My first mistake was probably deciding to eat pizza in Paris instead of grabbing falafel or crêpes…read moreor eating at a sidewalk cafe.
But seriously, props to the owner of Pink Flamingo for opening up a gimmicky pizza place by the Canal Saint-Martin, which is an area swarming with hip millennials with perfect Instagram presences. Pink Flamingo gives customers the option to sit by the canal, where an employee will deliver the pizza by locating the pink balloon given to them when they ordered. This is a genius idea that boosts brand recognition by garnering tons of Instagram likes for customers. Welcome to the 21st century.
When we got to Pink Flamingo shortly after it opened for lunch on a summer day, the employee behind the counter told us that they weren't doing the balloon delivery system that day, without specifying why. That was a bummer to say the least, as it was pretty much the only reason why we had decided to go to Pink Flamingo, but since we were there already, we took a seat outside.
Our server was incredibly kind, even offering to adjust the awning, totally unprompted, if we wanted to sit in the shade. Although he was very modest about his English proficiency when I began our conversation with "Parlez-vous anglais?" he brought over our pizzas with a flourish, declaring our meal "the best pizza in Paris." Not too sure about that, but I'd agree that you'll be able to find the best customer service at a Parisian pizzeria here.
Like a previous reviewer pointed out, the pizzas here are creative (look no further if you were ever curious about what Indian food would look like in pizza form... for €14) but a little expensive. I wasn't interested in any of the more interesting takes on pizza, which would've set me back €14-17. I went with the Dante for €11.50, which was basically a margherita pizza with fresh tomatoes. Unfortunately, this substitution probably works better in theory, because the tomatoes made the pizza a little soggy.
I did, however, really dig Pink Flamingo's international influence. I have no idea why European restaurants are obsessed with outdated American diner decor (think Poppies of fish and chips fame in London), but hey, if you ever wanted to eat at a pink diner, take a seat inside. Many of the pizzas have international themes, such as the aforementioned Gandhi pizza (Indian), Björk (Icelandic), Obama (Hawaiian lol), Che (Cuban), and so on.
