Grimaldi’s Pizzeria Under the Brooklyn Bridge Review

Nationally Expanding Grimaldi’s Provides a More Commercialized Pizza Experience

I have a long list of pizzerias to try in NYC, but wanted to try a few of the big names that my readers consistently recommended on a recent trip to the Big Apple.  After having perhaps the best pizza I’ve ever had at John’s of Bleecker, and being blown away by Scarr’s NY and Sicilian Slices, my the bar was raised for all future pizzas’ expectations.  Staying mostly in Manhattan, I wanted to do a review in Brooklyn and Grimaldi’s was the closest and most well known pizzeria so I headed there to see what all the buzz was about.

Admittedly, I didn’t do a ton of research on this actual Grimaldi’s location prior to my arrival so I was sort of expecting another small, historic pizzeria, but was greeted by a large, newly renovated, multi-floor complex that had plenty of space and some nice views of the city.  It had a cool vibe and a ton of instagrammable picture angles, but wasn’t what I was expecting.  I gained some more insight in learning about their new franchising model and how they’ve expanded rapidly across the USA in recent years on their blog, but this post does a good job of explaining the original location and its status.

Check out my live review inside Grimaldi’s below!


My friend and I were greeted promptly at the front door and taken up 4 flights of stairs to get to the 3rd floor dining room where we were seated.  The service was extremely fast and courteous, they are running quite an impressive operation.  I was especially interested in their open concept kitchen where you can see the pizzas being made right in front of you as soon as you walk in the door.  All I could think was that the staff all had to be in tremendous physical condition to do all of those stairs all day long!  Perhaps they had an elevator that I didn’t see, but it was a fun concept to ponder.

Grimaldi’s classic pie featuring fresh mozzarella and a bready tender crust.

We placed an order for their most popular pizza – the traditional round pizza with fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, and basil.  Our friendly waiter had the pizza at our table about 5 minutes after we placed the order – I was again very impressed with the operation.

The pizza itself I thought was good overall.  The flavors were a bit on the muted and neutral side for my taste.  Usually, a pizza prepared with sauce made from good quality tomatoes on top presents a much more pronounced, intense tomato flavor as it bakes, moisture is released and the sauce reduces in the oven.  You typically also get a nice char and pleasant mild smoky flavor from a pizza that is baked in a coal fired oven at high heat, but that wasn’t all that present in this pie.  The crust was very tender and bready with a slight crisp around the cornicione. 

Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the pizza by any standard (as reflected in my rating below and video above), but after visiting 2 legendary NYC spots and having them meet and exceed my lofty expectations, this particular Grimaldi’s pizza fell considerably short (for me) of the legendary status bestowed upon them by many.  The service and experience was exceptional, but the pizza felt a bit value-engineered and commercialized to me.  Of course this was only 1 pizza of probably a billion pies they have sold so there is always a chance this wasn’t representative of their typical pies.  In any event, this was a memorable stop, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it. 

Have you tried Grimaldi’s Pizzeria?  Which location?  What are your thoughts?

The Ratings

Restaurant: Grimaldi’s Pizzeria
Location: 656 6th Ave, New York, NY 10010
Date: June 2021
Eat In/Take Out: Eat In

Pizza Ordered: Traditional NY Style Pizza
Price: $$$
Crust: 7.6
Sauce: 7.5
Cheese: 7.8
Overall Taste: 7.7
Crispy/Cooked Properly: 7.4
Overall Value: 6.4
OVERALL RATING: 7.4