Pizzeria ICARO: Wood-Fired Pizza near Heijō Palace
Share Neapolitan-style pizza after Heijō Palace; choose standard or specifically requested gluten-free dough and reserve ahead.
Verified site photographs are being prepared.Discover Pizzeria ICARO: Wood-Fired Pizza near Heijō Palace
ICARO opened in May 2017 on the western side of Nara City, within reach of the former Heijō Palace. Its owner says he trained in Naples, and the restaurant builds its pizzas around a wood-fired oven, seasonal vegetables from Nara growers and selected ingredients from Italy's Campania region. This is a sit-down restaurant for a meal, not a pizza-making class. An especially useful choice for mixed groups is that several marked pizzas can be ordered with a separately prepared wheat-free dough while standard wheat pizza remains on the menu. Check the menu label and speak with staff before treating any dish as suitable for a medical diet.
Choose the pizza, not just the headline
The current operator menu divides tomato-based rosse from tomato-free bianche, with Margherita, Marinara, vegetable, cheese, meat and seafood combinations. At the 19 October 2026 check it listed a Marinara at ¥1,400, a standard Margherita at ¥1,750 and a buffalo-mozzarella Margherita at ¥2,150. Those are individual pizza examples, not a guaranteed fixed meal total; drinks, sides and dough changes can add cost. Ask what seasonal vegetables and the day's special actually contain. A tomato-free pizza can still contain cheese, meat, fish or other allergens.
What the gluten-free option really means
The restaurant says it prepares wheat-free pizza dough, pasta dough and desserts in a separated gluten-free laboratory. Its own menu marks pizzas eligible for a gluten-free dough substitution, and lists that change at an additional ¥450 in its set plans; it says all its pasta is served gluten-free. ICARO also serves ordinary wheat-dough pizza, so an unqualified pizza order is not automatically wheat-free. The operator uses a marked plate for its gluten-free pizzas. If you have coeliac disease or a serious allergy, explain the condition when reserving and ask staff about the selected dish, ingredients, shared oven and handling on your visit. Neither a separated preparation space nor a menu symbol is a blanket medical safety guarantee.
Set meal, dessert and takeaway choices
The published menu offers a ¥2,600 ICARO set with salad, a selected pizza or pasta and a drink, as well as a ¥3,150 plan that adds a gluten-free dessert selection; specific choices and dough changes carry surcharges. Individual starters, salads, desserts and non-alcoholic drinks are also shown. The operator lists takeaway food beyond pizza, but its separate frozen-pizza online shop is a retail channel rather than another local dining venue. Confirm current price, portion, availability, takeout packaging and any ingredient restrictions directly; the web menu does not promise that every item will be ready at every service.
Plan around the real closing calendar
The operator's regular schedule is weekday lunch 11:30–15:00 with orders by 14:00, weekend/holiday lunch 11:30–15:30 with orders by 14:30, and dinner 17:30–21:00 with orders by 20:00. Tuesday is the regular closing day, with irregular closures. Its October 2026 calendar also marks Wednesday 7 and 21 October closed; do not extrapolate that pattern to other months. The restaurant warns that private events and full tables can prevent walk-in seating even on an open day, so telephone reservation is prudent. A ramp is described at the entrance for wheelchair users and strollers, but the full route, interior turning space and toilet accessibility are not verified.
What to look for
Wood-fired pizza with Nara seasonal produce and Campania ingredients
Marked pizzas can be ordered with separately prepared wheat-free dough
One restaurant meal that can fit a Heijō Palace and Nishinokyō day
Photo notes
No restaurant, food, staff or interior photograph is licensed to MyNara. Operator, directory and review photos cannot be copied. Ask the restaurant and any identifiable diners before using images, and secure written rights for website publication.
Make a day of it
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Sources & editorial status
Original MyNara draft based on the linked sources. Sources reviewed 19 October 2026. Opening arrangements, prices and offers may change; use the operator's current information before travelling.
- ICARO operator — opening, wood-fired pizza and current October 2026 calendar
- ICARO operator — lunch/dinner, address, reservations and parking
- ICARO operator — menu, prices, GF-marked options and surcharges
- ICARO operator — separate dough preparation and marked plates
- ICARO operator — Nara produce, opening date and entrance ramp
- ICARO event guide — Amagatsuji station walking estimate
- Nara City Tourism Association — independent listing; 2026 coupon now expired
- Navitime — approximate coordinate at the verified address