Once upon a time, in a borough not so far away, a girl ate a slice of pizza (and then another, and another) that changed her life forever. Situated under the Brooklyn Bridge in a charming, old building, Grimaldi’s pizza is a New York City must.
Upon turning the corner onto Old Fulton St., I was bombarded by a line of about thirty to forty people completely wrapped around the building—always a sign of really good food. Despite the line, it wasn’t long before an older gentleman escorted my friends and I to a table. The seven of us sat squeezed into the back corner of the upstairs dining room. Immediately after entering the restaurant, I noticed that the environment felt warm and welcoming and smelled absolutely delicious. Every table is set with paper plates, cups and plastic cutlery atop a red and white checkered table cloth. You can actually watch the chefs kneading the dough and making the pizza on the first floor of the restaurant. To give it that real authentic taste, each pizza is cooked in an old-fashioned brick oven set to 1000 degrees Farenheit.
The menu, while not very extensive, features a variety of toppings to choose from that will appeal to virtually anyone’s taste buds. As a table, my six friends and I ordered 4 pizzas and one was more delicious than the next—a white pie, margarita pie, meatball pie and vegetarian pie (photographed below). We were able to take about a box’s worth of left-overs home with us for the next week. When the check came, we were all pleasantly surprised—certainly within a college student’s budget. Also note that there are no individual slices sold, and credit cards are not accepted. For those of you who are over the age of 21, Grimaldi’s liquor license is pending but you can enjoy a wide variety of soft drinks and water while you’re there.
Overall, the experience was definitely worth the travel time. With a fun atmosphere, good service and delicious food, Grimaldi’s pizza is a New York City treasure that will keep you coming back for more!