Move aside, Cowabunga Pizzeria, there's a new pizza joint in Ontario that's been getting all the buzz this summer.

Despite having only opened this past June, St. Catharine's Di's Pizza Pies has already made a name for itself, earning a glowing 4.9-star Google Review average and landing on a number of local eating guides during its short time in business.

Founded by the Niagara-based folks behind Oast House Brewers, the Brooklyn-style slice and soda shop has been taking the area by storm with their host of creative New York-style pies served amid a nostalgic atmosphere.

It's not just the droolworthy slices and lively atmosphere that's got Di's on the mind of everyone who stops by, though — the location, which owner Cian MacNeill purchased in 2018, is actually something of local legend.

Prior to it's current bout as a pizza shop, the space at 115 St. Paul Street was home to local favourite Diana Sweets Diner, which, in addition to giving Di's Pizza Pies its name, was the inspiration for St. Catharine's native Ron Sexmith's song, "Diana Sweets."

"Many locals were stopping in during our renovations and telling us of their personal stories and connection to the diner [and] boxed chocolate retailer," Cian tells blogTO, reminiscing on the not-too-distant early days of the shop.

"Coupled with some beautiful left over interior elements including old terrazzo tile with the words Diana Sweets in it [and] original mosaic tiled floors, we decided we wanted to create a brand that would honour the history of this legendary hub of St. Catharines' hospitality scene."

In its heyday, Cian says, the diner was affectionately referred to as Di's or The Di by locals, so Di's Pizza Pies stuck.

 

 

 

 

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Serving everything from the classics, like cheese and pepperoni, to their signature Di-zza, which is topped with gravy, pastrami and potato, perhaps a small part of Di's success comes from having something for everyone.

Standard pizzas are there for the less-adventurous, while elevated versions of classics, like their take on a Hawaiian pizza, with Kalua pig, pickled pineapple and chimichurri, allow others to step out of the box while being assured they'll still land softly on a droolworthy pillow of dough, cheese and sauce.

For Cian, who says that business has been steadily ramping up for the restaurant ever since opening, a major reason behind the pizza joint's success was its ability to fill a need in downtown St. Catharine's for "relatively quick but high quality takeout."

Not to be understated, the quality element can be felt from your first step into the shop until the last I-know-I-shouldn't-but-I-have-to bite.

"Outside of our obsession to deliver warm and friendly service, I think what makes Di’s unique is that literally everything we make is from scratch and right from the heart," Cian tells blogTO.

This is not only evident in the steaming hot pies, homemade dipping sauces (which include options like "Everything Garlic" and "Di's Gravy Dip") and freshly baked sweets, but down to the soda, which is also made in-house.

 

 

 

 

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"One of the recurring themes from all of the Diana Sweets stories was the cherry cola," says Cian. "So many people brought it up that we made it our mission to create a top notch recipe that would capture that old signature cherry cola essence."

After the positive reception from their cherry cola exploit, the pizza joint also added a line of Italian sodas made using locally-grown fruits from the Niagara area.

While Di's Pizza Pies may seem like an outlier — a rare gem among the hum-drum in St. Catharine's — according to Cian, that actually couldn't be further from the truth. Rather, Di's is part of a larger transition happening in the city.

"There's a bit of a renaissance going on downtown St. Catharines and a lot of cool stuff is happening," he tells blogTO.

"I think the beautiful architecture, parks, arts community, eclectic shops, up-and-coming food and beverage scene are, in itself, starting to create attention and resonate with people both local and from out of town."

In short, on top of the belief that "people will always support delicious, well-made pizza," Cian suggests that Di's is, in some ways, representative of a new dawn for St. Catharine's, and locals are simply eager to support it.

For your next roadtrip to St. Catharine's, Di's Pizza Pies is currently open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and Sunday, and 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.