Pizza Parlors Are Back
Diamond Slice serves up gourmet New York Slices in vintage style
Welcome to Pizza Tasting Chronicles, my take on the pizza review. I eat a lot of pizza. I have a lot of opinions about pizza. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
Diamond Slice started as a pop-up. I came across it by accident during its opening weekend. The dining room still felt sparse and fresh when we rolled in, but also the had a vintage feeling to it. This place is a classic pizza parlor. There are big heavy booths and the whole place has the vibes of a pizzeria that’s been there since the 1980s.
Greenpoint is becoming a destination for upscale, New York style pizza. A block further down the street is the other new darling of the pizza world, Chrissy’s, a pizzeria that’s really getting into old school New York pizza by exclusively selling whole pies. Also nearby is Paulie Gee’s Slice shop, one of the best of the gourmet New York slice joints in the city. So Diamond slice has some steep competition, but it absolutely holds it own.
I didn’t get to eat much of the regular slice since my three-year-old went to town. It met his approval though, which is tough praise to earn. It arrived with a few fresh basil leaves. This trend of adding basil leaves to a regular slice is unbecoming, a kind of act of desperation to justify a higher price point. You don’t need it, folks.
While my toddler chowed down on the cheese, I had a white slice and supreme. The white slice was good, but not the best I’ve had. It was salty, and creamy, and here I did think the highlight of basil leaves was appropriate.
This is a good New York style crust with a charred flavor to it. The edge crust was a bit bready, and maybe the cheese and sauce could have been pushed outward a bit more— but I’m nitpicking here. This is a good slice. The crust has good flavor to it, and everything is well-balanced.
I loved the supreme, and of the three slices its the one I’d go back for again. The crust, to its credit, withstood the heavy topping load. There was a hint of spice to the peppers too, which I think elevates this supreme somewhat too.
A decade ago, Greenpoint had some truly awful pizza. Today, though, Diamond Slice joins a crowded playing field. The cozy, homey pizza parlor feeling though sets it apart from the other gourmet pizza joints in North Brooklyn, and I look forward to it becoming a family staple.
Diamond Slice
70 Diamond Street
Brooklyn NY 11222