Is Mister Donut now a viable one-stop spot for dinner and dessert?

Japan’s Mister Donut knows a thing or two about donuts, which is why we’ve got no problem using the term of respect when talking about the place. It has, after all, been Japan’s favorite donut chain for pretty much as long as donuts have been popular in Japan.

But while Mister Donut has earned the first half of its name, it’s not bound by the second, and the chain has expanded its menu into an unexpected new area: pizza.

They’re not some poorly made frozen discs that Mister Donut staff just tosses in a microwave if someone orders one, either. The dough is prepared on-site and the pizzas are baked fresh in a kiln oven specially installed for them.

The pies started showing up at the start of the month, so we showed up at a branch to try them for ourselves. Looking over the menu we saw we had five choices and decided to try three for taste-testing, selecting a medium-size Margherita, Kalbi Short Rib, and Cheese Lover (Teriyaki Mayo and Corn Cream will have to wait for another day).

We started off with the Margherita, which looks the part of something you’d get at a cozy neighborhood cafe, not the same place that occasionally offers Pikachu donuts. By comparison, it’s a lot classier looking than, say, something from Domino’s.

That cafe-quality carries over to the flavor too. Pizza Margherita is a staple in Japanese cafes, and this tasted just like it should, with a nice balance between all the ingredients. The crust, in particular, is excellent. Maybe it’s because of Mister Donut’s existing experience with baking, but it’s neither dried out nor soggy, and instead perfectly, pleasingly chewy.

All that goes for the Kalbi Short Rib too, which is also nice and filling, thanks to its meaty toppings.

The real stand-out, though, was the Cheese Lover.

Sometimes with white pizzas, chefs are tempted to go heavier on the salt to make up for the lack of sauce flavor. However, Mister Donut trusts the cheese to do most of the work tickling your taste buds, and it handles that role nicely. If you do want something extra, the Cheese Lover comes with honey to drizzle over it, and it’s definitely worth it to eat a slice or two like that as well.

At 937 yen (US$8.50) for the Margherita and 1,252 yen for our other two types, these are pricier than a typical fast food meal, but tastier too. Really, the only downsides are that Mister Donut doesn’t deliver, and also that currently Misdo Pizza, as it’s officially called, is only available at a handful of locations. Hopefully, though, it’ll be coming to more branches soon.

Misdo Pizza is currently available at the following Mister Donut branches:
● Tokyo: Ikebukuro Spice 2, Ariake Garden
● Osaka: Lalaport Expo City, Mikunigaoka, Mino, Onohara
● Hokkaido: Ion Ishikari Ryokuendai
● Iwate: Morioka Sakanacho
● Fukushima: Fukushima Station, Koriyama Station
● Kagawa: Takamatsu Yashima
● Kumamoto: Amakusa Hondo
● Okinawa: Ishigaki

Related: Mister Donut location finder
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[ Read in Japanese ]