Rishiri Island has two main port towns, Oshidomari and Kutsugata. But, let’s be real, they’re small towns, so you won’t find a ton of dining options. While strolling through Kutsugata at night, I stumbled upon Rishiri Pizza by GOLLEY’S and really liked its vibe. My wife and I agreed that hotel dinners can get boring, and since there were a few interesting-looking places around, we decided to check it out.
The sign outside saying “RISHIRI PIZZA unique to Rishiri Island” really piqued my interest. Looking inside, I saw a big pizza oven and a great atmosphere – it looked promising!
As you can see in the photo, the interior has a bar-like atmosphere, with a large pizza oven in the back left of this picture. It’s a small place with counter seats and just a few tables for four, so reservations are probably a must. We made one ourselves, but could only get an early slot (which worked out perfectly for us anyway, so it was totally fine!).
I found beer from Koppukotan Brewery, which a friend from Higashikawa had told me about – I was so surprised to find it on Rishiri Island! And the grilled summer vegetables we ordered as an appetizer? They looked perfect and tasted amazing, making me even more excited for the pizza to arrive.
True to its “unique to Rishiri Island” claim, they offered pizzas using local ingredients like Atka Mackerel (hokke) and kelp, alongside classic pizzas. It was tough to choose! Since I had the chance, I went with the Atka Mackerel jerky pizza, which you definitely wouldn’t find anywhere else.
What looks like chicken in the photo is actually the meat from the Atka Mackerel jerky. The umami and saltiness of the jerky paired incredibly well with the cheese, and the chewy pizza crust was exactly to my liking – it was incredibly delicious! It went perfectly with beer too.
They also offered classic pizzas, and those were delicious too! The Mentaiko pizza even featured kelp, adding that special Rishiri Island touch. Another pizza that caught my eye was the “Rishilita,” made with tororo kombu (shredded kelp) and cheese. Apparently, it was created because the umami of kelp is similar to that of tomatoes. Every pizza was truly delicious, and you can even easily get them for takeout, so I highly recommend checking out GOLLEY’S if you’re staying in Kutsugata town on Rishiri Island!
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