Wherever you go, pizza is a popular dish and it comes in many types and sizes. But no matter how thick or thin the pizza is, eventually it’s all about the topping. The restaurant Cona knows exactly how to offer a wide range of pizzas with great toppings you’ll be eager to try all of.
At Cona you don’t have to worry about the stress of choice depending on the price, since all the pizzas are ¥500 (excluding tax). Half of the pizza menu has western toppings, and the other is Japanese “topped”. You can expect a good size pizza, and because of the thin crust you’re going to taste the toppings even better.
Even though the menu is in English, the pizzas are presented by little thumbnails that help you choose. When really hungry you could start with the mixed pizza, if you haven't figured out yet what to choose. You get a nice mixed topping, and in the meantime you have time to make your pizza plan for the night. I’d recommend that you order at least one Japanese style pizza, since that’s something you probably won’t find at home.
Because of the thin crust the pizza isn’t that hefty, but they certainly didn't skimp on the ingredients. Speaking of which, the pizzas are freshly made in the open kitchen, so requests about allergies or ‘I don’t like this or that’ won’t be a problem: the staff will be happy to help you with any special orders.
Recommended are the Basil Mascarpone (バジル - マスカルボーネ), Mixed (ミックス) and, if you are in for dessert, the Chocolate Banana Pizza (チョコ - バナナ - ビザ). You can show these Japanese translations to the staff since not all of them speak English. But since they are very friendly and easy with tourists, they will try their best to understand and serve you the best pizzas they have.
But besides pizza there is more from the Italian kitchen at Cona. Fried food, salads, appetizers and desserts all also go for ¥500, while pasta dishes and other special dishes are ¥700. The special dishes menu offers beef baked in red wine, bagna càuda (Italian fondue), or carpaccio. Dishes from the Doria or gratin menu costs ¥600: Doria also is an original Italian dish, but you will find this a lot in western-styled Japanese restaurants. It's a casserole that often goes together with vegetables, meat or fish, rice and a creamy white sauce.
And this won’t be a surprise, but all drinks are ¥500.
Cona is an affordable restaurant for not too much money with the main focus on pizza and Italian cuisine. It's a franchise, but it doesn’t have a main website; this article is based on Cona in Hachioji, easy to find from Hachioji station by leaving the north exit and taking the shopping street heading north-west. After some minutes walking, the restaurant will be on your left. Be aware that there will be a service fee of ¥300 per person.
