A few weeks ago, the wife and I were shopping at Tsukuba AEON and had the "where should we eat" conversation. My wife was wondering if we should eat in the mall when suddenly I realized we were close to a really delicious pizza place. I told her that we aren't eating at the mall because Amici is a short 10 minute drive from here. My wife's eyes lit up with my suggestion and off we went to Amici Pizzeria.
Amici!
First off, I want to say that this blog post is about Amici Pizzeria only. There are two Amicis in Tsukuba. The Italian restaurant and the pizzeria. I have been to both and I like both places, but I have only been to the Italian restaurant once. I really want to visit the Italian restaurant again so I can give everyone a proper post about the place. I have been to the pizzeria quite a number of times so I thought now was a good time to talk about it. Fun fact, amici means friends in Italian :)
The pizzeria is a small place near the supermarket Hanamasa in Tsukuba (if you haven't been to Hanamasa, I highly recommend it). When you first walk in, you order your pizza at the counter. You can either order take out or eat in. If you do eat in, get ready for a tight squeeze. The dining area is quite small. I want to say that it can fit maybe 10 people max. Amici has changed the set up of the dining area because of the corona crisis. There is now a counter area with plastic partitions and two tables that are separated. The table used to be just one big long table in the middle of the dinning area.
The Oven
After ordering your pizza at the counter, take a look to your left and check out Amici's amazing looking pizza oven. It is quite massive and impressive. I once watched the staff cook a margarita pizza in it in under a minute. It really was memorizing watching the staff cook a pizza in that gigantic oven. You can watch the pizza making process when you visit Amici which is very interesting. So, what pizza are you in the mood for?
The Menu
So many pizzas to choose from! Amici Pizzeria only makes neapolitan style pizza, and what great pizzas they are. There are so many pizzas on the menu that it is hard to choose. Amici has the classic margarita pizza which looks delicious. Or if you feel that you need more basil in your life, give the genovese de mare pizza a try.
The menu is split into two parts. The left side of the menu is all the tomato sauce base pizzas and the right side side of the menu are all the cheese base pizzas with no tomato sauce. There are also two genovese style pizzas and some side menus. In addition to the regular menu, Amici also has a special menu written in chalk near the ordering area. This menu is usually not pizza but salads and other specialty dishes. Any pizza you order comes with a drink which is a nice combo.
For this post, I will be talking about four pizzas. One tomato base pizza and three cheese base pizzas. Remember, I love cheese.
Pulcinella
Love ricotta cheese and salami? Well this is the pizza for you. This tomato sauce base pizza comes with delicious tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese and thin slices of salami. I took one bite out of this pizza and really enjoyed the mix of ricotta cheese and salami. Even though the tomato sauce over took all the flavors, the pizza was still quite cheesy and delicious. The toppings do slide down the pizza easily so make sure you are holding your slice securely so that you can keep all those delicious toppings on the pizza.
Campagnola
This cheese base pizza is the pizza my wife really wanted to try. The pizza does not come with tomato sauce but I don't really think it needs it. The pizza comes with mozzarella cheese, broccoli and sausage. I really wasn't sure I was going to like this pizza but I was wrong. The wife liked it right away and told me it was fantastic. Then, it was my turn to try it and she was right. The cheese with Amici's homemade sausage was perfect. The broccoli was a nice little addition as well. I believe the homemade sausage is the star of this pizza. Amici seems to be really proud of their sausage and they should be. It was fantastic on this pizza. I actually wondered if I can buy a sausage by itself from Amici. Both the wife and I really did enjoy it.
Bianca
The Bianca is a cheese base pizza for all the salad lovers out there. It comes with lettuce, prosciutto, parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese. This pizza does not come with tomato sauce. If you are craving a salad, why not have it on a pizza? The prosciutto goes very well with this pizza. The salty flavor of the prosciutto with the melted mozzarella cheese is just perfect. Eating this pizza really does feel like having the best salad ever. When I was a kid, I hated salad. I would rarely eat vegetables. But if you had given me this pizza then, my eight year old self would have eaten all my lettuce with joy.
Ischia
Last we come to my favorite pizza in Amici. I believe it to be the king of all the pizzas in Amici and it is also the most expensive, the cheese base pizza Ischia. The pizza comes with mini tomatoes, smoked cheese, arugula and prosciutto, lots and lots of prosciutto around the crust. The prosciutto is set up in a delicious ring around the crust ready to be eaten after having a bite out of the cheese. This pizza is fantastic. There are so my flavors in one slice. The mini tomatoes with the smoked cheese is great. Usually, a lot of pizza connoisseurs get sad when they get to the crust because the cheese and the sauce are done. But with this pizza, you are actually looking forward to the crust. The prosciutto with the crust is a stroke of genius. I do not know what dough Amici uses for their pizzas, but it is incredible. The dough could have only come from the Italian pizza gods. I loved everything about this pizza and typing this made me want to have it again. The price is steep at 2,400yen but I will gladly pay it to be in pizza heaven again.
The Fries
A little bonus is the fries. The wife and I were curious to try them. I would advise to sticking with pizza at Amici but the fries were not bad. It was a mix of wedges and chips. They were surprisingly good and a nice little appetizer before our pizza.
I have to say that Amici is probably the best pizza place in Tsukuba that I have had thus far. The wife and I are always delighted when we go there. Either it be eating in or getting take out, we both know we are going to have an amazing pizza every time.
So if you are craving a pizza in Tsukuba, why not give Amici a try? Who knows, you might see me there. Enjoying my favorite Ischia while being in pizza heaven.
Enjoy!
For more information on Amici Pizzeria, check out their website:
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