Discover Grimaldi’s Pizzeria: A Brooklyn Icon

People say Grimaldi’s has the “best pizza in Brooklyn.” There’s no question that this is good pizza. Even, sometimes, excellent. Grimaldi’s Pizzeria in DUMBO seems to be in every guidebook to New York. It’s strategically located right beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, and the lines of tourists and locals waiting for a pie testify to Grimaldi’s popularity.

Grimaldi’s is nestled in a historic DUMBO bank building that features a charming garden. In the summer, it accommodates up to 125 people. However, be forewarned—there’s usually a long line of people waiting for a table, as a wave of tourists keeps pouring over the Brooklyn Bridge.

Grimaldi Pizza Basics

The pizzeria is located at 1 Front Street, on the corner of Fulton Street and offers valet parking. You can call (718) 858-4300. The hours are Monday – Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10:45 p.m.; Friday 11:30 a.m. to 11:45 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 11:45 p.m.

Brooklyn’s Grimaldi’s

Here’s the deal: At Grimaldi’s, they serve only pies—no slices. Moreover, there are no reservations, no credit cards, and no nonsense. The menu is equally concise and includes a choice of basic pizza toppings. You can order one kind of antipasto, soda, house wine or beer, and a few desserts. Grimaldi’s is uncomplicated yet has built a strong reputation.

Like Grimaldi’s menu, the restaurant decor is modest, simple, and focused. Tables are adorned with traditional red-checkered tablecloths.

Grimaldi’s success can be attributed to the excellence of their pizza, their location in a spot increasingly popular with tourists, and the effectiveness of their marketing strategies.

The One Front Street building features a charming facade reminiscent of a historical movie setting. Inside, the two-story structure stands as a testament to the many restaurateurs who have tried and failed to succeed in this location.

About the Menu and Price

People go wild for Grimaldi’s pies, which come in either six or eight-slice sizes. Yes, one person can easily consume a whole pie because Grimaldi’s specializes in very thin crust pizzas, using light cheese and flavorful sauce. The crusts are delicately burned and served hot from the oven. Pizza enthusiasts rave about the perfect balance of pizza basics: crust and crunch, sauce and cheese, the harmonious blend of flavors.

Unlike some New York City pizzerias that serve hefty slices packed with cheese and sauce, Grimaldi’s pizzas are lighter and airier.

What’s the secret to Grimaldi’s acclaim? They pride themselves on “fresh ingredients, handmade mozzarella, ‘secret recipe’ dough, and pizza sauce.” Additionally, it is rumored that their fresh tomatoes are imported from Italy. And let’s not overlook Grimaldi’s coal-fired oven, which consumes several dozen pounds of Pennsylvania anthracite daily.

The pizzas are available in two styles, regular or white (the latter indicating no sauce), and are priced between $14 to $18 and up. A variety of toppings—such as basil, garlic, extra sauce, mushrooms, Italian sausage, pepperoni, and ricotta cheese—can be added for an additional $2 to $4 per topping. Patrons can enjoy soda, a selection of standard bottled beers, or house wine with their meals.

Pizzerias Across the US

If Grimaldi’s represents a mom-and-pop pizzeria, it is one that has spawned quite the family tree.

Grimaldi’s today has expanded nationally, with locations in Manhattan, Long Island, and Queens, as well as a number in New Jersey. They have eight pizzerias in Arizona, nine in Texas, and four in Florida and Nevada. With 46 Grimaldi’s Pizzeria restaurants currently in operation, they are now eyeing the international market.

As a Brooklyn institution, Grimaldi’s maintains a national and international reputation, serving as one of Brooklyn’s pizza ambassadors.

Brooklyn Pizza Drama

You can take the pizzeria out of Brooklyn, but the Brooklyn spirit remains firmly in place.

Interestingly, there exists a bit of saucy old-Brooklyn pizza dynasty history attached to Grimaldi’s 2011 move from its former, successful location in DUMBO to the new Front Street site. The two restaurants are merely about 600 feet apart.

According to media reports, Grimaldi’s relocated from its original Fulton Street site to the nearby empty building at One Front Street following a contentious rent dispute.

In a twist, the landlords of the Fulton Street site contacted a previous tenant—Patsy Grimaldi—who came out of retirement after a decade to revive his former business, originally started at the same Fulton Street location. Consequently, Grimaldi found himself at the center of a pizza family drama.

Additionally, there was much speculation as to whether Grimaldi’s could continue to create its fabulous coal-fired oven pizzas due to New York City environmental laws that restrict the construction of new coal-fired ovens. The old, 25-ton oven was left at the prior location. However, the City granted a rare permit for Grimaldi’s to construct a new coal-fired oven at the new Front Street restaurant, possibly influenced by the touristic value of maintaining a pizzeria with an international reputation.

Ultimately, both coal-oven pizzerias—Grimaldi’s on Front Street and Juliana’s, operated by the original Grimaldi himself, located a half-block away on Fulton Street—have the capacity to serve about three times as many patrons as before. Nevertheless, it is advisable to expect long wait times.