Pizzeria Padrino del Shozan ピッツェリア パドリーノ デル ショーザン 022-213-9220

Website:  http://www.shozankan.com/pizzeria/

Address:  仙台市青葉区上杉2-1-50 勝山間１F.   Located about a 15-minute walk from Kita-Yōbancho Subway Station.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Lunch:  11:30 am – 2 pm.   Dinner:  5:30 pm – 10 pm.  Closed Mondays.

I was really excited about dining here considering this restaurant was recommended to me almost two years ago by a number of acquaintances, but until this particular day I was unable to fit it in.

This pizzeria was originally situated inside the Shozankan Wedding Palace but has since relocated to being adjacent to the palace as of August of this year.

Padrino is one of the few Sendai restaurants to offer outside dining, although the majority of tables are inside.  And about the inside; the interior is beautifully decorated creating a very pleasant eating experience.

The service was impeccable, as we were offered water outside on a hot day while waiting to be seated.  And wait we did, for about twenty-minutes, as the place seems to be very popular.  We were also given detailed menus while waiting, and since they offer a wide variety of pizzas, it was nice to peruse each selection and decide on our meals even before entering.

For the starter, my wife and I shared a Componata (680 yen), cold stewed vegetables in a tomato sauce dressing.  This went very well on such a hot day and tasted delicious.  This place looked promising!

カポナータ

I went with a Margherita Pizza with cherry tomatoes (1200 yen), and paid extra for the rucola (300 yen) and ham (500 yen) toppings.

マルゲリータ　フィレットとルコラと生ハム

My wife went with a basic Margherita Pizza (1000 yen).  All pizzas are 28 cm in diameter, and our pizzas arrived looking fantastic!  Upon first bite, I thought, “Hmm. Not bad, but I bet it gets better.”  I kept tasting and tasting and, no, I was wrong.  It didn’t get any better.  In fact, I really started to notice its shortcomings.  

マルゲリータ

The proscuitto ham was good, but almost a little too salty.  The rucola and cherry tomatoes did not have the same freshness of the veggies at amo la Pizza.  And the mozzarella cheese was pretty tasteless, and almost seemed to become rubbery as the pizza began to cool down.  

The crust had a bit of flavor, but I would rank Shiogama’s Pizza La Gita and, of course, the aforementioned amo way above in the flavor department.

But because the restaurant was packed, I wondered if it was my pickiness that was causing me to be so critical.  I asked my normal-eater wife what she thought of Padrino, and her response was, “I don’t think we need to come back here again.”

So that pretty much summed it up.

There is a paid parking lot available across the street, and Padrino presented us with a service ticket that covered the entire cost of the parking, which was a nice gesture.

I do think you should try this for yourself, as many others seem to enjoy  Padrino.  Please let me know if you have a differing opinion of this restaurant.

**I must apologize for the not-so-perfect photos.  I had forgotten my camera this day and these photos were taken with my wife's ketai.

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