Review: Devil Craft ★★★★★
Here’s an outrageous statement; there is a lack of quality pizza in Japan. This is not to say there is a lack of pizzerias. Surprisingly, there are no shortages of those. Some of them are even decent. The issue I have is they all feel the same to me. They all do small wood-fire pizzas. There is nothing wrong with that, but there are other styles of pizza. The lack of creativity found in Italian food is tiresome and disappointing. Devil Craft is different
They don’t follow the pack. There weren’t any Chicago pizza places before them, and after over half a decade they are still the only Chicago place around. Now, as a New Yorker I am quite partial to the NY style, but I do find their pizzas to be extremely well made. There is good selection of pies, including vegetarian options, as well as a handful of appetizers and dessert options. They also make thin crust pies, but I personal favor their Chicago style pies. I highly recommend the Abe Froman pie. For vegetarians, ask for the Eden, but request it in Chicago style. It’s off menu, but years ago it was a standard item.
The Environment & Staff
I am a big fan of the inside décor. There are a lot of knickknacks and such that would be of interest to people that into craft beer. They also keep some Japan Beer magazines close to the entrance, which are free to take. Devil Craft does suffer for the uncomfortable bar stools found throughout craft beers bars nationwide. The owners have informed me that have phased out most of them and will get upgrade the rest soon. I would like to put forth some votes for padding to go along with that.
The staff is really great. Everyone is fluent in English, as well there being a full English food and beer menu. You can usually find the owners floating around at the branches, picking up the slack. All 3 of them are from the US, though not from the Chicago area. They are all quite approachable. I’ve had a number of conversations with them over the years, as they hosted part of SantaCon for a number of years. They are really generous and fair-minded guys.
Devil Craft Is Not Just Pizza
The pizzas at Devil Craft are just the jumping off point. It’s the craft beer that’s the main draw for many of the regulars to Devil Craft. The selection of beer on taps is ever rotating and changing. Because of this, no two visits are alike. The owners are beer enthusiasts and hand pick their taps. They do their job very well as there is rarely a beer I dislike in the bunch. They are also brewing their own craft beer now, so a section of their taps are dedicated to their own creations. Their beers are fantastic, and also priced a bit lower than the guest beers.
Just a heads up; each branch has a different number of taps, so the beer on hand will vary from location to location. You can always check their website, linked below, to see what on hand. They update their tap lists every day. The Hamamatsucho branch has 21 beers on tap, which is their largest selection on offer, in case you were wondering.
A Few Other Things To Know
Beer and pizza might be cheap in the US, but not in Japan. I would recommend budgeting between ¥5,000 to ¥10,000, per head, if you expect to eat and drink 5 or 6 pints, which is my general mission when I visit. Worth every yen, in my opinion.
Devil Craft is pretty popular, so it’s probably a good idea to make a reservation, especially on the weekends. They do take-out as well.
All their branches have free WiFi, which was a bit of a rarity in Tokyo back in 2013 when I first visited them. Sadly in 2021 it still is. All the branches are smoke-free as well, which is awesome.
While you’re here, why not check out some of other REVIEWS or TRAVEL WRITE UPS from around the world.
Contact & General Information
Price: Mid-Range to Expensive
Hours: Days off and hours of operation vary by branch (check their website to make sure the branch you’re going to is opened).
Generally; Weekdays 5pm-10pm/Sat-Sun 12pm-10pm
Website: Devil Craft (Official Website) [in English & Japanese]
Location:
