One of Tokyo's most celebrated pizzaiolos is coming to Miami Beach, bringing a style of pie no Florida restaurant has offered before.

Royale Pizza Napoletana plans to open in October 2026 at 1680 Meridian Ave., less than a block from Lincoln Road, in the space formerly occupied by Harry's Pizzeria. The fast-casual restaurant will be Florida's first Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizzeria, according to owner Jess Varughese, as reported by Miami New Times on Monday, July 14.

Varughese is the banking entrepreneur behind Haiku, the members-only Japanese kaiseki restaurant in Wynwood. He said he got the idea two years ago after a Haiku member urged him to try Savoy, the Tokyo pizzeria where the style was born. He flew to Japan with his executive chef, ate at Savoy, and came home sold.

"The dough is everything," Varughese told Miami New Times.

The draw is chef Bungo Kaneko, known as "Bun," who runs Savoy in Tokyo's Azabu-Juban neighborhood. Savoy traces back to 1995, when founder Susumu Kakinuma opened the original location after a year studying pizza-making in Naples. Kakinuma trained the generation of pizzaioli who carried the style forward, and Kaneko became one of its most celebrated practitioners. His long-fermented, feather-light pies have earned a cult following among traveling pizza enthusiasts worldwide.

What makes Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizza different? The crust puffs up thick and airy, blistered with charred bubbles and carrying a faint note of wood smoke, while the bottom stays thin and the center holds together rather than going soupy. Royale's pies will ferment for more than 30 hours and bake in an 800°F oven. The team softened Miami's local water to match Japan's mineral profile and used the autolyze technique to replicate the texture Kaneko achieves in Tokyo.

Running the kitchen day-to-day is executive chef Albert Diaz, who previously helmed Zuma London and Zuma Miami before joining Haiku. The lead pizzaiola is Dalila Sabatino, who trained under Kaneko and later worked at Pizzeria Sei in Los Angeles, a nationally ranked Tokyo-style spot that tied for second on the 50 Top Pizza USA 2026 list. Kaneko called Sabatino "one of the most talented pizzaiolas I have ever worked with."

Oscar Coll, a 20-year hospitality veteran, will run operations. Audrey Armada, previously head of membership experiences at Haiku, leads customer experience.

The format is fast-casual. The dining room seats 65 around a large communal table. No reservations. Walk-ins only, first-come, first-served. Guests order at a counter from a short menu: antipasti, seven pizzas (four traditional, three specials), two pastas, and two mains. Takeout and delivery will be available from opening day.

Tokyo-style pizza has reached Los Angeles, New York, and Nashville in recent years, but no restaurant has brought it to Florida until now.

Royale Pizza Napoletana is targeting an October 2026 opening, though no specific date has been announced. The restaurant's Instagram account, @royalenapoletana, is the announced channel for opening updates.