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Because I was so dejected over the painfully overrated pies at Una Pizza Napoletana, a good friend suggested that I try a more down-to-earth pizza that’s grown quite famous in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge: Grimaldi’s. Now in addition to the pizza, I was convinced to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge to get there, which was worth it for the experience, even if my feet were crying afterwards.

The Pizza: 10
Definitely a cut above the norm, this pizza is somehow thin but still filling. The crust is a little more on the chewy side, and it makes for perfect foldability, though you probably don’t have to since the slices are already a fairly manageable size and seem to stay together well. The pizza chef’s use a generous amount of fresh mozzarella to cover a tasty sauce that features a perfect helping of basil, and the overall taste is quite worth the trip.
Thus far, this has actually been the best pizza I’ve tried in the city, so I’m bumping it straight up to a 10.

The Toppings: 9
I’m not sure what it was about the toppings on this pizza (mushroom and pepperoni, my favorite) but they enhanced the slices to a whole new level of flavor and, dare I coin a phrase(?), deliciousity. The pepperoni was just the right kind of crispy around the edges and the meaty flavor was infused throughout the slice giving the topping slices great taste and a big texture bonus. The mushrooms were also fresh and delicious, baked into the cheese with love and care.

Other: 4
While I feel a little bad knocking off a point from average on the “Other” rating, the place was completely packed and a line had formed at the door when we arrived at 4:50, which seems to me like a pretty early dinner. I can’t even imagine how hectic it would be at 6:30. The line did move quickly and we were probably only standing there for about 10-15 minutes, which is less than you might wait at a casual dining restaurant on a saturday night, so I can’t fault them too much.
Once inside, we were directed to a table near the back where we could watch the Pizza chefs ply their craft. The seating was a little tight, and it took a little while to get a waiter’s attention, but even all that was forgivable when the delicious pie of delight was brought to our table.

The Bottom Line
This place is 100% worth it. Maybe 200% worth it if you go the easy route and just take the A train. The pizza isn’t cheap ($14 for a large, plus $2 per topping) but unlike Una Pizza Napoletana, you get a good-sized, filling pizza that you can really sink your teeth into. This pizza deserves every bit of adoration it’s loving fans lavish upon it, so if you haven’t been here yet, it’s high time. Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge if you’re up to it and want the scenic view, or just hop the A train and walk a couple of blocks, but either way, you can’t fail to enjoy this pie.

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 10th, 2007 at 2:59 pm and is filed under Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.