Tasty, Rome-style Italian pizza sandwiches have hit Tokyo, and we couldn’t resist shoving several of them in our faces. Nom!

Italian food is hugely popular in Japan these days, especially when it breaks from the mould and does something a little different to what we’re used to. Most recently, we dashed off to Shinjuku to check out 800 Degrees Pizza which bakes its custom-order pies in only one minute. Then, when we heard about Trapizzino in Kichijoji, which serves pizza sandwiches, we just had to check it out!

We sent one of our Japanese reporters to the store to sample some of the sandwiches and report back on the authentic Roman flavours. Trapizzino Kichijoji is actually the second of the Trapizzino stores, the other being located in Kanazawa. The Kichijoji branch offers takeout, and has a special “daily” menu. Our reporter was delighted with how welcoming and friendly the staff were.

Immediately, they set about ordering a couple (okay, three) pizza sandwiches. First up, from the regular menu, was the Tomato Meatball. Wrapped in a triangle of crispy, fluffy pizza dough bread, there was a generous filling of zesty tomato sauce and meatballs.

Our reporter was especially delighted with the volume of the meatballs, as well as their subtle blend of herbs. It was the perfect starter to a three course meal of pizza sandwiches. Each sandwich in this article cost 700 yen (US$6.00), and each was perfectly filling, but we felt we needed to eat as many as possible in the name of journalism. (And pizza greed).

Next up was the Chicken Cacciatore, which consisted of chicken prepared with vinegar, white wine and rosemary.

The chicken was flaky and moist, and went very well with the crustiness of the bread.

Still not satisfied, our bottomless pit reporter decided to order off the special daily menu, and opted for the Broccoli Salciccia sandwich. This consisted of broccoli with Italian sausage and garlic.

Again, there was plenty of stuffin’ to the sandwich, with fillings threatening to overflow if you start to squeeze too hard. Still, with paper covers protecting the sandwich from your hands, it’s easy enough to enjoy one of these overstuffed creations without ending up all messy.

At least, in theory, anyway.

Restaurant Information
Trapizzino Tokyo, Kichijoji Store
 Location: 1-10-14 Honmachi, Kichijoji, Musashino-shi, Tokyo
東京都武蔵野市吉祥寺本町1-10-14
Phone number: 0422-27-2620
Open: 11:00 to 21:00
Website

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