Grimaldi's - Brooklyn

The first stop on our tour was Grimaldi's, just across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan (map), a pretty inexpensive cab ride from the Theater District. We arrived at 11:15 AM, waiting for an 11:30 opening, to avoid what can be long waits. Part of the charm, I suppose, is the unfortunately crumbling tile out front (a sign that used to read as the original "Patsy Grimaldi's" before a family split that led to this being "Grimdaldi's" and another pizzeria being "Patsy's").



Here's another shot from out in front as we waited (click on any photo for a larger image).

They didn't open until about 11:40, but I guess anticipation makes the pizza taste better?




Here is a shot inside the restaurant as we waited... it didn't start filling up until noon or so. Even with the Sinatra photos all over the one wall, Johnny Cash was playing... we love Johnny Cash, but it somehow didn't fit the scene.





Here is our pizza -- we ordered a regular sized "pie" with sausage and garlic. The crumbled sausage and roasted garlic, with a bit of diced basil, topped our crushed tomatoes and mozzarella.






Side shot of my first piece... the crushed tomatoes had a very good fresh flavor and the mozzarella was the real standout, great flavor, very fresh. The crust had a good flavor, nice browning and just a bit of puffiness.





The browning on the bottom of the crust. This was thicker in the middle than Naples 45 (and Pizzeria Bianco), so it was just a bit doughier, but very tasty.






A shot of the place as we left at about 12:30. Definitely worth the trip, outstanding pizza... but we left thinking we still preferred the wood-burning oven style at Naples 45 and Biancos. Still, we were thankful for having visited such a historic pizzeria. Decent, efficient service... a carafe of the house red... a good time.