Kamakura’s Amalfi Della Serra

Climbing up steep steps clinging to the cliff, this pizzeria suddenly appears in front of you. You might wonder if there can truly be a restaurant in such a place, but now you understand; there are many people waiting for a table. This place is jumping! Amalfi Della Serra’s specialty is a wonderful crispy pizza, accompanied by the cool Shonan-shore landscape. Everyone comes here expecting these two feasts—one for the palette and one for the eyes.

If you are lucky (come early!), you can choose your table. At the very front of the terrace, the sunlight dazzles your eyes. But the view is nice. One row back, you are in the shade, but other tables block your view. My favorite place is on the right, at the rail. Here, you are face to face with Enoshima, an enormous Mt.Fuji, plenty of blue sea, and part of the cliff. Large terrace parasols shade you from the sun. You are now ready for a lazy, enjoyable lunch. We stayed for about an hour. It was warm and comfortable and totally relaxing. And what a view! WHAT A VIEW!

Between 11 am and 3 pm, Amalfi provides two lunch sets, consisting of an appetizer, pasta or pizza, salad and bread, dessert, coffee or tea for 1890 yen to 2630 yen. But you can also order a la carte. Pizza ranges from about 1500 yen to 2000 yen, and risotto is between 1700 and 1900 yen. Pasta is not available a la carte during lunch.

Let’s see some of their tasty dishes! A fish carpaccio is quite fresh and nice as an appetizer. Della Sera style salad is basically a Caesar salad with a strong garlic flavor. It whets the appetite. Pizza Margehrita and Pizza Formaggio are crispy and authentic. The toppings of Pizza Genovese are mushroom, pine nut, and a lot of mozzarella cheese. Yummy! The beer on tap is Italian. My husband, who has gotten used to the rich taste of Japanese beer, took a sip and said, “Hmmm. Something’s missing…” But soon he was content finishing up with the two desserts we ordered: ice cream mixed with Gouda cheese and cookies, and nice thick pudding. Heavenly.

They don’t accept reservations here; you have to line up and wait, but there are plenty of seats in the waiting area. When you reach the restaurant, write your name and the number of people in your group on the sign-up list. I recommend you go on a weekday. On weekends you will need a lot of patience and plenty of time!

Enjoy filling your stomach, and eyes, and heart at Amalfi. It is a perfect hangout in the Kamakura-Enoshima area.