Grimaldi Pizza Brooklyn NY

[rtk88]

I was at Grimaldis Pizza in Brooklyn not to long ag to find they moved next door . I didnt go in . Did the coal oven go with them in the new building . Did a new place open in their old location and is it as good ???

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Grimaldi's
1 Front St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

[Motosport]

We heard the hype about Grimaldi's and went there as a group last Spring. It was a beautiful day and we planned to take the pizzas down to the park on the river and eat "Al fresco" (I knew his cousin Bruno).
We figured we would call ahead for take out and avoid the wait. We tried calling for 45 minutes on our way from Midtown Manhattan. No one answered. We got there about noon and there was a long line. They let me order without waiting on line and it still took over an hour to get 4 pizzas. I asked why they did not answer the phone which was ringing the whole time I was there. "We're too busy!". Go figure? While waiting I chatted up the folks on line. Not one NYC native. One couple from Omaha!
The pizza was good but not worth the wait. I have had better @ Totonno, Lucali and L&B Spumoni Garden all in Brooklyn.

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Grimaldi's
1 Front St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

[knarfwhite]

I used to go there on a regular basis for lunch but when the tourist lines starting forming by 12 pm it just became not worth it. It was good but I would say Nick's in Forest Hills is better. They have a better sauce and other extras like an awesome house special salad and great cannolis. I also will try Juliana's when it opens.

[Pookipichu]

Nick's is definitely better than Grimaldi's and on par with Lucalis. Difara's stands above them both.

[JonL]

The old location is being taken over by the original owner, Patsy Grimaldi. It will be called Juliana. It retains the coal oven which can only run via grandfathering laws which would be null/void if moved. Grimaldi's is open in its new location, I believe. While I try to be immune to the hype machine, there is no doubt in my mind that the difference between exceptional pizza years ago from Grimaldi's nee Patsy's and the last number of years of poor-to-good inconsistent pizza is the 'new' owners' understanding that the quality of the product seemed have little affect on the daily lines of tourists.
I do not know the latest time projection for the opening of Juliana.

[rtk88]

Awesome will you post when it opens ? I like D Farras a lot . Any other great pizza you would recommend around the area

[porker]

I'm not sure JonL's response merits an "awesome"...
I'm just sayin.

[JonL]

You can keep tabs here:
http://www.julianaspizza.com/

In the actual area, Fascati's on Henry St. is a good slice place. Not outstandingly special but good neighborhood pizza.
This
http://wildrise.com/
with its very limited hours was reviewed on this board a while ago.
And out of the immediate Dumbo area there are a number of whole pie options including Sottocasa and Lucali . And of course a lot more---this is Brooklyn.

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Lucali
575 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

Fascati
80 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

68 Jay Street Bar
68 Jay St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Sottocasa Pizzeria
298 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201

[rtk88]

Jon Thanks for that info . Would you share some of those places with me so I can give them a try . I am known to drive 3 hrs for good pizza . I really think its one of my favorite foods

[JonL]

Chowhound and Google seaches of extensive best Brooklyn pizza discussions will get you much much more info than anything I can provide. Good luck.

[squid kun]

Grimaldi's somehow got the city to bend the rules and allow a new coal oven ... http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/...

[JonL]

Whoa--I totally missed that the story kept on writing itself. Thought it was over, done & in the books. Thanks for the info.

[rtk88]

I wanted to say thanks to all you guys for all this information

[rtk88]

They may be touristy but when my brother was sick last summer and wanted to get to grimaldis before he passed and I asked my sister in law in manhatten to go there and get me 5 pies and they were so nice to her .
They discounted her order w/o asking and gave her free cannolis . They didnt have to do that either . I cant say anything but good about them and I do like their pizza Ive always had good luck there

[rtk88]

Thats real interesting . Two pizza places now . Frank Pepes opened a new store in Hartford and it wasnt as good as the one in New Haven . i think it was the new oven . I was therein New Haven last weekend and had a clam pizza it was pretty good , I like several pizza places and they are all real good and each is a little different in its own way and that makes it hard for me to say one is better than the other

[Jeffsayyes]

I think all or most of the grimaldis, around the world, are coal ovens. there actually isn't the grandfather clause, maybe it has to do with their ability to control the fumes.
As long as they can control the exhaust, it's okay. Coal is difficult though, so places don't do it.

[Bkeats]

Its good to hear that Patsy is opening a new place in the old place. I used to go regularly even after he lost the lawsuit and had to change the name. It was great the way Patsy used to circulate through the room keeping tabs on what was going on. I wonder if they will bring back the old jukebox. I have not been to Grimaldi's in years. Happy to support Juliana, at least at the start.

[Pookipichu]

Grimaldi's is woefully mediocre pizza.

[BillyBob]

I'm piling on - I can't even bear to write anything about Grimaldi's. Its not that it is bad. Its not that it is good. Its really nothing but expensive, with a dollop of rudeness on the top. How about spectacularly mediocre? I drove by the other weekend and there was a long line waiting outside. Already. It made me depressed. I'd like to try Juliana's.

[rtk88]

Billy bob : What place to you consider is your favorite ?

[BillyBob]

We end up at lucali's (it's close to us), Toby's ( we like the pizza and the space on a nice afternoon), totonno's when we want to drive to coney island, and sometimes franny's We used to make the trek to Di fara's but lost interest with the hype and the wait. We liked Sotto casa on Atlantic but the pies tend to come out a little undercooked. When we just need quick delivery, usually Ignacio's.

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Lucali
575 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

Di Fara Pizza
1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn, NY 11230

Franny's
295 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217

Totonno's Pizzeria Napolitano
1524 Neptune Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11224

Toby's Public House
686 6th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215

Ignazio's Pizza
4 Water St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Sottocasa Pizzeria
298 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201

[rtk88]

This looks like a good list for sure
i'll be trying them all out

[tex.s.toast]

A good list to be sure - id say we have pretty similar tastes in pizza, though im not a huge fan of lucali's crisp crust. Pizza Cotto Bene on 3rd ave makes a good pie as well, its not quite as old school as totonnos, or as new-fangled as the other choices on the list, but i like that they use lioni mozz and its way closer than schlepping to coney island too.

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Lucali
575 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

Cotta Bene
291 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215

[rtk88]

Yea .I think pizza is one of my favorite things to eat

[Motosport]

I agree!! Is there really any bad pizza? Even Pizza Hut is acceptable when there are no other choices.

[Bob Martinez]

Yes. There is plenty of bad pizza. There's even more mediocre pizza out there.

[Motosport]

Ever try one of those 99 cent places in Manhattan?

[rtk88]

I dont know it really hurts my feelings when I get bad pizza .