It took us more than six months to get around to checking out Eataly in Daikanyama. With a name like that, we still couldn't believe it was anything other than a gimmicky Italian food theme park. We're still not convinced, but it certainly boasts one of the most pleasant al fresco eating spots in the neighborhood.

The original Eataly store in Turin is a vast emporium set up to promote and sell high-quality artisanal foods — the kind of products endorsed by the Slow Food movement. In Tokyo, the scale is more modest but it's still ambitious. On one side of a spacious courtyard there's a caffe with gelateria and pastry counter, plus a formal sit-down restaurant. On the other side is the store, its aisles packed to the ceiling with gourmet products; a bakery producing regional Italian breads; a wine cellar; and an ample cheese and prosciutto counter.

A simple lunch counter serves fresh pasta, soup and salads, and two young pizzaiolos tend to a squat wood-fired oven that wafts wonderful aromas through the store and into the mini-piazza. At this time of year, that's where we prefer to be, under the canvas awning, glugging down our vino, nibbling on ham and cheese, and then filling up on fresh-baked pizza. Of the dozen varieties, our favorite to date is the Teanese, topped with four different cheeses including ricotta and smoked provola. Gooey and aromatic, this is premium pizza.