The leisurely lunch crowd love Pizza da Babbo (Italian for Papa's Pizza) in Ningyocho. On any weekday, the entrance is jammed with strollers as young moms pack the place. And on weekends, it's often fully booked by women of a certain age enjoying a bottle of wine with their pasta. So reservations are usually required, unless you ride in after 1pm.

The main draw is the superb selection of Neapolitan-style pizzas cooked to perfection in just sixty seconds in the brick oven. The pizza pie here is crispy on the edges, soft and chewy in the middle, and comes with the perfect amount of char in a few places.

The pizza menu is all bangers, no filler. The Margarita is a simple feast of mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, garlic and basil leaves. The Quattro Formaggi is loaded with four Italian cheeses melted in a gooey mess and includes a large portion of aromatic gorgonzola. This one comes with a generous saucer of honey to counter the pungency of the blue cheese. The Prosciutto pizza comes with a mountain of prosciutto ham, parmesan and arugula leaves on a cheesy base.

A particular favorite is the 'Nduja, a specialty pizza that is hard to find elsewhere in Tokyo. Your basic Margarita pizza is enhanced with dollops of 'Nduja sausage, a spicy spreadable pork sausage with chili peppers from Calabria. The sausage's intense savory flavor really goes with the smoky char on the pizza crust.

Another recommendation is the Puttanesca, which slathers the traditional Neapolitan sex workers' favorite pasta sauce on to a pizza base. This one is loaded with black olives, green capers, anchovies and garlic on top of a thick tomato sauce. There's usually a small bottle of Olio Santo (chili oil) on each table for those who like their pizza spicy.

Budget about 1,200 to 1,700 yen for lunch, and 4,000 yen to 5,000 yen for dinner with drinks.