Critter’s Pizza in Chuo-ku, Osaka
As we worked through a very thorough tour of the slices and pies in Osaka city, we thought we had found the best pizza in Osaka. Just to be sure, we came back a second time (for dinner), and ordered a different pizza. Two for two: Critter’s stands up as an especially tasty pizza, an all around excellent experience, and holds our recommendation as the best pizza in Osaka.
Critter’s Pizza Osaka is located in the tiny backstreets of Nishishinsaibashi district of Chuo-ku, surrounded by the best of Osaka’s fancy coffee places, vintage clothes stores, and other attractions that draw swirling trails of milling tourists and local Japanese looking for the best of cool. All that, and good pizza.
There are two “Critter’s” in this neighborhood: This very fine pizza shop, and then a similarly well put together burger joint just one block to the north. In that sense, Critter’s a “brand,” and offers both pizza and burgers (each from their own separate shop).
The shop is high-end, but not overly mature, pretentious, or uptight. Old, wooden floors. A mosaic tile treatment before the bar that spells out “PIZZA.” Some booming, bass-y, baritone speakers dropping rich sound from the ceiling, mixing with the smokey-crust smells emanating from the oven. Nice.
But that’s enough chit-chat, let’s get too it: I don’t particularly like Neapolitan style pizza, and even so – Critter’s makes an absolutely fabulous pizza in that very style, the best pizza in Osaka, with an overall experience to match the flavors.
At the time of this review, we have already tried several of Osaka Napolitano pizza places. For this same style of pizza, I like the “That’s Pizza” group (they have several shops in Osaka, including a That’s Pizza in nearby Minamihorie). There is a very rich, more decadent Naples style pizza at Dal Donnaiolo in Kita-ku – which is actually a special pizza. And we’ve also done a review of the oh-so-Michelin (over-)rated Pizzeria da Tigre. We’ve tried many. There are more. So, so many more. We will try (and retry) more of what Osaka has to offer, but we think we’ve found the spot – Critter’s makes the best pie.
Just looking at the pictures tells the story. The Critter’s version of the Neapolitan style pizza doesn’t look like the strictly Naples pizzas, and that is a good thing. But doing it there way, they make a better pizza.
Critter’s brand also nails a kind of atmosphere that sets up a good time. If you need grimy street pizza (and sometimes I do), this isn’t it. If you need to go to the crowded, rushed, touristy Regalo pizza – by all means, go for it (bring a book to read in line, you’re going to be there for a while). But if you want a high-end taste (that is not overly expensive) in a relaxed atmosphere where you can relax – imagine: high-quality ingredients served by kids with tattoos – this is the place.
While Napolitano pizza is not the kind of pizza I am usually in search of, that makes this review all the more authentic: I love Critter’s pizza.
When you’re ready to taste for yourself, you have several options to choose from:
We had a look at both their one-page lunch menu (they have fewer options for lunch), and their more extensive dinner menu – both offer a tempting choice of pizzas. They have the Sarsiccia (known elsewhere as Salsiccia), which is Italian sausage. Of course, there are the seemingly mandatory, Japan-standards: the Margherita and the four-cheese Quattro Fromage.
On my first trip, I was feeling a bit experimental and I couldn’t decide between the Clams and Parma or the Cicinielli pizza. I did what I always do, and I asked the server which of the two they liked better. After some questioning as to my appreciation of garlic (“yes”), we decided I’d have the Cicinelli.
Nominally, I guess you could say the Cicinelli is a seafood pizza, with capers. In the pictures you can see all the small, whitebait fish. The fish turned out to be inconsequential (in terms of flavor, they were not particularly impactful). I did love that pizza, and the love-affair was centered (indeed) around the big, paper-thin slices of garlic, and, mostly especially – that sauce!
The sauce… ahh. The sauce. We’ll come back to that.
On my second trip, I was eager to see if I was as happy and satisfied as my first experience. This time, I wanted to get at that Amemurana pizza (mozzarella, Critter’s amazing tomato sauce, salami, onion, and basil).
The Amemurana pizza was also fantastic. If anything, I might have liked that first Cicinella better, as the garlic combined with the sauce and crust, hits hard. But, both pizzas are top-shelf.
It feels easy to crown Critter’s as the best pizza, and pizza experience, in Osaka City.
As I work toward earning my status reputation as the Official Gaijin Pizza Czar of Japan, my experience extends well beyond Osaka. There are category-defying Neapolitan style pizza spots in Tokyo (of course). And because the Japanese have somehow been convinced Napolitano pizza is the “default” pizza, the choices of pizza restaurants in Sapporo are also dominated by this category. In America, this style is much less common. Even though Naples pizza is not my favorite style, I have eaten so many of these, I’ve developed a sense for what makes one of these ubiquitous pizzas better than another…
One way to to do something special in the rather repetitive, traditional category of Neapolitan pizza is to start with exceptional sauce. Because I am a critic, not a chef, I am relying on my taste buds more than my experience, but hear me out:
Critter’s pizza’s sauce cuts through every bite to grab your attention, and demand you notice it’s superiority. The word that comes to mind is “fresh.” The bites that were up close to the crust (with no other toppings), that were mostly just tomato sauce, were precious.
After my second trip, I’ll double-down on that comment:
The Critters pizza gets better, with each bite, as you eat toward the crusty edge of the pizza. As the last bite is only sauce and crust, the flavor peaks out – you are tasting the best pizza flavor in Osaka.
When I wrote the first version of this review, I said I was reminded of the best pizza in Sapporo; made by Makino Farms and served once a month, at the pizza at Niiiwa Kitchen. That pizza is also in the category of Napolitano-style (if not “official”) and it is also an exception, a standout, a category breaker.
That the Makino Farms pizza stands out for the same reason; their pizza sauce also just sings. I actually went back for another Makino Farms pizza recently, to check my theory about why Critter’s is so good, and yes… both pizzas feature a sauce that is shockingly good, which makes them special in a style were being “unspecial” seems to be the point.
In both cases, it’s a light, tomato taste that is at the forefront. And in both cases, in every bite the sauce brings a kind of authority, a bold “flavor leadership,” leading the pizza to victory. The strength of the sauce at Critters helped me learn this lesson, helped me know why I loved the Makino Farms pizza so much. I suspect at least part of the success of sauce is the freshness and quality of the tomatoes (Makino Farms makes such a fantastically delicious pizza, in part, because they bring their own farm-fresh produce, which does produces a superior sauce).
Looking at single slice, in isolated solitude; she is beautiful, isn’t she?
The next part of the formula (as I attempt to peer into it, from well beyond the kitchen) is of course the crust. To me, the crust is usually the defining quality (although my theory about the sauce has me rethinking that). I love bread. And the bread-as-crust part of pizza becomes the base for the toppings, if not that basis of the flavor.
Critter’s crust was as fluffy as it was crispy. It is doughy, but has that burnt flavor… fantastic.
Critter’s Pizza has what should certainly be called a “thin crust” pizza, but their idea of thin is more functional than other Neapolitan style pizzas. Pizzeria da Tigre is supposed to be exceptional pizza, but their crust so thin, and the pizza is so wet, that it has no substance – it’s a mess. It is “fork and knife” pizza – pass on all that. By contrast, Critter’s is notably thick enough to hold itself together, and as you can see, it passes my Pizza Test – you can actually pick it up.
One other theory I have that isn’t really about flavor, but does make the pizza easier to eat – don’t make the pizza too wide. The Napolitano style is already “thin crust.” If you stretch that crust out, make the diameter too wide, the pizza is too thin to pick up, and must live the cursed life of being “knife and fork” pizza – and no pizza wants to be that. No way; very un-pizza like.
Critters (and Makino Farms) make a smaller pizza, both with a slightly thicker crust in the center, which makes it hold together better. That is a better formula for any pizza.
I made it to Critter’s pizza in Nishishinsaibashi on my third try; they were closed the first time, I could not get a table the second time (they can be busy at peak hours, check for reservations), so the third time I came for lunch.
Their lunch special is maybe the best value in Osaka: That lunch includes a pizza, but also comes with an appetizer. You might say two appetizers, or more correctly three; there were a couple of bites of raw ham (or prosciutto); and then some lightly cooked Italian vegetables, done in a tomato-vinegar Caponata style (a little bit like a ratatouille, served cold); and then, there was also a small salad… all on one plate. Each bite was excellent, and I liked the Caponata so much, I am looking forward to cooking that at home.
During their lunch hours, the pizza, the appetizer, and a draft beer – all together – was under 2000 JPY. I am flexible about price, and happy to pay more for a high-end experience, but I do appreciate a good value. Critter’s lunch service is a steal.
As a fan of cinema, the Critters “Leon” poster also caught my eye. Westerners will know this film as The Professional, but the Japanese name for this odd masterpiece is Leon, which seems to have outsized popularity here; Critter’s incorporates that classic into their own way.
Well done.
The shop is a big place, with several tables near the front door, a counter facing the bar, and even larger seating area in the back, behind the open kitchen.
To me, Critter’s Pizza in Osaka is all about the pizza. But they do offer some pasta dishes and some grilled items as well. Having really enjoyed eating at both the pizza and burger restaurants, I feel safe assuming everything on their menu is worth of your gustatory consideration.
I made this note that day, after lunch:
“As I walked away, though, boy that garlic was unforgettable.”
And it was, in the most favorable way. Highly recommended.
Even re-reading this review (several weeks later), every thought of Critter’s pizza makes me hungry. I’m not really into Neapolitan style pizza, but this is the best pizza in Osaka and probably one of my favorite pizzas in Japan. Bravo.
For more Osaka Pizza see:
— 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
— Pizzeria da Dots at the Taisho Tugboat in Taisho-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