Foodie Friday: Diavola Pizza

Every spring, I fall in love with my neighborhood all over again. Husband and I have been taking lots of long walks enjoying the adorable bungalows, budding flowers, and bustling local businesses that surround us. One of my favorite parts of my neighborhood is that almost all necessities are within walking distance: grocery store, bank, library, and just about every type of restaurant possible. I’ve become so spoiled that I can’t imagine living in any other part of town.

During one of our most recent walks, we found a new restaurant! Diavola Pizza opened the end of last year in the space that previously held Zest. When I learned it is owned by the same family who owns Ambrosia (one of our very favorites!), Husband and I scheduled an impromptu date night. I’ve decided that Friday nights are pretty much made for pizza.

Diavola prides itself on having the only “Marra Forni” oven in Indiana. This special dome contraption sits towards the front of the restaurant and is supposed to create a unique, light pizza crust. The rest of the restaurant is light and open; pretty minimalist, but with some cute lighting accents. We were eating early, so we got our choice of seating and lots of positive attention from our server.

We started our dinner with an order of Polpette meatballs (Husband gobbled these right up!) and then moved on with a Chicken Pesto pizza. The pizza was pretty light and slim, but definitely the right size for two to share. The flavor tasted very pure, like simple oils and herbs, nothing complicated. The crust was tasty, but not so amazing that I wanted my own special oven. I honestly thought it was similar to pizzas that I make at home. Husband enjoyed the simplicity and felt it was healthier than many other local pizza options. I thought it was a bit too plain to justify the effect and cost of going out to eat. We finished our dinner with some cheesecake. Sadly (for me), it was European style, with more sour notes and ricotta cheese than my sweet American taste buds prefer. They do carry a few of my favorite Ambrosia desserts, so I would definitely try one of those next time. Or just go to Ambrosia.

Overall? Good, but not great. I would definitely try some different menu options, like their salads, next time. Since it’s in our neighborhood, I assume we’ll make another trip at some point, but it’s not going to demand a rush repeat.

Anyone else had any great pizza lately?