CONTRIBUTED BY SARAH FORTE

Bella outside

There’s a new pizzeria on the island – Bella Napoli! I’m not sure which is better, the pizza or the view, but both are hard to beat!

Bella Napoli is located right on the seawall outside Kadena’s Gate One. If you’ve been to Cocok’s Ocean View or Transit Cafe, you know the area. Bella Napoli just opened its doors in the former location of Shanbio Spa (which has moved one floor up and I also recommend!). We went on a beautiful day and were treated to a great view of the ocean from their third floor location.

Bella menu

The menu is dominated by pizzas. There are six featured pizzas as well as a “build your own” menu. The featured pizzas were: margherita, curry, prosciutto, quattro formaggi, and pepperoni. They ranged in price from 1,200 – 1,500 yen. The build your own menu started with a plain pizza (800 yen) and had 21 different toppings (200 – 300 yen). The pizzas are about 9” and on a flaky crust. Our group of six each shared a pizza with a partner and, while not stuffed, was satisfied for lunch. They also have a nice drink menu and ice cream.

Everyone was very happy with their pizzas. I had the curry pizza, and if you like curry I definitely recommend it! It had a curry sauce with corn, dry slices of garlic, a little tuna and cheese.

The staff spoke English and were able to answer our questions. The menu was in English and had pictures of their featured pizzas.

Bella inside

Bella Napoli means “beautiful Naples”, but it sure brought back to me how beautiful our little corner of the world is, too!


Bella Napoli

Pay: Yen, American Dollars, and credit cards.

Hours:  They are open from 12:00 Noon – 22:00

Telephone: 098-989-0117

Address: 2-208 Miyagi, Chatan

GPS Coordinates: 26.3293291, 127.7440761

Directions:  If you are coming out of Kadena’s Gate One turn left onto 58, then immediately right at the Family Mart. If you are coming from the south on 58, turn left at the Family Mart. Continue on this road until you get to the seawall. There is a coral colored building on that corner. The first floor is ARK dive and the third floor is Bella Napoli. The elevator and stairs are on the seawall side of the building.

Bella long outside

53 COMMENTS

  1. PROS
    +Pizza Size
    +Good tasting pizza overall despite some flaws
    +Speed of service
    +nice view if you like looking at stuff outside, i had some deep thoughts.
    +table looked clean, (i think they even wipe).
    +it is pre-cut

    CONS
    -too greasy
    -the cheese was not stringy enough, not enough cheese
    -was given the pizza too quickly, I didn’t have that long to play clash of clans.

    MEGA SIN
    -Pizza was ~1200 yen that included 1 topping, i told them i wanted a pepperoni pizza with an additional topic of garlic (200 yen)
    i ended up getting robbed because they made the garlic the main topping of my pizza and made pepperoni the additional topping (300 yen)
    i cry to pizza peepole regarding daytime robbery but they just smile and wish me nice day..

    I might try this place again since they have a “4 cheese” pizza that I will order with peperoni.
    you have 1 more chance pizza bella Napoli, after that I won’t be coming back to you, ever.

  2. Our family of 6 went to Bella Napoli for the first time yesterday evening and we enjoyed it very much! Apparently it’s Napoli Day on the 10th, 20th and 30th of every month and on those days all pizzas are 1,000 Yen. We were seated in about 15 minutes (the tables were full) and served our water promptly. We ordered a 4 cheese pizza, a pepperoni pizza, a Hawaiian pizza, avocado fritters, garlic wings and a caesar salad. Our meal was on our table in about 15 minutes which was really good considering how busy they were and it all tasted great! The Hawaiian pizza and fritters were AWESOME! Our bill was 5,300 Yen, which is not bad for us. We will definitely go again! Oh and since a lot of the comments on this post involve whether or not to bring children…our 3 year old daughter started to scream as soon as we arrived at our table so I took her into the bathroom until she calmed down and then took her back to the table. I handled it as fast as possible so as to be considerate to others and no one seemed annoyed at all.

  3. Delicious crispy yet chewy thin crust. Service is great and even on a busy, ¥1000 pizza special night the service was prompt. The view is is pretty. Prices are decent, relatively speaking.

  4. Great, *European style* pizza. The kind of crust that is all puffy and bubbly and delicious. Could use a BIT less grease but I had a pepp pizza so it’s to be expected. As a Chicagoan who deems pizza a food group, I can say this alt style pizza is delicious!

  5. The pizza here is only okay. The service is slow and bad on top of the average pizza they serve. As long as Americans are fooled by the fancy name and drawn in by the view of the dingy seawall, this business will continue to operate.

  6. Went for an early dinner with hubby and kids. Got the Hawaiian and pepperoni pizza. It is a thin crust and delicious. The place has a great atmosphere. Not inexpensive, but I have yet to find a pizza place off base that is! I recommend it for anyone, even kids. They don’t have high chairs with trays, but we used one that we pulled up to the table. If you go on the 10th, 20th, or 30th of the month, all pizzas are 1000 yen. The menu had more options than the one posted in the photo above.

  7. We ate there a few days ago, after a long day at the aquarium. We got there at sunset- and I could have stayed there staring at that view forever. We had garlic fritters (I have no clue how we survived without ever eating them before!!) and each of us (Husband, 2 kids and I) ordered our own pizza. On a typical day, 2 pizzas would have been fine- but we were all starving! When we were done, there was nothing left on any of our plates. The pizza was sooo good! The crust is not what we are used to, it was a lite fluffy yummy dough. The toppings were all delish. My only complaint was that the table looking out onto the ocean was already taken when we got there!

  8. My son has eaten here since he was a year old (he is now two and a half), and it’s never been a problem. He’s not one of those kids who can sit in the Japanese high chairs with no straps, so we bring his portable booster and strap him in. The pizza isn’t really cheap, but we have never been disappointed. The baby loves the Italian sausage pizza, and my husband loves the teriyaki wings. I recommend keeping your punch card with you. We almost had a free pizza and then someone must have stolen our card. The young ladies there are extremely friendly. My son is blonde with blue eyes so they usually fuss over him. In fact, the first time we went there they took pictures of him with their phones, and when we went back they showed us the pictures they still had on their phones, LOL. This is our favorite pizza on island!

  9. This is our favorite pizza place. We bring our little munchkins with us and they love watching the gorgeous view. I especially like that they don’t hide us in the back because of the tots like some restaurants do. I always order the 4 cheese pizza, garlic wings and tasty seasoned fries. We have never left disappointed.

  10. On the 10th, 20th, and 30th of every month is Bela Napoli day. All pizzas are 1000 yen which makes the price a little more reasonable. We have the date set in our phones to remind us because the pizza is the best.

    Also there is now a punch card system, buy so many get one one free. They keep a big box at the register and file your card by name.

    You must try the “four kind cheese pizza’. It is amazing. Usually my husband and I order one pizza each, he eats his plus a piece of mine and we are both equally full and happy.

  11. I just wanted to make a comment about parking since I live 4 streets over from Bella Napoli. If you park along the seawall you won’t get a ticket but if you park on the main street that is in front of the restaurant, in front of Cocok’s & the Greek restaurant you will get a ticket wether you have a Y plate or not. I have seen the Japanese police out there several times going down the long line of parked cars giving out tickets & some were Y plates & some were Japanese plates. There are several signs in most of the stores & restaurants on that street to not park on that street or you will get a ticket. So long story short park by the seawall & enjoy the ocean view 🙂

  12. The pizza was very good, and the atmosphere was nice. My children both accompanied my husband and I, and they also enjoyed the food (ages 11 and 8). The pizza was not too pricey, but it wasn’t cheap either. I agree with other suggestions of parking along the sea wall and walking.

    My family will definitely be returning to this restaurant again in the future.

  13. We live just down the sea wall and wallked to dinner. The pizza was good, the service was great, and the atmosphere was very nice. Our dinner turned out to be quite expensive, but that seems to be the case everywhere on Okinawa. We would go back. Our family had a nice time.

  14. Just got back from dinner here with a friend, my 2 and 5 year old. They had a high chair for my 2 year old and having them there was totally fine. Pizza was delicious, although our curry pizza could’ve had a little more sauce. The price of the pizza was a bit too steep for what we got. It was a little, thin, maybe 10 inch pizza for $13. Maybe we’re paying for the GORGEOUS view? In the elevator, there was a flyer that told customers about not parking besides the building by Cocok’s but by the sea wall. However, there’s consruction going on by the sea wall right now so we had to park and walk a bit. I probably would go again if I started craving the curry pizza. The price and parking… hmmmm.. would it be worth it?

  15. BTW can I remind you all this is JAPAN where it is VERY acceptable to dine out with your Children/babies ANYWHERE at ANYTIME!

    i find it rude and unacceptable that half of you probably more make NO effort to speak Japanese when ordering!!!!

    Actually next time I am in America i will see how accomadating the staff are when I try and order in Japanese 🙂

  16. Okay, so, I decided to try Bella Napoli and see for myself what the big deal about kids, food, price, etc. was. My husband and I went for lunch the other day (kids were in school). We ordered salad and pizza, along with an iced tea and an iced coffee. The service was very bad, despite being one of two couples in the entire place. She took FOREVER to take our order and then another eternity to bring our drinks to us. She brought our salad, and I saw it had all the usual “Italian” salad toppings and also… Potato chips? Yes, there were actual bbq potato chips in and on our salad. To make matters worse, the chips were getting soggy from the wet, slimy “mystery meat” that was in our salad as well. Anyway, we stomached the salad because it cost a small fortune and we didn’t want to waste our money. We finished the salad and then sat there for what seemed like a lifetime waiting for our pizza. Then the waitress brought our pizza and we were ready to dig in. Then she took it away because it was actually not our pizza, rather the pizza the other two people ordered. So my husband and I sat there and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally, our pizza was brought to us. We were very disappointed to see it was only slightly bigger than a personal pan pizza, and the pizza was COLD! I understand that mistakes can happen when restaurants are very busy and packed full of customers. But Bella Napoli only had us and one other couple to serve, and they failed miserably. The whole process from being seated to paying our bill was nearly two hours! Our bill was slightly under 3,000 yen for sub-par food and very bad service. Needless to say, I will not be running back to Bella Napoli. I also will not be bringing my children there because there is no way I am paying that kind of money for bad service and questionable food.

  17. Ashley, were you parked right on the seawall? I’m blown away you were given a ticket! I frequent the seawall regularly and haven’t noticed anyone getting ticketed, except on some of the side streets. It certainly won’t stop me from going but I will be keeping an eye out in the future!

  18. FYI guys, we parked in a legal parking zone and still got a ticket, we even went back to check to make sure it was a legal parking zone. We have also talked to some other people and the same thing happened to them at another time. Yes, the other car that got a ticket was a Y-plate.

    The local police force evidently just likes to hand out parking tickets in the area, so you might be in for a big walk if you want to frequent the area.

    They evidently also watch closely( or they have someone in the area who squeals), they cited us for being there six minutes, we got someone to translate the ticket. I feel bad for the other people who got the ticket because theirs probably said two minutes.

    The parking ticket will cost you 15,000 yen. So park far away and walk if you want to go or find somewhere else. I am actually surprised there is nothing on OkinawaHai about parking tickets. For future reference you can get fined anywhere from 10,000-18,000 yen for a parking ticket alone. This depends on the area, what they consider the area to be, and probably if you are a Y plate or not and probably on if the guy handing out tickets is having a bad day or not. They mail the final documentation to your command, so you can’t get away without your command not knowing you got a parking ticket. You have to wait for the info before you can go and pay the ticket. The ticket itself doesn’t say anything about the price and what you did unless you understand “Okinawa police shorthand.” There is even a special sheet just in English they stick to the ticket to tell you that you got a ticket.

  19. @Ashley | September 01, 2010 —
    It is disappointing to hear that you got a parking (or no parking) ticket.
    Where did you park to get a ticket?
    Did you park on a street (which one) or in a lot, or in designated parking spots?
    Were the other diners who got a parking ticket also American? Were the only cars with tickets ‘Y-plate’ cars?

    Your answers and information could be useful for other people to avoid a parking ticket in this area.

  20. We tried Bella Napoli. IT was very good, reasonably priced in our opinion. The bad thing was the parking. We parked along with a bunch of other cars and came out with a parking ticket adhered to our car. The other diners who were in the restaurant at the same time as us also had a parking ticket on their car. So if you like being discriminated against by the local police for having a Y plate go ahead and try this place out. It’s unfortunate because the food was good we had some awesome Teriyaki chicken wings, but we won’t be going back. I know this is a hang up for a lot of Americans, if there isn’t adequate parking at a place they won’t go. This is one of those places. They do take out that is what their sign says anyways, so if you really wanted to try it I would go for that, that way you wouldn’t have to worry about staying anywhere long enough to get a parking ticket.

  21. With some of these comments, I have to wonder if the kids were the ones posting here. But it all made me laugh. I enjoy Bella Napoli and have eaten there a few times. The food is good for what it is – a Japanese version of food Americans like. The service hasn’t been outstanding the times I’ve been there but I’m rarely in a rush so it hasn’t been a huge deal. I like that I can choose my own pizza toppings and the salads were yummy.

  22. Just wanted to add that I LOVE this restaurant. We have been there 3 times now. I have *GASP* taken my 4 children in there 2 of the 3 times. They were perfectly well-behaved and ate 2 pieces of pizza each even though they are VERY picky. Yes it expensive…about $70 for the 6 of us to eat there. My favorite is the 4 cheese pizza! YUM!

  23. Real Pizza? Uh…are you serious? Cause that comment made you look kinda silly!!!! Well at least that means Anthony’s will stay in business and keep more people away from gems like here and Piccolino! Enjoy your “real” cheeseburger pizza in all it’s Pizza Hut’s “authentic” pan pizza glory.

  24. Kids, no kids. Fun, not fun. Niether of those arguments really matter to me. The pizza there is kind of nasty. I wasn’t enjoying mine very much to begin with, but then I found a long black hair in my pizza (mine is short and blond) and it was over. Before I found the hair, what I didn’t like about the pizza was the crust. It’s not very good. I like real pizza, not that stuff.

  25. Angel and Michelle, glad you had fun, even without balloon animals. My kids like the view as well. We also enjoy that it is bright and cheery and spacious. We think it is “fun” to try new stuff and places.

  26. I don’t understand the not kid friendly comments, they had high chairs, and what kid doesn’t like pizza? Admittedly we have offered a huge variety of flavors and textures to our 2 year old so he will eat adult fare quite happily, but they had a plain cheese and a pepperoni pizza on the menu.

  27. We went here tonight and thought it was great. We always eat early because that’s when our toddler is well behaved and will actually eat. He loved the pizza, he ate two whole slices! He was also very entertained by the view out the window, very happy to point out the people walking their dogs.

  28. Well, we went last night and while the company was great, the service was not. We had a group of 24 (reservations made, so they knew we were coming) and it took us an hour and a half for all of us to get our food, including the people who just ordered salads. They just have a small pizza oven that only cooks 2 at a time. Our servers must not have felt comfortable speaking English, as they kept approaching the one Okinawan we had in our group, to have her translate to the rest of us. It was a lovely view and my 2 yr old liked the pizza better than I did! All in all, I’d go back (with my son) but just by ourselves.

  29. A fun place? Are you talking about the same restaurant?! And what is your definition of fun? I have been to Bella Napoli and never would consider it a fun place to eat. I’m cracking up over here! Did they have a clown on the night you visited? No, it’s not dress up, adult only. I don’t think anyone is saying it is. That’s not what I got from the comments anyway. I think what everyone is saying is that most kids will not jump at the chance to eat food there. Heck, I didn’t really care for the pizza there. It came off as someone’s poor attempt to make upscale pizza. I have two kids. I will never take them there to eat. Not because I care what people think about my bringing kids into any restaurant, but because of what other readers have already said- The menu was not created with kids in mind, so why torture yourself by bringing your kids here when you can take them to a more kid-friendly place with a kid-friendly menu? Starbucks is not fancy, but I don’t frequent Starbucks with my kids for the same reasons. Geesh!

    Joanna, loved the restaurant story!

  30. This is too funny!! This restaurant is a fun place, not some fancy. dress up, adult only place. I find things such as smoking and cussing in restaurants just as annoying, if not more, than kids! If you “ban” one, you “ban” them all. This being said, if your child is acting up, step out a moment. No big deal. Same as if you were to get a phone call, which is the most annoying of all!!

  31. I was commenting more on the practicality of bringing kids to restaurants like Bella Napoli (not that I don’t think children belong there). I honestly didn’t think the pizza was the best I ever had, and it certainly isn’t the traditional pizza that children are used to (expensive to boot!!). I don’t consider skipping certain restaurants when I’m on “Mommy Duty” as being forced into sub-par eateries. I think of it more as saving myself from the stress of knowing I’m getting the “evil eye”, and taking my kids to restaurants they enjoy instead.

    Two years ago, my entire family went to have Christmas Eve dinner at a stuffy restaurant geared toward the 18 and up crowd. My kids wouldn’t eat the food and my three year old told the waitress he wanted vodka in his Shirley Temple (He heard the man at the table next to us order a vodka drink and I guess it struck his fancy…). My baby nephews were happily playing with toys, and the wealthy elderly lady sitting close to us had one too many glasses of wine and asked my sister-in-law if she would tell the babies to “shut up”. It’s all a comical scene now, really… lol. But it made for a very stressful Christmas Eve and dining out experience. Had we eaten somewhere like Olive Garden, we probably would have had acceptable food, happy children, and a better experience (and for less than $1000, which is what we paid at the other restaurant).

  32. OK seriously?!?! This is a pizza place, where they do have high chairs FYI. While I totally agree that kids can be disruptive especially to non kid people, it is a fact of life. I will not be forced into sub par eating establishments because I like to feed my children. Are you kidding me. I do try to eat early, before it gets too crowded but come on. I do not appreciate foul language or rude people, can we banish them too?

  33. Happy Parent- I totally agree with you. Kids should be taken to restaurants in order to learn how to behave. However, that is why there are places like the Olive Garden and Ruby Tuesday’s for starting off. They are busier and more family oriented. People expect to see families at places like these.

  34. I’ve always felt that if you don’t take your kids to restaurants, how will they learn to behave in them?

    We try to avoid typical date night/times (and go early, before the crankies set in) but all in all, we’ve taken our kids out to eat with us since they were newborns. Typically, they do pretty well-and if they misbehave, one of us will take them out.

    And yes, of course, there are certain places we do avoid with kids-we wouldn’t take them to a 5-star restaurant, of course.

  35. Paul – I understand and agree with how you feel. I do take my child away when he starts getting bad so others can enjoy their meal. However, I’d prefer not to be stuck at home for lack of babysitter the entire time my husband is deployed. Luckily, as large as a group as I’m going with, he’ll be well entertained and we’ll be keeping it short/leaving before it’s time to melt down. We also bring quiet toys for him to play with at the table to distract him from running around.

    I thank everyone for their opinions and I appreciate the fact that everyone could post them without making me feel attacked! It happens so rarely when the subject of kids in restaurants comes up! 🙂

  36. Michelle- I disagree with Kim. I wouldn’t appreciate paying that kind of money for pizza to listen to someone’s kid scream. I like kids as much as the next person, but parents need to understand that there are places where you take kids and places where you don’t take kids. So if you take your kids there and he starts crying or misbehaving, you can’t blame other patrons for giving you the evil eye.

  37. Michelle, I have eater there several times and I would bring your kids. Yes, it is bistro like, but the kids can have plain cheese pizza. My kids enjoyed it. They won’t appreciate the funky flavors or view, but if you are going with a group, take them!

  38. Michelle- I’ve eaten here before and I would also not bring my kids. It’s not because the workers aren’t friendly enough, or the room isn’t spacious enough. The food is definitely not geared toward children, and I don’t think even my garbage disposal of a 9 year old would be pleased with their version of a pizza. They don’t make pizza like you might be expecting. It’s good, but it’s a bit on the, well, fussy side. The pizzas are small and quite pricey (for two drinks, two small salads, and one small pizza, we paid over 3000 yen). Also, it is obviously a restaurant designed to be quaint, quiet, and relaxing (in between the sound of jets landing… lol). All you can hear is quiet music and very soft conversation (in between the sound of jets landing… lol again). Think of a little bistro or cafe where adults meet to enjoy food, atmosphere, and relax.

  39. Great place! We had the Chorizo pizza. For my hispanic friends…it is not what you would expect when you think of chorizo so keep an open mind. Truely an outstanding place to spend with your loved one…recommend not to bring kids if you can avoid it. Me and my wife went there at lunch time and were able to relax, look at the wonderful view, and just enjoy the food and atmosphere. I will definately be back.

  40. We just came back from there. That is one awesome place. The pizza was fantastic and our service was great. We had the curry pizza & the margarita pizza. The iced tea was so-so but the beer was great! It takes Yen, Visa, & Master Card so it wasn’t a hassle to pay, we had options! Overall, I give it a 4 out of 5. Only because it’s just pizza & salad. They could add some pasta but the food they did have is a 5!

  41. Me and a group of friends went here the other day for lunch! It was awesome! The view is amazing and the food is delicious! I have the Caprese and a Margarita Pizza and a Caramel Macchiato (best one I’ve ever had). The service wasn’t very good as we were the only people in there for lunch and the waitress never came back to fill our water or check on us once the food was delivered to the table. We didn’t care though because the food was so great! ;o)

  42. We went here Saturday night and loved it! While the pizza wasn’t cheap, it was good. We especially loved the Curry Pizza and a yummy salad. The atmosphere was fun, something different here in Okinawa. One other thing, the tables were big and roomy and the area around us was spacious….not all crammed together like we have mostly found here.