Vecchia Roma Pizza in Nishi-ku, Sapporo
Another addition to our list of Sapporo pizza restaurants; we present this review of Vecchia Roma Pizza in the Kotoni neighborhood, of Nishi-ku, Sapporo. The shop is only open at irregular hours; other than Friday/Saturday/Sunday dinner, he is mostly only open when he wants to be. Call first.
As for the pizza: ehhh, we have comments below.
Sapporo’s Vecchia Roma pizza is a short 10-minute walk from Kotoni Station in Nishi-ku. Vecchia is on the 2nd floor of the Tamada Building (玉田ビル), up the stairs and to the right. I visited this shop twice, and both times he said I was lucky that he was actually open that night – it is a bad customer experience to only be open “sometimes.”
Inside, the Vecchia Roma Pizzeria is a schizophrenic mix of would-be Roman pizza culture, mashed up with gundam figures and motorcycle racing paraphernalia – there is even a large motorcycle to your left as you walk in the door.
This shop has a very “hobby-forward” business plan. The mix of toys and motorcycles make the experience almost feel like you are in someone’s home; but not a Japanese home, more like a high school kid took over an Italian business.
Let’s have a look at the pizza.
I am not a fan of this shop. The pictures – of the pizza, at least – make it look better than it is, and I almost feel guilty making this shop look good to anyone that doesn’t bother to read the words.
The pizza menu includes something like 10 pizzas, a focaccia, a calzone, and a disaster of a “pinsa” (more below). Most of the pizzas on the menu are classic Italian pizzas like the Margherita, the Marinara, the Quattro Formaggi.
For my part, I wanted a pizza with some meat, so the sausage and mushroom had my full attention:
Pizza Boscaiola: Mushrooms, Sausage
— From the Vecchia Roma pizza menu
That first pizza was pretty good. While the shop deserves a low “6,” I’ll give that first sausage pizza a strong “7” (out of 10).
Big chunks of sausage; translating from the menu, it says “raw sausage,” but the sausage is in fact cooked. The mushrooms are maitake. The black speckles all over it turned out to be black pepper.
(For a very good use of black pepper on pizza, check out Pluis e Svago di Pizza, also in Nishi-ku.)
He serves a floppy, paper-thin crust, not particularly crispy. A flat crust, not overly doughy or puffy at the edges. Flavor was good enough, but probably a below average crust.
(For a very good crust, check out Pizzeria del Capitan in Tanukikouji 7.)
I cannot recommend Vecchia Roma. Not at all. While ピアチェーレ (piacere) is significantly worse (one of the worst pizzas I have ever had), there is much better pizza in Sapporo (nearby at Pluis, or at several places in Chuo-ku). However, I wanted to go back to try his “pinza.”
Pinsa Romana: Specialty Pizza
— From the menu at Vecchia Roma Sapporo
The “pinsa” he delivered to our table was not at all impressive. In fact, when I saw what he delivered as “pinsa,” I was completely disappointed. What that is exactly, I can’t say.
I have had proper “pinsa” at Bonta Italia in Tokyo (check out that review to see some beautiful pictures of pinsa); Bonta Italia’s pinsa is not a “sandwich.” I have had a kind of “cheese sandwich” specialty Roman pizza at Pizza Bar on 38th (in Tokyo), which has a “top and bottom” (and was fantastic), but Vecchia is not doing that. In Australia this year, I had the Pizza al Padellino at Regina al Pizzeria, which seems closer to whatever Vecchia is trying to deliver, but (unlike Vecchia) that dish was an artistic masterpiece, and a very special experience.
The “pinsa” at Vecchia is built on his same very-thin crust, mostly burnt, cut into almost cracker-like top and bottom, with tons of very oily salad (with balsamic), and gobs of gooey gorganzola. So salty; both the gorganzola and extra salt sprinkled on top. The excess rosemary in no way improved the dish.
I am no expert, but I think this is supposed to be something like the Pizza al Padellino, which is “twice baked.” When done properly; you bake the dough to a kind of bread; then cut it into a top and bottom, add ingredients (cheese) to the middle, then cook it again. In the case of Sapporo’s Vecchia Roma, I think he starts with a dough/bread base that is much too thin (using a typical pizza crust, that is my guess). When he tries to bake that twice, it’s ridiculously dry, not pleasing to eat. Very poor execution.
His “pinsa” (which I assume is mis-named) was a hot mess; unattractive, hard to eat, and too burnt and salty to be in anyway enjoyable. It was really terrible, and yet – at 3500 JPY, it is nearly the most expensive thing on the menu. And 3500 JPY for what? That is a bad salad, w/ a gorgonzola “dressing,” in a burnt pizza crust – he is using the exotic name of pinsa and punishing anyone foolish enough to order that dish (myself included). Shameful.
On the same visit as the pinsa fiasco, we tried to reorder the Boscaiola Pizza, but he misunderstood us, and brought us the Margherita DOC instead. Maybe it was his DOC (which should probably have basil?)… who knows what that was.
Again, I feel bad for making that pizza look better than it deserves. If you really know pizza, you might be able to look at that crust and have an idea it would not be particularly good; it was not particularly good.
Great pictures… of mediocre pizza.
At first bit, my lovely companion said, “Ummmm.” She liked it, but she’s a nice girl. As for me, the cheese was creamy, but the water released from the big slices of tomato made it too “wet;” the flavor was bland and watery (it needed some spice). It wasn’t what I wanted, and I wouldn’t normally order a pizza like this.
The owner is Dario. He is from Italy; a big guy, with tattoos, very “personal” (basically, he has no boundaries). He used to be a sport bike racer, and loves motorcycles. He also likes reggae; on both visits to the shop – “Jah Jah” reggae accompanied the pizza.
He works by himself, and probably can only do one pizza at a time. On that second visit, there was one large group, and us, in the shop – that’s it (on my first visit, I was completely alone in the shop for the whole meal). We ended up behind them in terms of the order of the pizzas, and we waited for about an hour for our second order to come up. By then, I was very bored, uncomfortable, and not hungry anymore.
In addition to all this – he charges a table charge. His pizzas are already overpriced (compared to much better pizza at other Sapporo pizza places), and to add a table charge to sit (in an empty room) is… insulting. What is that charge for? It adds 10%-20% to the bill, for zero benefit. It is not as if the tables are in high demand. It is very self serving.
I love pizza. I had high hopes for the only “Roman” pizza in Sapporo, but I cannot recommend this spot (at all). Almost everywhere else in Sapporo makes a better pizza. See our list of the best pizzas in Sapporo for some recommendations.
Pizza in Sapporo
— For an outstanding garlicky Marinara pizza, check out Da Massimo in Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo
— The Savoy Pizza in Sapporo is a great choice (in Chuo-ku)
— Pizzeria del Capitano in Tanukikouji is nearby
— There are three Circo Pizza shops in Sapporo; the Pizzeria Circo in the Cocono shopping mall, イタリアン Circo Pizzeria near Sapporo Station, and Circo Vico near Susukino Station
— The farmers from Makino Farms make wonderful little Neapolitan pizza at Makino Pizza (one or two days a month, only)
— A very formulaic Napoletana pizza at Dalsegno Pizza in Chuo-ku, Sapporo
— A new downtown location for the chain store Osteria Salvatore Sapporo Pizza is in this same neighborhood
— Pizzeria Bocchi in Chuo-ku, Sapporo
— Orso Pizza in Higashi-ku, Sapporo
— Quirky neighborhood style pizza at the American-theme Smile Kitchen Pizza Diner
— In Sapporo’s Nishi-ku, you’ll find Pizza e Svago di Pluis
— The only New York pizza slices at Pizza Joint Pike in Chuo-ku, Sapporo
— There is a full menu that includes good Neapolitan-style pizza at Agora Pizza in Chuo-ku, Sapporo
— ¥500 pizza at Hokkaido Peace Pizza in Chuo-ku, Sapporo
— One of the worst Chicago pizzas in all of Japan can be found at The Craft in Susukino in Chuo-ku, Sapporo