If it’s authentic Naples-style pizza you’re after in Osaka, make a beeline for Masaki Yamaguchi’s cucina along the historic Nakazaki shopping street. Having taken home the International Cup at the annual World Pizza Championships in Naples back in 2016, Yamaguchi is a pizzaiolo through and through, whose attention to detail extends beyond dough and toppings to the floor tiles, espresso machine, and the properties of his (wood-fired, of course) oven. Key ingredients such as mozzarella are flown in straight from Italy.
The menu lists 28 pizzas, with highlights including the eggplant-topped Pizza Melanzane and, believe it or not, the Dolce Pizza with chocolate and vanilla. Half-and-half orders are allowed, so you get to mix and match and find your favourites without having to come back over and over. If the main restaurant is full, try the annex in Nishi-Tenma.