Nino

(cross-posted on Yelp)

Considering the quality of other places on Yelp that have 5 star averages with many reviews, Slow Food Nino should actually have 6 stars.

First, the food is excellent. My husband and I stopped by for a light lunch and ordered the margherita pizza and foccacia bread. My husband who has visited Italy multiple times said that the pizza crust was very authentic--it was thin and crisp, not soggy--and that the ingredients were clearly high quality. We also enjoyed the herbs on the foccacia bread and appreciated the steady provision of water, which is often not forthcoming in Japanese restaurants.

Second, Nino and his employees, Ren and Sora, gave an unforgettable experience. I would recommend anyone visiting Japan to come here. They made our relationship feel personal, instead of professional. Nino and Ren are very gregarious and friendly. They chatted with us about our trip, Ren gave recommendations for what to do in Nara, and Nino talked about the time he worked in Italy. Sora was on the shyer side but came out at the end with beautiful calligraphy of our names in kanji (!!!). Basically, other reviews are accurate, so I won't go into too much detail.

My impression is that at Slow Food Nino, they just actually enjoy meeting new people from everywhere and take pride in providing a really stunning experience. If you want to have excellent Italian food in Japan, the search is over, just go to Slow Food Nino!