[Pizza Bar on 38th] Reservations required! The appeal and strategy of the Omakase pizza course

Pizza Bar on 38th is a popular pizza bar in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, and is a restaurant that has received rave reviews from many gourmets.

Particularly popular is the “omakase pizza” course, like the “omakase sushi” course.

There are only eight counter seats, and the chef bakes the pizza right in front of you, giving you a unique feeling of liveliness and high quality.

This time, we will share in detail how to make a reservation and the course content.

Basic information about Pizza Bar on 38th

Pizza Bar on 38th is a highly acclaimed award-winning pizza bar.

Gambero Rosso
Top Italian Restaurants 2025 Three Slices 
Top Italian Restaurants 2024 Three Slices

50 Top Pizza
Ranked Third in the “50 Top Pizza World 2024″ 
Ranked First Place in the “50 Top Pizza Asia Pacific 2024” 
Ranked Fourth Place in the “50 Top Pizza World 2023” 
Ranked First Place in the “50 Top Pizza Asia Pacific 2023”

The Best Pizza Awards
Ranked Seventh Place in “The Best Pizza Awards 2024” 
Ranked Seventh Place in the “The Best Pizza Awards 2023”

Source: Pizza Bar on 38th

It is located inside the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Nihonbashi, Tokyo.

It is located in a corner of the Italian dining restaurant “K’shiki.”

The interior of the restaurant has a chic and sophisticated atmosphere, with only eight counter seats.

The nearest station is Mitsukoshimae Station on the Ginza and Hanzomon lines, which is connected directly to the A7 and A8 exits and is about a 1-minute walk away.

If you take the JR line, it is about an 8-minute walk from Kanda Station. It is about a 13-minute walk from the Nihonbashi exit of Tokyo Station.

How to make a reservation | The most important point!

Pizza Bar on 38th is known to be a very popular restaurant, and it is very difficult to get a reservation.

Make sure you remember the key points and then make a reservation.

1. Understand their booking slots

First of all, lunch and dinner are served twice a day.

The eight-seat counter is turned over only four times a day.

Children aged 6 and over are welcome for lunch and 10 and over for dinner.

The course fee for the number of people plus a 15% service charge and tax is paid in advance when making a reservation. Drinks are paid on the day.

Lunch will cost about 15,000 yen per person, and dinner will cost about 20,000 yen per person plus drinks.

Decide in advance what time you want to go.

Once reservations are released, they fill up quickly, so there’s no time to hesitate.

*Prices will increase from February 1, 2024. →Lunch 13,200 yen, Dinner 18,700 yen

2. Aim for the reservation start date and time

Reservations open at midnight two months in advance.

Example: The reservation for March 1st will be released at midnight on January 1st.

Reservation slots fill up quickly, so it is essential that you access the official reservation site at midnight immediately after the slots are released.

3. Check the official website

>> Pizza Bar on 38th official reservation page

Reservations can be made through the Mandarin Oriental Hotel’s official website.

For a smooth process, start around 11:59pm with your watch next to you, the reservation site open and ready to go.

Once I clicked on the date and time I wanted, I had plenty of time to enter my name and credit card information.

It took me a few minutes to enter the information, but I was able to successfully secure the reservation.

When making a reservation, if you enter the names of all the people in your party in Roman letters in the comments section, you can receive a menu with your name printed on it when you leave. I didn’t know this, so my name was printed on the menu for everyone.

4. Make use of the waiting list

If you are unable to get the date and time you want, you can register for a waiting list.

There seem to be quite a lot of people on the waiting list for cancellations, so it would be almost a miracle if you were to get on the waiting list.

Chef’s Choice Pizza Dinner Course Contents

Now, let us introduce the contents of our chef’s choice pizza dinner course, which includes one appetizer, eight types of chef’s choice pizza, and one dessert.

On the day

Arrived at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

It is located almost directly above Mitsukoshimae Station.

Take the elevator to the 38th floor.

The restaurant is located on the 38th floor, which also houses the hotel reception and lobby in the center.

It was December, so the holiday decorations were lovely.

We all gathered about 5 minutes before and headed straight inside.

Pizza Bar on 38th is located in a corner of the Italian dining restaurant “K’shiki.”

There’s a pizza oven in the back, and an L-shaped marble counter with seating for four.

Even though it has a sophisticated atmosphere, there are interesting accents such as a large parody painting of the Mona Lisa and signs based on American street signs.

Omakase Pizza Course

After we sat down, we were first asked what we wanted to drink.

I ordered a Mandarin Oriental blended tea and my husband ordered a beer.

Two chefs appeared, greeted us in English, and showed us the ingredients they would be using that day.

The dishes are prepared right in front of you with explanations from the chef for each dish.

1. Appetizer – Crab and Potatoes

We started off with a luxurious appetizer of crab and salmon roe.

There are roasted sweet potatoes and mandarin oranges underneath.

It was a unique combination, but everything came together perfectly and was delicious.

2. Pizza① – Prosciutto

The first pizza was a focaccia-like crust topped with plenty of prosciutto.

The freshly baked dough was delicious.

3. Pizza② – Amatriciana of the Sea

They make the pizza right in front of you.

Round pizzas are baked two at a time.

The freshly baked pizza is now being topped with cheese and other ingredients.

They bring the finished pizza right in front of you to show you.

This pizza is tomato-based and topped with salted tuna, fried white fish, and pecorino cheese.

Then each person has one slice.

The pizza dough, made with wheat from Italy, is surprisingly light, and the oven-baked pizza is delicious.

It was just the right amount of salty and delicious.

4. Pizza ③ – Bufala

This pizza is topped with buffalo mozzarella cheese from Chiba Prefecture, Italian Solania tomatoes and basil.

This is the classic Margherita pizza.

My favorite pizza was this one, simple one.

It was topped with lots of fresh mozzarella and was very tasty.

5. Pizza ④ – Pizzino

Pizzino is a type of pizza with a thick crust similar to focaccia.

The dough is sandwiched between mascarpone cheese and baked, topped with plenty of truffles.

The dripping cheese was nicely toasted and very tasty.

6. Pizza ⑤ – Mushroom and Uva

Next came a pizza topped with plenty of mushrooms, further topped with mushroom powder, oil, and, surprisingly, Shine Muscat grapes.

Surprisingly, Muscat grapes go well with mushrooms!

It was delicious with lots of mushrooms.

7. Pizza ⑥ – Duck and carrots

This is a pizza topped with roast duck, carrots, and salsiccia, a fresh sausage.

This was also well balanced and delicious.

8. Pizza ⑦ – Wagyu beef

This pizza is topped with wild mushrooms, roasted chestnuts and plenty of Wagyu beef.

For some people who cannot eat meat, a scallop pizza (top right) was prepared.

The meat was fatty and satisfying to eat.

9. Pizza ⑧ – Sette Fromage

The final pizza is a seven cheese pizza with provolone, gorgonzola, smoked scamorza, taleggio, fior di latte, vaccherosse and pecorino.

I had it with truffle honey.

Truffle honey and cheese go great together! Delicious!!

I think cheese lovers will love it.

Extra

He showed us the raw pizza dough.

It is made using organic wheat flour from Italy, just 1g of yeast and 80% water, and is fermented for over 48 hours.

You can touch it with your hands and taste it raw.

It feels chewy to the touch, and when you eat it, it tastes just like soft mochi.

11. Dessert① – Hazelnut Affogato

They put hot espresso on top of the dessert right in front of you.

Decaf was also available.

When you pour hot espresso over it, the chocolate on top melts.

This dessert was so delicious!

The crunchy praline underneath went perfectly with the melted chocolate and cold gelato.

12. Dessert②

Just when I thought the dessert was the end of it, another dish was brought out.

From the left: cannoli, cream cheese bite, and dragon fruit.

Everything was delicious, but the affogato was so good that I honestly wished I had finished with that.

souvenir

At the end, we received a menu with our name printed on it and some sweets as souvenirs.

On the back, the place of origin and name of the producer of the ingredients used were also listed.

The sweets were large soft cookies with an orange flavour.

Important points to note when making a reservation and visiting

Please inform us in advance of any allergies or food preferences.

If there are any ingredients you cannot eat or dislike, please let us know in advance.

The chef will tailor the course menu for you.

Even if you forget to tell them, you will be asked about it on the day, so let them know then.

Dress Code

The dress code is “smart casual”.

Specifically, the following clothing is not permitted:

As long as you dress nice and casual and pay attention to your footwear, you should be fine.

Punctuality

The course starts at the same time for all eight seats, so being late is strictly prohibited.

Make sure you leave plenty of time to arrive early.

If you arrive early you can wait in the hotel lobby.

Cancellation Policy

No refunds will be given for no-shows or cancellations made within 48 hours of booking.

If you cancel within 48 hours, you will waste approximately 15,000 to 20,000 yen per person.

If you need to make any changes, please do so at least 48 hours before your appointment.

Summary | Have a great experience at Pizza Bar on 38th

The chef’s choice pizza course at Pizza Bar on 38th was a special experience that was a feast for the eyes and a delight for the tongue.

You can make your time even more fulfilling by asking questions about the ingredients and the chef’s attention to detail in the pizza, and enjoying a conversation with him.

You can enjoy watching the pizza being baked over the counter up close, making it a perfect spot for a date or a special anniversary.

Although each piece was small, I was able to enjoy a variety of flavors and it was very satisfying.

And as it is a fine dining restaurant, the service was excellent.

Getting a reservation is a bit of a challenge, but it’s worth it.

Please use this article as a reference and have a special day!

>> Pizza Bar on 38th official reservation page