Best New Pizza Topping: Chili! @ Indy's Pizza in Chikura

My mouth is watering and my stomach is growling as I write this post.

The other day my coworkers and I finally got out to Indy's Pizza in Chikura for lunch.  I say "finally" because for about 3 months we tried to plan a lunch out their, but either our schedules or their schedule (their days off can vary from month to month) didn't match up and we had to go with "plan B".

But finally, after a long wait, Sugar, Nyanko-Sensei, our friend Y-san and I got out to Indy's Pizza for some freshly made, hand-tossed, brick oven pizza from Indy's.

Here's the outside of the stop.  It's pretty easy to drive right by it if you're coming to Tateyama, so keep your eyes peeled!

I am in love with the inside of this place.  There's plenty of bright, natural sunlight, and it feels like eating in a friend's bike garage or something.  The feeling is casual, and the interior is interesting enough that if you go alone you could entertain yourself by literally staring at the walls.

Plus, the place is spotless.

There are only 4 or 5 tables and a counter inside.  You can always order pizza for takeout, though!

They built that oven by hand so they could make the wonderfully crispy, chewy pizza crusts I have grown to know and love.

Make sure you're not trying to eat in a hurry; all of their pizzas are made to order so it takes a few minutes for your food to be ready.

First up: the homemade bacon and seasonal veggie pizza. It's amazingly fresh and light tasting - the "bacon" is more of a smoked pork.  

I could eat this entire pizza without feeling the greasy bloat I get from 2 slices of Pizza Hut in the States.

Next up: a sausage and mushroom pizza.  This was very different from my image of sausage and mushroom pizza - I always think of spicy, crumbly pork sausage and sliced white button mushrooms. This pizza had the meatier, pink sausages that are better known in Japan, as well as enoki, eringi, and maitake mushrooms.  While I would've liked a little more spice from the sausage, I loved the flavor coming from the mushrooms (which I used to hate only 3 years ago).  Plus, this pizza sticks to the fresh & light theme of pretty much everything they serve.

They saved the best for last.

I have to admit, I was skeptical about this "chili beans pizza".  I mean...beans on pizza? Really?  Luckily Y-san ordered it, because it may just be the best-tasting non-traditional pizza I'VE EVER HAD.

The chili's light spice matches really well with the flavor of the cheese. It almost tasted like there was sour cream in this pizza - there was a tangy, creamy taste to it.  Plus, the texture of the meat and the beans works oddly well with the chewy, wood-fired crust.  Next time I go, I am just going to order this, stuff the entire pizza in my face, and then see if I have room for anything else.

It was so sad to leave this bastion of pizza goodness!

 When I left that day I said, "Mark my words: I'll be back." I mean it.  Actually, if I had time, I'd go there every week.  The pizza is fresh, handmade, delicious, and won't make you dieters ball up into the fetal position and cry out of remorse.

Plus, it's less than a 5 minute walk from JR Chikura station, and only a few minutes from the beach. You really have no excuse to miss this place.   Maybe I'll go again this weekend...

Liz