Grimaldi’s

10/12/2014

We had dinner at Grimaldi's on Saturday night.  Although the place was completely full when we got there, there was a very short wait for a table for 2.  

We got seated and one of the servers took our order after a few minutes.  We had a large half plain white and half red with pepperoni.  Simple, but always hits the spot.  Our drinks came right away and the pizza came about 10-15 minutes later.  It was piping hot and tasty!  What I love about Grimaldi's is that they're always consistent.  It has just enough garlic, sauce and cheese.  Unlike Lombardi's which has hardly any cheese.

We wrapped up the leftover pizza and paid.  They only take cash so make sure you have enough on-hand.  

Service is always on point too.  The guys are always attentive.

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  Half Plain White and Half Red with Pepperoni

  Half Plain White and Half Red with Pepperoni

10/7/2014

I like Neapolitan-style pizzas - thicker end but a thin crust that droops so it's foldable. Anyway, theirs were fantastic. The large sizes will do for a few people. Of course, we had to order two large pizzas splitting each in half/half toppings. A nice first meal to energize after the cross-country flight.

This place looks like a small church. At first, we thought the side patio would lead to the front door, of the next building over. But in fact, left of the patio was the door, up a few steps as if going into the small church. Inside totally felt like a pizza joint.

10/5/2014

This would be a five-star joint if they ever get a liquor license. First of all, it's Grimaldi's pizza, one of the best pizzas in the city. Second, compared to the original, it's in Manhattan, and you don't have to wait in ridiculous lines and feel pressured to leave. The place was half-empty on a Saturday night, and half of the seats that were taken were taken up by families (prolly the no liquor license).

I gotta say, I haven't been to the original spot in years, but it seems that this za is a bit different from the originals, but I might have to revisit the original to be sure. Regardless, this pizza is top notch. They put the cheese under the sauce here, which ain't bad. The wife and I had a large spicy italian sausage and onions, and we polished the whole thing off. It's a big large pizza. The crust is near perfect, foldable, delicious, although a bit droopy toward the middle which warrants knife and fork eating initially. The toppings are excellent: flavorful and balance the sweetness of the sauce well.

If this place ever gets a liquor license, I imagine it would get lots more business, including mine.

9/5/2014

What a cute little place! I love that they have some outdoor seating. I had a garden salad and a chicken parm pizza. Both were delicious. Although it was thin crust, it was filling & the sauce is delicious.
Cash only.

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  Pizza with fresh garlic, Italian sausage and mushrooms.

  Pizza with fresh garlic, Italian sausage and mushrooms.
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  Grimaldi Salad (roasted red peppers, onions, olives, mushrooms, tomatoes)

  Grimaldi Salad (roasted red peppers, onions, olives, mushrooms, tomatoes)

9/1/2014

Good, thin crust pizza. The toppings can get a little pricey. This place is way less crowded than the Brooklyn location that made it famous.

All in all, pretty expensive pizza in a city where you can spit and find a good, reasonably-prized slice.

Still, if you're in the area and don't mind paying a bit more, definitely worth it to stop in and get a pie.

9/30/2014

You would think that a Grimaldi's in NY would be better than the one in Las Vegas...right?  You would be wrong.  This wasn't anything like the one in Vegas.  The flavor was off.  The meat, the tomatoes, and the crust was different.   This place is small.  I'm guessing 25 people max.  Thank goodness I brought cash because they only accept cash.  Very disappointing to eat here with an expectation of it being better than the exceptional pizza that we got in Vegas.

8/28/2014

Best pizza I've had in NYC so far. Decent size and price, crispy without being paper-thin, delicious. The restaurant is pretty no-frills but the service was excellent and accommodating to us and our antsy toddler. We had takeout before but it's best straight outta the oven.

FYI: Cash only, no slices.

9/26/2014

Cash only no slices and just perfect. Sat outside and thoroughly enjoyed. Definite yes.

9/28/2014

Not crowded, no wait. Sat outside & waited 15 minutes with no service at all before leaving. I thought the service was terrible in Brooklyn because it was so busy, but I guess it's just the Grimaldis theme. All the servers were just huddled up gabbing away. Rude.

8/6/2014

What I've had: Plain Pie & Pepperoni Pie
Would I go back: Just to this location not the "famous" one under the Brooklyn Bridge
Story: First tried Grimaldi's at the unrenowned location which after tasting the "famous" tasted just as good if not better because i didnt have to wait in the ridiculous line. Pizza is very fresh, crisp crust, everything that you want in NY Pizza essentially is emobodied in Grimaldi's Pies.

8/15/2014

Cash only operation.  We walked in without a reservation and were seated immediately.  You can dine in or order it to go.  Friendly service.  Casual atmosphere.  Clean, large single-stall bathroom in the back.

The pizza wasn't spectacular - just okay - but I applaud their use of simple, fresh ingredients.  We ordered the Small, which was actually the size of a large pizza!  But it's on a thin tasty crust, so it'll disappear from the pan rather quickly.  We got the regular (basil, mozzarella, tomato sauce) with Italian sausage, mushrooms, and onions.

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  Small w/ Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions

  Small w/ Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions

9/11/2014

I was pleasantly surprised to find out they opened a location in Manhattan. Pizza was not only delicious from the charred crust to the fresh ingredients laid out on top, but the wait for your food is next to nothing. The smells will excite the senses while your taste buds water at the sight of a pizza so authenticate even nona would approve. PS the large calzone is the size of your head so do plan to share with 2 or more people, unless you have a big appetite.  t

7/25/2014

Pizza was ok. Taste was unique with fresh basil and drizzled with olive oil. Smelled wonderful but I would not say beat pizza. No refills on our waters. Wait staff scraped tables off with menus instead of wiping clean.pizza was burned. Probably would not come back but can say I have eaten here.
But a different waiter Johnathan appeared to be very helpful and is extremely easy on the eyes:) and one last edition No delivery no reservation no credit cards no slices: so many no s. But very quickly made and we were so hungry so maybe its a 2.5-3. Definetly 3 if johnathan is the waiter.

7/3/2014

Absolutely delicious.

I was visiting New York for a few days while on vacation and I dragged my family all over the city to find this place because I just HAD to try Grimaldi's.

They were a bit dubious at first because when we walked in it was dead empty, but needless to say, they were glad we walked 2 miles to find it. We ordered the Regular Margherita Pizza and loved it. Being from Los Angeles, I've never had authentic New York Pizza but this completely exceeded my expectations. Everything from the cheese, the sauce, the crust, was perfectly flavorful and proportional. Literally the most perfect pizza I've ever tasted.

7/11/2014

I still believe Grimaldi's is a classic pizza. Similar to what others have said, it's not the best pizza I've ever had. Nonetheless, it's worth the visit, especially if you're in the area.

Service is good. Pizza is yummy. :)

9/2/2014

Cool spot. Great location. Went somewhat early on a Labor Day Saturday. Good service. Excellent Grimaldi salad....fresh ingredients and the dressing was amazing. Pizza was just ok to me. Maybe it was the fact I couldn't just buy it by the slice *shrugs* which was strange, but great crispiness from the mid point up but a bit soggy in the center, however the cheese and ingredients were fresh. I would go back, but it wouldn't be my first choice but I do want to try the Brooklyn location as that's the one I've heard so much about. Don't forget to bring cash, as that's all this location accepts.

6/12/2014

The worst pizza place I've been to!
DO NOT go to this place!
Came here with a party of 3. Ordered White Pizza and it was horrible. The best way to describe their food is bland. Like most Americans, I like my portions big and my prices cheap. Didn't find it here.

The service is bad too. Then it took 20 minutes for him to take our food order. Slow, slow, slow and slow. Damn, they're so slow. Food was set down and it seemed like everyone disappeared. I will never go back to this place and i highly encourage no one else to as well. This place was a waste of time and effort.

7/31/2014

My favourite pizza in NYC, hands down. I only ever get a pepperoni pizza and it is always delicious. It tastes the same as the one in Brooklyn.
This pizza is even better than some I've had in Italy. It's definitely rough around the edges, but if you're kind to your server they are kind to you! A smile and a thank you can go a long way at a restaurant.
I'm a born and raised italian so it's very hard to find pizza like they make back home. l I've gone to a lot of the recommended places but nothing comes close to Grimaldi's.

8/20/2014

Great margarita pizza.  Only wish that you could order by the slice (especially since it's in a neighborhood full of lunch spots).

10/3/2014 Updated review

The very best! Just like in Brooklyn! I have been coming to Grimaldi's in Brooklyn since I lived in the Bronx in 1999 then I started coming back from PA every time I came to NY... I learned of the Manhattan restaurant and it is just as good!!! Hard to choose a different pizza... I love it with pepperoni and capers... You must try it! Enjoy end get hooked!

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  A beautiful piece of heaven!

  A beautiful piece of heaven!
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  Delicious!!! Pepperoni and capers!

  Delicious!!! Pepperoni and capers!

9/21/2014

Nice spot almost lost in the larger buildings.  We stopped on for late night treat and chose well.  Few tables with some outside seats on the side of the building.  Two sizes of pie sm and lg and  toppings are all additional.  We ordered two small one with sausage, onions and garlic the other plain with cheese.  No beer or wine yet, license is pending so soda was the drink.  The first pizza arrived and we were almost finished eating when thw server finally informed us they had burned the plain pie and were making us a new one.  This was somewhat awkward because two people were finished eating and two still had no food.  Finally the food arrived and everyone was happy.  Pizza was fresh with a nice sauce and fresh mozzarella,  sausage was bland so it added nothing to the taste. Crust thin but nothing to rave about.  There are many better spots in town to eat so this is off our list.  This is a cash only spot and no single slices server.  One nice thing the server comped the burned pizza for us.  That was a plus for their coustomer service

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  Tomato and cheese pie

  Tomato and cheese pie
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  Sausage onion and garlic

  Sausage onion and garlic
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  Buffalo and tomato

  Buffalo and tomato

5/9/2014

It was definitely great pizza, but I also think the brand is a lot more hyped than it should be.

My boyfriend and I got a large regular pizza with italian sausage, sweet red peppers, and mushrooms. The basil added a nice flavor to the pizza, for overall it didn't taste exceptional or anything. It was just good pizza, and that's all.

8/30/2014

Consistently great pizza and fast service. Everything is fresh and the pizzas are large and hearty. We usually get sausage, extra cheese, and roasted peppers. The cannolis are also really tasty and quite big. Don't expect great ambience or waiters who fawn over you (they're totally nice, just not overly friendly) but that's not what it's about. So happy they're in Manhattan.

6/12/2014

**EDIT**
Yeah... food poisoning.. -_- but of course I can't say its Grimaldi's... when all i ate today was Grimaldis.. hmm...

Also, customer service makes half the review at the very least...

Perhaps this is not the original spot and no one gives much about this one in the city but it was not what I expected... Walked in and we see people sitting and eating so we proceeded down to be seated... One of the wait staff pretty much greeted and told us to sit right next to another couple when there were other free tables around. I politely asked him if there were other tables that we can sit at so we don't crowd the other people. He pretty much told me in a very angrily voice that those tables are for 4 people only... Those tables are for 4?! What the F@@k? They put two tables together and called it a 4 person table... SEPARATE IT then.. We see couples sitting alongside the wall where the tables could have sat 4 people too but everyone was sitting as two persons only. Okay, so we sat because I was starving...

I didn't expect a make your own pizza place...  Order a pie and put toppings? So why do I come here and not go to another place such as other mom and pop pizza shop? Anyway, we ordered a sprite, a Grimaldi's salad and a large regular pizzxa with pepperoni and shrooms. My gf wanted onions afterwards so we called the wait staff and he mumbled something under his breath and came to us and I added onions...

Later on everything came out and he was a little nicer..

Had a slice of the pizza but since I put too much garlic and red peppers, I didn't really know why the mozarella tasted funny last night but when I got home afterwards, let's just say it killed me...

Perhaps the Brooklyn one is better? No idea but I'd have to try that one to see...

5/30/2014

My NYC friends brought me to Grimaldi's because I wanted to hace NY style pizza.  We had a Large pie with shrooms and anchovies and it was so good!

The crust wasn't really thick like I like it but was nice and crunchy.  The sauce tasted stupendous.  The only thing missing and that they don't serve is garlic rolls.  The guys even looked at me funny when I asked, lol.  I had to say, bread with garlic, lol.!!! I'm like this can't only be a "Miami" thing!

6/21/2014

I finally tried this Grimaldi's because we got tired of the wait in Brooklyn (played your guide again )

Verdict: go here instead of the Brooklyn one. The water is supposed to make it taste different or some malarkey like that, but it's essentially the same.

(Wrote a review on the other Grimaldi's so the food experience was the same)

Pizza was good, but not my favorite in the city.

This one did need salt added to it; I don't usually have to at the Brooklyn locale...

6/12/2014

I have had pizza in Italy, NY, Chicago, California and many other places.
This is by far the best pizza I have ever had.
For me it has all the qualities I love in a good pizza.
Thin crust but not too thin, a little bit crunchy and I love the slightly burnt edges from the brick coal fired oven and wonderful sauce etc.
I have had pizza all over NY and this is my favorite.

9/12/2014

This is known as NY pizza and I would agree. It's better than other well known NY Pizza. It's always touristy and can be a long wait but their pizza quality is pretty good and tasteful. Waiters are not as nice but I usually just come for the pizza, it is pretty authentic as well.

8/20/2014

Had a craving for a good NY pizza and after yelping we came across grimaldi's with a seemingly good 3.5 stars review.

Came in at 1:30am and told us they were only doing takeout even though on website it mentioned 2am closing time.  

We ordered 2 pies to go wrapped in a brown paper bag.  Once we got home ready to devour the pizza, I noticed they burnt the bottom.  I tried the pizza anyway hoping it will at least be edible.  Nope! It was bitter, easily hands down one of the worst pizza I've ever tasted.  Needless to say I will not be returning to this location.

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  Onions, mushrooms, capers.

  Onions, mushrooms, capers.
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  Burnt crust makes a bitter pizza

  Burnt crust makes a bitter pizza

4/18/2014

AWESOME PIZZA!!! Take it from a pizza lover!

Brooklyn Grimaldi's line is way too long! Come here instead! There is less of a line here and you get better service. This restaurant gives you a very home feel with the decors and friendly staff. I am a pizza lover which means I have high standards for the perfect pizza!

I had the opportunity to try the regular tomato and basil pizza and as well as the pepperoni. The pizza here does not look like our regular every day pizza pie. You will see a splat of tomato sauce here, white cheese over there, and a few basil leaves over there. Not a very impressive look in my opinion. But go ahead and take that bite! The pizza is not too hard and not too soft. It was that perfect crunchy bite. The white cheese was delicious - can someone tell me what type of cheese is it?! It was my favorite part of my slice! There was just a spot of tomato sauce here and there which is perfect for me! The ingredients you can tell by taste is very fresh and well put together. I highly recommend this place for pizza lovers! Even after two slices, I don't feel miserable or unhealthy like I do with other pizza from other places!

The pizza here is a MUST-TRY! :)

8/21/2014

Worst pizza I've had in NYC. It's like a cross between Italian and Chicago style pizza, but somewhere along the line it failed.  Immediate heartburn. The sauce was everywhere and awful. The price was outrageous too- $17.50 for a small cheese pizza. The location is cool, but that is the only redeeming quality.

3/17/2014

I've never been one for hype and having passed by the Brooklyn location I was remiss to put myself in a 30-minute line to try a slice that might not live up to the usual overblown buzz.  With this in mind, friends and I took to the restaurant experience on 6th Avenue.  This rating is purely about pizza.  If service and courtesy were factored in we would be discussing a 2-star or 3-star rating at best.

The atmosphere is a classic Italian eatery with checkered table cloths and long tables.  In terms of service there is much to be desired.  In terms of pizza, the pie lived up to much of it's billing,  The best way to describe it is a classic New York pie, not too thick, not too thin, rich tomato flavor, creamy mozzarella, balanced and high quality baked to a perfect crisp.  The slice reminded me of Muzzarella Pizza on Avenue A.

While I wouldn't recommend running across town for this pizza or standing in obnoxious lines, I would highly recommend this slice to anyone looking for a good experience.

From what I've heard, the Grimaldi family sold their name and the establishment and opened up a competing shop nearby.  I'd be curious to try this place as a point of comparison.

10/8/2014

best pizza in NYC.

7/27/2014

We had the large white with mushroom and anchovies.  It was very good, came out in less than 8 minutes after ordering.  The anchovies were overly salty and over the top.  The quality and taste are inline with the original Brooklyn branch as well as AZ and Nevada ones.  BUT, no beer or alcohol....  Not sure if it was just this location as its built into a church, but just and fyi.....

8/6/2014

The quality is outstanding, but I did have a somewhat unpleasant experience when I ordered here. I called ahead to pick up and expected a $12 small regular pie, based on the online menu (there was no specific quote over the phone). When I arrived, I was told the total was $15. The prices had been raised $2 across the board so my $12 pie was $14 plus "tax." I advised them to update their website and they said they had just raised the prices; the manager didn't seem particularly bothered by the inconsistency. I asked for an updated menu and the guy at the counter handed me a sheet and said "just add 2 to everything." The pizza is rightly legendary, I just wished there was service to match.

4/1/2014

Their pizza is good, nothing spectacular. I recommend ricotta and sausage as toppings. The pizza is a bit too thick, chewy, and salty.

As much as I wanted to love the pizza I remember from the Brooklyn location, I couldn't fall in love again. Maybe there's just so many other pizza places around now, or maybe my tastes have changed.

It's worth a try, and then comparing to other places like Lombardi's or Patsy's (UWS).

Cash only. Service was great, gets crowded.

8/4/2014

On vacation in NY. Came into the city and found this place next to a church. Wasn't expecting the place to be so big inside.   Had the Neapolitan style pizza. We ordered a small pie and had them cook it light.  It went well with the root beer.

3/24/2014

Pretty reminiscent of Lombardi's in Chinatown.

Pizza here is great! I couldn't complain about the service, but their bathroom is super tiny. lol

2/10/2014

Took a party of 4 here for dinner last night.  3 of us were up all night sick with food poisoning.

The food was delicious, but obviously something wasn't quite right...ick.

4/10/2014

Bah, I've had better. Don't get me wrong, it's good pizza but it could use some improvements.

One improvement would be more cheese please! Over HALF of my pizza had no cheese covering its surface. Not cool. Unfortunately this is a cheesy tactic used by some pizzerias to save costs. That's both a pun and the truth.

Another improvement would be to cover more of the surface with more tomato sauce. The sauce was very good, so why not cover more of the pizza with it? Nobody likes eating a slice with 50% crust. Not cool again.

What did I like? I liked the slight char underneath the crust, although it's far from the best crust I've ever tasted. I liked the interior of the restaurant. Lastly I liked the fact that they serve whole pizzas only. No slices. That way you're guaranteed to always get a fresh pizza from the oven.