries pizza (which I personally think is a bad idea, but I admire their courage to color outside the lines on that one).

They also do calzone (with bacon, pepper, and ricotta), which would rarely catch my attention, but I have to admit, I want to try it.

For my part, I went with a “half and half” pizza.

For an extra ¥200, you can split your pizza into two “sides,” and choose two flavors (one on each side). For my own enjoyment, and to share more with you dear readers, I bit on that split. In this case, I wanted to try the Seafood pizza (that’s shrimp, squid, clam, and anchovy – sounds good, doesn’t it?. And then, for the second half, the Anchovy Olive pizza was calling me (and I answered that call). For a few extra coins, I could have both – so I went for it.

That’s Pizza makes an excellent pie. That particular combination of seafood makes a good pizza. And anchovy-olive is so classic, almost light – that was my favorite of the two halves.

The pizza master that day was a super friendly guy. He told me he went to Italy, for a “pizza trip.” He also wanted to practice his English, so I tried to give him a few words. I tried to teach him “sketchy” (as in, “that guy is sketchy”) which is a fun word to explain to a Japanese person.

He is a great guy. Was very friendly to the photographs, and generally made me feel at home.

The decor also makes it easy to relax; it’s comfortable in there. I was in a rush, so I didn’t take notes that day, but even now (as I remember), I can hear the hip hop playing. And I loved the booth seating. They got a good spot going there.

I like to be able to pick a slice up to eat it. So every time I try a new pizza, I do my “pizza test:” Can I pick it up? You can see here I had to fold it a bit, but it worked. To be honest, one of the slices that was loaded with a half a shrimp did not pass my test (I’m not showing that picture), but the anchovy slice did pretty well.

It’s wood-fired Neapolitan, so the crust has a great flavor, but it is in the category of “thin crust pizza.” Thin-crust (sometimes ridiculously so – have you ever had a pizza made on a flour tortilla??!) is the default style in Japan, but is not always what I’m looking for. If you want other styles, there are so many Osaka pizza restaurants to choose from, you can always get it your way.

Minamihorie’s That’s Pizza is on a street that is somehow called “Happy Street.” I saw at least one reference to “Happy Street” in another location, and I’m convinced if I sniff around, I’ll find more usage of that phrase. I’m genuinely curious about the origins of Happy Street, mostly because this is a slick little neighborhood. In this part of Nishi-ku, you are adjacent to the Nishishinsaibashi district, and while being equally cool, you’re increasingly free from the over-stomped areas of Shinsaibashi and the most blown-out parts of Chuo-ku. I really like Nishi-ku, and the overall neighborhood vibe of Happy Street in Minamihorie is super dialed-in.

The few blocks around Happy Street host a ton of unique and “hip” spots in this part of town, without the noise and crowds of Shinsaibashi. I’ll be back, I want to spend more time here.

That’s Pizza in Minamihorie is not a “cheap slice place in Osaka,” but it’s not quiet “date pizza” either (although you could certainly bring a date here, I would). It’s a great fit for the neighborhood, as it has the curated feel, while remaining on this side of cool, but never feeling stiff, never too fancy.