Stories
The Pink Flamingo
Figs, pistachios, goat cheese and honey. If you think this sounds like a desert concoction at your corner bistro, think again: these were the toppings of a recent “pizza du jour” creation at Pink Flamingo, Paris’ most avant-garde pizzeria. (On a funny side-note, they named this pizza the Brangelina….perhaps because it’s sweet with an exotic flair?)
Jamie and Marie, a chef from New York and former actress respectively, first opened the Pink Flamingo in 2004 near the Canal St-Martin in the 10ème arrondissement. Thanks to booming business, they have now opened a second location in the heart of the 3ème arrondissement and are looking to expand to Berlin soon. The pizzeria’s working mantra is pas comme les autres (not like the others), and their menu certainly lives up that, offering about a dozen crispy thin-crust pizzas, each topped with fresh albeit unconventional ingredients, and given a catchy moniker. For example, the Ho Chi Minh is tangy blend of chicken, shrimp, green cury, lemongrass, fresh coriander and crushed peanuts while the La Poulidor offers duck breast with goat’s cheese and apple slices. At an average of 13 per pizza, the Pink Flamingo isn’t overly extravagant, and definitely good value. My only complaint is that some of the pizzas were hard to eat by hand because the thin crust occasionally collapsed under the weight and moisture of the toppings – not the largest fault, but enough to ask for extra napkins!
In addition to mouth-watering pizzas, the Pink Flamingo has also capitalized on Parisians’ love of picnics by offering a quirky delivery system. After placing your order on location and paying, you’re given a colored helium balloon attached to a ribbon so that you can be easily spotted – simply let them know where you’re going (where along the Canal or which park in the Marais) and voilà! your pizzas are delivered by bike 20 minutes later. Bring your own wine or beer and you’re set for a posh picnic that offers a bit of variety from the usual cheese-and-baguette routine.
Both locations have seating available if you would rather eat in, but because you get 1 off per pizza if you eat out, and because it’s just so much fun to wait for your pizza with a helium balloon floating around, I wouldn’t recommend it. Browsing their website (link below) ahead of time is a good idea to get a feel for the different pizzas or to view maps of their delivery-radius.
Practical Information
Address 1 : 67, rue Bichat, Paris 10ème
Metro : Jacques-Bonsergent, line 5
Tel : 01 42 02 31 70
Address 2 : 105, rue Vieille du Temple, Paris 3ème
Metro: Saint-Sebastien-Froissart, line 8
Tel : 01 42 71 28 20
Website : http://www.pinkflamingopizza.com/
by Caroline Boulos
