Diavola Pizza

Enjoyed a dinner here with family for the first time recently. We were there on a Monday, so it was half price wine bottles– a great reason for a dinner out on a Monday! We ordered a bottle, and the daily burrata, and a salad. We ordered all of it to share, the burrata was delicious, although it only came with two pieces of toasted bread, thankfully our server brought more, but I think two is silly. The salad was good but really small, and we expected more for $ 10+, compared to Pizzology and Napolese, this was outrageous for the size. At either other place the salads are generous and very shareable. We ordered two pizzas to split, and they were great, the fancy pizza oven does a great job. The crust was garlicky, and chewy but not too chewy. We really enjoyed both pizzas, but they were a tiny bit smaller than Napolese and Pizzology. Overall we had a good experience, good service. We can walk here which means we will be back. It’s nice to have a great pizza spot within walking distance.

We visited this restaurant for the first time and really enjoyed our experience! The wait staff and host were pleasant and extremely helpful and efficient! They paid us just the right amount of attention. Noise level is slightly above average but you can still easily carry on a conversation across the table. The one question that is always asked in these types of restaurants, is the size of the pizza. Let’s just say these are easily shareable-can’t imagine eating a whole one by myself-​not after sharing one of their tasty salads. As other Unilocalers have noted, the pizzas do come out fairly quickly, however the waitstaff helped with the timing as they were attentive to how we were doing on eating our salads. Save room for desserts!

Visited this new hot spot about a week after opening and was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly everything went!
I came to the restaurant with a headache and by the time I left I was smiling. Our waitress was very chipper and funny to boot. Our table of six was fairly uncertain of what to order or what some of the ingredients were and the waitress was very proactive in explaining everything to us.
I had the margherita pizza, since I really love a simple pie. It was phenomenal. I probably should have eaten almost the whole thing, but I couldn’t stop! Being a huge fan of thin style pizza I found this place to be my new go-​to spot for pizza.
The front door is placed in the restaurant where the cold blows inside every time the door opens, but other than that, I’ll be back!

Treated myself to dinner tonight and boy was it a treat! I must say,
If you have to order gluten free, it’s the best gluten free pizza I in town.
The best thing about thus restaurant is that they have this incredible hybrid oven that cooks your pizza in 90 seconds. So be decisive as it leaves little room to change your order.
For you red wine lovers, order a class of the Montepulcno. Buona mangia!

We LOVE Ambrosia and would do anything to help support our amazing neighborhood gem.
When we found out about Diavola we were thrilled!
Let me explain… My boyfriend who is addicted to pizza has been put on a pizza diet of 1 day a week (because it was getting ridiculous). Normally we do a Sunday veg day and order whatever pie he wants. Well, when Diavola came about guess who wanted pizza???
I love a stone fired pizza and the location is great. They have parking!!! Plenty of it, and the ambiance is very sexy!
It’s dark, it’s red, it’s trendy, it’s a bar, it’s a restaurant… I mean I was looking around for the Mob. (Don’t worry no fur coats or sunglasses inside). The first thing you notice is their oven — a trendy statement piece, and the reason we were there.
We ordered the Diavola pizza to go and decided to have a drink at the bar. The wine list is surprisingly not much different from Ambrosia– and honestly both of the lists could use an infusion of knowledge. So our glass of wine was sub– par… No biggie.
Our pizza was done in 7 minutes– no joke! I wasn’t even finished with my glass of wine. The Diavolo pizza has mozzarella, basil, pepperoni and sauce.
It was … Good! Not great… Just good. I really loved the sauce. The crust wasn’t as crispy as I thought and even though it wasn’t burnt or blackened it had that taste. The pepperoni reminded me of grade school. You know quarter sized slices that curl up on the edges?
I would go back, I would definitely give it another try… I want it to do well, but they need to amp up their pizza game to compete with the Napoleses and Bazbeauxs of Indy

Going in to a empty pizza place on a Friday night in brip should have been a good sign. After ordering our burrata or mozzarella ball I was able to watch from the bar the young lady brown our garlic bread on the gridle with her bare hands making sure she pressed it down for a good sear. Mmm tasty. After that we ordered our two pizza, which I made a point to tell our bartender to make them extra crispy or well done. Pizza arrived and the vegetables where cold and the mozzarella was barely melted. It was so bad I didn’t say anything because I know it wouldn’t mean anything. Top it all off its easily more expensive than any other pizza place including napolese.

I had the meatball appetizer and a margarita pizza. I am a big fan of both! There where 3 large meatballs that were juicy and very meaty in flavor. I am assuming they use a blend of meats. They were topped with a nice light, flavorful tomato sauce. The pizza was my top 3^rd pie in town. Thin crust, yet light and airy with beautiful char marks. Perfect amount of melted mozzarella on top of light tomato sauce and a sprinkle of fresh basil. Nice atmosphere. A bit loud towards the end of the evening. Two of us were able to be seated right away on a Wednesday at 6:30.

I’m not sure where to go with this one. On one hand, I love the fact that SoBro has another cool place to go to, but on the other Diavola left certain things to be had .
The layout is a little awkward, especially if there is a wait. You are given about 20 square feet to share with the other waiting people, while you stand and stare at each other. Unfortunately, the large pizza oven area is immediately there as you walk in. Good luck getting to the bar when it’s busy, as I could not. Luckily, the décor is cool and hip, as is the lighting.
The pizza was fine, just nothing groundbreaking. The problem being –it was saggy. Meaning if you pick up a slice, it would sag and flop straight down with the toppings sloughing off. Surprisingly, the gorgeous pizza oven is not coal or wood. It is simply gas and appeared to have a rotating/​automatic turntable inside that takes a lot of the skill and artistry out of pizza making. This system is not unlike the conveyor belts that drive your typical franchise pizza oven. What a big let down.
The beer list was very small, but seems as if they tried to balance that out with choice select local products.
A definite bright spot was the service. Our waitress was terrific and left no room for improvement.
I will go back, eventually, and have a beer and maybe a pizza at the bar and try to support a local business.

I gave Diavola 4 stars, but am more leaning towards 3 ½.
Firstly, I love the ambiance in the restaurant! It is dark and cozy, with the cutest light fixtures. The brick oven is viewable next to the bar, which I love!
I went with 3 friends and we started with the calamari. Delicious! The perfect crispness and served with marinara. I then split the beet salad with a friend and was greatly impressed! It was toppled with arugula, goat cheese, walnuts and a red wine vinaigrette. Simply amazing!
As for the pizza, I ordered the Contandina (mozzarella, fresh basil, green peppers, artichokes and mushroom). I also added Italian sausage. The toppings were delicious and the perfect combination.
**So, here is why I give Diavola 3 ½ stars. The bottom of the pizza crust was so flimsy that toppings basically did not stay on. You have to eat the pizza with a fork or rolled up. I also noted my pizza crust to be a bit soggy. The top of the crust was great and crispy, but I really did not like the flimsiness of the bottom. It would have been perfect if there had been a more sturdy, crispy bottom crust. I also did not find the tomato sauce to have much flavor.
Overall, I enjoyed Diavola and will be back. It is by no means one of my favorite pizza places (and I have eaten at many). But it is very fresh, appetizing and worth another trip. Just really needs some better crust!

Diavola is the perfect little pizza place to take over the old Zest/​Twist location!
I immediately loved the open windows and the ambiance when walking into the shop, and I came on a cold winter night! The welcoming pizza oven with the open flames made the environment that much more authentic.
My one qualm is how close the tables seemed to be. Which I get — because it’s a small location. But I felt I was either constantly eavesdropping or I was yelling to allow for my friends to hear me.
After (finally — It took a solid 6 – 7 minutes) getting a server to our table the night went smoothly and only went up, honestly.
It was Fat Tuesday and National Pizza Day so my 3 of my friends and I decided to take in a new local shop. I’ve heard rumors that the owner of this place also owns either Ambrosia or Sultana — I’m not sure one to be honest, but that’s whats going around.
We ordered the calamari to start. It was okay — not the best I’ve ever had, but I prefer mine to be slightly spicy. This could have used just a slight more flavor. Then I split the beet salad (Barbabietla) with one other person and we had more than enough, 3 people — even 4, could have used this as a starter salad. Plenty big for a main entrée if you;d like! And it was delicious!
I ordered the Domenico and it was heavenly! I loved the caramelized onions and the way the crushed red really added some spice.
Other pie’s ordered at the table: the special of the night, a Hawaiian Pizza, Macellio — holy meats! and the Contadina with Italian sausage. We all loved it and will for sure be back. Nice new, maybe a bit more upscale pizza joint to the SoBro neighborhood.

We had a couple of snags. First, we didn’t realize they took reservations so we put our name in and had to wait an hour and 40 minutes for a table (even they said it would be about 30 mins). They kept saying your next so we kept waiting. Once we sat food was alright, however they forgot the other couples pizza and it was only warm when it arrived and we didn’t want to wait for another because we had been there so long. Overall experience was ok. Highly recommend at least making a reservation if you try this place.

Read the article from the Star written by Liz Biro and it just felt like she was griping about personal preferences. Huh… I guess that is what I write about as well.
I disagree with her opinions on this one.
The Maialina pizza had fantastic flavor! The peppadew peppers were spot on with this one.
The restaurant is still having some opening issues that you need to accept — though the service issue we experienced was brought up to the manager.
Good friend and I both ordered the Barbabietola salad — 86’ed. The person taking our order didn’t know that it had been 86’ed. We said we would wait the 1.5 hours for the beet ingredients to be ready and they had a «deer in the headlights» look. Then realized we were joking.
That was not the service issue that I grumped about though.
For a replacement we ordered a Cesare and Mista salads. The Mista (mine) was good — but just a little off from the salad at Ambrosia. Let me repeat — it was good! But after eating the Mista at Ambrosia for so many years… it was different. Cannot really pin down why. My dinner companion told me I was being picky and said his Cesare was excellant.
They have a two way liquor license and are working on their three way.
Nice atmosphere. Comfortable location. Definitely going back!
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Now to my grump. While we were eating our dinner a waiter (not ours) came up to us and asked, «Are you folks still eating? Okay if I take this?»
Well… I’m not «folks» and I was obviously still eating. Gino needs to purchase enough containers of crushed red peppers, Parmesan cheese and such to be sure every table has some.
The response from the waiter after we said we were still using it was what prompted me to speak to the manager. The manager went out of his way to apologize and we were insistent that we were not upset — just not that wasn’t the level of service we would normally expect from Gino.
again, some growing pains for the restaurant.
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Pick any of the pizza joints cropping up around town that are of this genre and it isn’t a pizza I would want to take home and eat later. Grab it and take it home to eat while still hot? Yes! I feel the same way about Neal’s or Martha’s.
Saved two slices for the significant other. Take this one with a grain of salt — she didn’t think it was all that good. She doesn’t like sweet tomato sauce and thought it was overly sweet. I liked it.

Taking over the spots left open by the departures of Zest! and Twist, the Pizzi Family has introduced Diavola Pizza to the SoBro area of Indy to expand upon the rich Italian dining heritage they first brought up with the praised Ambrosia.
Billing themselves as «Pizza Wickedness,» Diavola serves up a retro Italian vibe with a dark, intimate interior along with booths/​tables that emphasize the communal experience with most settings accommodating at least four people. The building is an older strip center that also houses Dancing Donut. It’s an interesting building in that several of the shops in the strip have a step going into them, though Diavola isn’t one of them. The building also has several curb cuts, though it actually offers no identified accessible parking despite having 3 – 4 spots that do have a small aisle next to them that would prove ideal for someone in a wheelchair. As you enter Diavola’s single glass door, you arrive at a hosting area. They do accept reservations, though my decision was spontaneous and I arrived shortly after 5pm with no problem getting immediate seating. The dining area is decently sized — I was immediately surprised remembering how small I considered both Zest! and Twist.
Diavola has the only Marra Forni Oven in Indiana, an Italian-​made beast of an oven that can «char a perfect crust in 90 seconds.» Diavola also utilizes Antimo Caputo flour, an additive-​free option that is all natural along with Sinatra brand tomatoes. They keep their menu fairly simple — appetizers (or antipasti), salads, pizzas, and a create-​your-​own option that starts off at $ 10. The pizzas offer up several options and should have something to please just about anyone with prices in the $ 11 – 15 range.
I didn’t have any appetizers, though they range from Polpo (charred marinated octopus) to Polpette (meatballs, etc.) and much more. I did notice they don’t have prices on their website menu. They also have a beer & wine menu, though they clearly emphasize wine with only a few local craft brew options.
I was seated at a sizable table near the front of the restaurant where I quickly noticed that the signs on a building across the street sort of muted the Diavola intimacy and ambience. It didn’t ruin it, though it did prove to be a tad distracting given the 60’s Italian-​American style music playing and the restaurant’s warm, unique color scheme.
My server, Rachel, was prompt and helpful. I ordered my usual unsweetened iced tea and was also provided a small glass of water. The iced tea was eventually refilled, while the water was not. I ordered the $ 15 Macellaio that comes with homemade tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, capicola, pancetta, pepperoni, and sweet Italian sausage. It was a decent sized pie, they all come in one size, and would likely easily accommodate two individuals but I also didn’t have much trouble finishing that sucker myself. The pizza, as has been noted, is somewhat reminiscent of Napolese. If you require cookie-​cutter consistency in your pizza, you may not embrace the more unpredictable, experimental nature of this type of pizza dining. I found the pizza to be good, but shy of greatness. I had two slices, in particular, that were a tad chewier in texture than I’d have liked but overall I was satisfied and certainly wouldn’t have sent it back.
I didn’t feel rushed, though I didn’t necessarily feel encouraged to relax. At the Diavola price point, which is definitely a notch above some of Indy’s favorite pies, I’d prefer to feel a little more welcome and a little more relaxed. My bill came in at just over $ 19 — a tad higher than I’d usually go on a weeknight, but a nice and reasonable splurge after a long work day.
I did notice as I left that the sidewalk is in a bit of disrepair and one of my wheelchair wheels actually hit a crack in the sidewalk and I nearly tumbled. I’d recommend this be addressed as soon as possible as it certainly poses a potential risk.
If I could, I’d likely lean toward 3 ½ stars. The recently opened Diavola still seems to be working some bugs out, but it was nice to visit the place before news starts to spread. My overall feeling was that the pizza was a slightly above average value made better by its fresh, authentic ingredients. However, it’s slightly higher priced than some area indie pizza joints and will need to improve somewhat in consistency and hospitality if it wants to become a stand-​out. It didn’t strike me as kid-​friendly, though a handful of kids were in Diavola’s by the time I left and it seemed just fine. I did have one incident that I thought would turn into a major faux pas when another server moved a chair from a table and blocked my way out, but after a couple minutes she moved it and cleared the aisle. The restaurant’s interior is pretty darn wheelchair friendly with plenty of space between tables and multiple options available.

I know comparison is the thief of joy, but I just couldn’t help comparing Diavola to Napolese, which I feel is a very similar restaurant in pretty much the same area of town. Both mine and my dinner mate’s opinion: Diavola was not as good.
I ordered a glass of wine, the Tricolore salad and the Domenico pizza. I was expecting the salad to be quite large for a $ 10 price, but it wasn’t. It was slightly larger than a normal side salad… which usually costs about $ 4. Once again, comparing it to Napolese — their salads are huge and are around the $ 10-​$ 12 price point and are ripe for sharing. These are not. Boo!
The pizza was just okay although the crust was excellent. I thought the toppings were fine, but the chicken on my pizza was dry. It just wasn’t as good as I was expecting It wasn’t super flavorful and honestly just tasted ho hum, like a pizza from anywhere. Also, the bathroom doesn’t have a sink in it — it’s a communal trough outside the door. That’s the first time that I’ve ever seen something like that… I find it a bit strange.
Service was good and my water glass was always full, which is definitely appreciated. I think that Diavola was fine, but for its price point and also its location, I can find something better.

I tried Diavola this weekend with a large group and all of us were impressed. The restaurant accepted a reservation for 9 people on a Friday night, so that’s already a major plus. 2 of those 9 happened to be three year olds. We could tell immediately upon walking in that this is not an ideal restaurant for kids — very dark and intimate. However, it was loud so the kids really didn’t end up being a problem and the waitstaff was very gracious with them. The noise level did make it hard for our large party to talk together, though. The ambience is much better suited to a date night than a large family gathering.
On to food and drink. They’re billed as a wine bar, but we all ended up ordering from the small but local beer selection. I don’t recall seeing a cocktail list, but perhaps that is available at the bar. We ordered 2 appetizers — the bruschetta and the baked goat cheese. I was particularly impressed with the bruschetta — very light and flavorful. For pizza, we ordered the Bianca (white), Ortolana (eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and artichokes), and a make your own with Italian sausage. All were absolutely delicious with a perfectly crispy crust. My favorite was the Ortolana, very unique and a great combination for a veggie pizza.
Definitely check out Diavola, but do it as a date rather than a large group outing.

Pretty good spot. You’ll only find salads and pizza on the main menu. But there are some creative appetizer dishes. For starters, the Caprino baked goat cheese is hands-​down delicious. I mean, the housemade sauce is BAM good! And the oven toasted bread is oh-​so-​crisp. For pizza I ordered the Parma. The shaved parmagiano cheese and arugula was great although the prosciutto flavor was a bit subdued to me. Overall, the service was attentive and the vibe is sleek and contemporary. You could bring a dinner party and slink back into the booths along the wall. Or just stop in the bar section and chill for a while. I was very impressed with my sangiovese wine. Delicious on the nose. Delicious altogether. Yummmmmmmmm.
But I’m bummed there weren’t any specials. I’m also bummed that none of the desserts were made in-​house. The chocolate bomba from a sealed package actually tasted great. But with all the veritable dessert spots in Indy you’d be spoiled elsewhere for your sweet tooth. And the massive diabolical oven was gas; no coal or wood burning here. Wamp Wamp. Don’t get me wrong, the crust was still pretty good. It’s just… c’mon.nothing beats some burnin’ love.

The wife considers their baked goat cheese as one of the better ones we’ve had in Indy, the red sauce was pretty tasty. The diavola pizza we ordered was good. The one size pie (large enough for 2 people) was thin style, flaky, crispy and at the same time soft and chewy with good flavor and not too bready. Not a full bar so had to settle for a local beer and wine Place was cozy and looks nice, with the big wood fire oven visible as soon as you walkin. Though not fan of the restroom setup having the communal sink outside. We got in early Friday evening and were sitted right away before it got busy. Service was great and overall enjoyed our dinner.

We met another couple here for dinner on Fri night at 6 and it was already hopping with large family groups and several couples having dinner. We were seated at a table in the bar, which was slightly darker than sitting at one of the regular tables. They have a small beer menu and a larger wine menu. I was hoping to try the charred octopus appetizer but they were out so my husband and I got the meatball appetizer which was delicious. Each of us got a different pizza and they were all wonderful. The crust had the right mix of char, crisp and chew. The pancetta they use is thinly sliced, not diced and crisp as I was used to, but still tasty. Wait time for food was a little long, possibly since it was crowded, but likely to improve once they’ve been open a little longer. We will definitely be back to try some other apps and pizza.

It’s nice to have another option for Neapolitan-​style pizza nearby. We ordered carry out on a Wednesday night and it was ready very quickly. We had the Polpette (meatballs) and the Margherita pizza.
The pizza was incredible. Exactly what a true margherita pizza should be. It’s among the top I’ve had in the US that even come close to the authentic pies in Italy.
Initially, I was bummed when I didn’t see an option for buffalo mozzarella but turns out it didn’t need the extra boost. The mozzarella cheese (fior de latte) they source is really good! It pairs perfectly with their simple tomato sauce. The dough was perfectly seasoned and charred just the right amount.
The Polpette: The housemade pomodoro sauce was outstanding! I could have eaten it like a soup. It was bursting with all the right flavors. The meatballs were a bit too dense for my preference but the flavor was great and I didn’t get any unpleasant pangs of anise seed (the worst!).
All staff I encountered on pickup were very friendly and attentive. The person manning the wood fired oven was interactive with me about the status of my foods preparations which was a nice touch.
I’m glad to see that this space went to good use. Even more importantly, I have a new regular pizza spot to add to my close to home list!

Great pizza and atmosphere. We had high expectations for this space after the closing of Zest/​Twist and they exceeded it. Very friendly service and a good wine list. Great potential!