Pizzeria Da Hachi — Restaurant in Iwakuni

I used the Pizzeria Da Hachi on a Saturday in early autumn, around 12:30 pm. Even if I sleep in, by the time I want to eat pizza I am worried it will be too busy. Actually, when I arrived, there was only one other group at a table. I recommend sleeping in to make sure you can be seated.

As for parking, at first it seemed impossible. There is nothing but apartment parking here! Actually, when I look closely I see the cheeky signs with the number eight on them… the whole parking lot is for pizza lovers! Five spots in all. Even a moderately skilled driver will smoothly park the car.

Walk in the entrance. It’s open? The air comes and goes, giving a fresh autumn feel. As the wind tugs at my hair the owner asks how many it is and directs you to the table.

The impressive oven is enjoyable to look at and smells like burning wood. The restaurant feels relaxed, like a home. The owner’s kids are drawing at one of the tables.

When I look at the menu, I am surprised it says ordering a drink is required! For customers who are not thirsty the requirement is a quite… well, it may increase the pressure! As for me, we saw the blood orange and thought it was a soda. I was surprised when I saw it is a juice. Actually, juice is preferred with its sour flavour.

As for pizza, my wife ordered a プルチネッラ. When I asked her how she liked it she said “It’s good. The flavour balances very well.” I looked for pizza without cheese. There are two. シチリアーナ is what I tried first. The dough is crispy to the teeth, but chewy as well, and gives just the right resistance when cutting each bite with the knife! The sauce is fruit forward, and does not try to hide tomato flavor with oregano, but lets the pure flavor of the fruit shine! The garlic is sweet, and the anchovies swell with flavour.

When I brought the fork to my mouth with the last bite, I knew I wanted to have another. Is it unreasonable? My wife encouraged me to be ambitious, and order another pizza. This time it is マリナーラ. I want the tomatoes and the garlic to be the star and the perfect dough the stage they dance on. With every slice of the knife I can feel its chewiness and anticipate the bite. Each bite is a pleasure.

The shop is recommended for pizza lovers who know how it should be done correctly; this is a store that can make the true pizza.

When I left and thanked the master, in my heart, I knew I want to go back on repeat!

Thank you...

The pizzas we tried are really GOOD!. Each pizza is expensive though for just a small size of pizza, which is medium size for Japanese people. And when you walk in, i got a bit confused for a moment if it's a restaurant or a house because there's children on a couple tables close to the cashier. Probably the owner's kids.. nothing is wrong with that but if you want your restaurant to look nice and formal (especially if your restaurant is "Italian") kids should be at home.. just my opinion. I don't mean anything bad. But we're planning to go back to try their other pizzas, maybe some salad and some appetizers too. We loved the wood fired oven! lol. Also, this place is located at a narrow street of a neighborhood which you might think there's no parking for people who have cars, but its parking is just right across the street. No one would know since it looks like just some apartment's parking lot so i was worried at first where to park but i got off the car and asked inside the restaurant and they pointed it out. Glad they have them lol. You all must give this a try especially for...

This is a cool little Napoli-style pizza joint with a wood-fired 'brick' oven. English menus are available for simplified ordering. However, no credit cards so bring ¥en! I recommend calling for reservations because there is limited seating (5 tables if i recall). Or simply order takeout.

We had salads, Caprese, the assorted antipasto, and two pizzas. My wife loved the antipasto, which was a decent sized sampler, and hoarded it! My daughter the same with the Caprese.

The pizzas were the best I've found in Japan thus far. The dough was excellent & cooked perfectly to our liking, a slightly crispy crust & soft center with a light touch of char. Both the tomato sauce & mozzarella were superb, flavorful & made for a delicious pie foundation. We had the Margherita & Capricciosa and would certainly order both again.

A must-try location if you're a fellow pizza lover. Forgot pics until after gobbling, so just got the menu & oven prior to departure. Bummed.

*After writing this, I think I will go again...