This cozy Italian restaurant wins you over with its affordable prices, friendly staff and wide range of thin-crust pizzas and classic pastas. Those hungry for something new can design their own pizza toppings. A wide selection of international wines guarantees an enjoyable dining experience. Please check for a more detailed map in the images attached.

Pasta La Vista

While conveniently located for many expats, Scott’s Family has some challenges to face: the place is a bit hard to find, and the Italian delivery market is already pretty saturated. That said, we were impressed with what Scott has done with the former Turay’s space and pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food.

The two-level space seems lighter and cleaner than its previous incarnation, and the slightly eclectic mix of furniture comes off artsy rather than gaudy. Service is satisfactory and welcoming.

The kitchen, helmed by a Chinese chef who was trained in Italy, boasts a brick wood-fire pizza oven. The quattro formaggi pizza (small ¥48; large ¥58) doesn’t quite beat the one at The Tree, but the crust and cheese quality put it ahead of Annie’s and O Sole Mio. The arugula and beef salad (¥35) is a generous serving of fresh arugula, topped with warm strips of beef filet, tomato and a standard balsamic dressing. Even the small portion of the penne pesto (¥28; large ¥38) is substantial, and the dish is accented with parmesan shavings and pine nuts. The only menu item we weren’t wild about was the fried cheese (¥35)— the large mozzarella patties are fairly bland. But the tiramisu (¥35) was a nice surprise. It’s served in a martini glass and is extremely creamy, with only a small portion of the cake at the bottom that can so often overwhelm the Italian dessert.

We hope more people find this spot, as it’s a good value and friendly venue we’re happy to have in our neighborhood.

Sienna Parulis-Cook