It's a '90s NYC Pizza Party at Greenpoint's Diamond Slice

When he was a kid running around the streets of Greenpoint, Peter Chrostowski, a self-described "proud son of two Polish immigrants," used to pop into Park Deli all the time, grabbing a soda or a sandwich from the neighborhood institution. Chrostowski's grandmother lived right down the block from the deli, and he went to school, and church, at St. Stan's nearby. Basically, at this very specific location on the corner of Diamond and Nassau, Chrostowski's roots run deep. 

Fast forward past Chrostowski growing up; jumping into the restaurant business; helping to open the coffee and sandwich shop Early on Manhattan Avenue and then a cafe (named Calyer after the street he grew up on) in Clinton Hill; to when, during the early pandemic, like so many other chefs around town, he taught himself how to make pizza in his apartment kitchen.  

"We began doing a pop-up at Calyer called After Hours Pizza, every Friday at 6, just me and my wife Martha," Chrostowski told Hell Gate. "We did it for a year, and then set our sights on opening a real pizzeria. I wanted to do it in my hometown, and one day when I was visiting my grandma, just walking my dog, I saw a 'For Lease' sign going up at Park Deli, and immediately jumped at the opportunity. This place is pretty special to me." 

And so, Diamond Slice was born.