Grimaldi's Pizzeria
Grimaldi's Pizzeria is a popular pizzeria chain in the New York City area. Its most famous restaurant is under the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn at 1 Front Street, next door to its original location. It does not sell slices; only whole pies. The pizzas are made using a coal-fired brick oven.
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[edit] History
Patsy Grimaldi, the founder of Grimaldi's, learned to make pizza at his uncle Patsy Lancieri's pizzeria in East Harlem in 1941 at age ten. He eventually opened his own restaurant, Patsy's Pizzeria, in Brooklyn. Grimaldi originally planned to build it in Manhattan. However, he believed that coal-fired brick ovens produced the best pizza, and it was illegal to build new coal ovens in Manhattan. As a result, he moved to the current location at South Ferry, Brooklyn.[1]
In 1991, Grimaldi’s aunt, Carmela Lancieri, sold the East Harlem restaurant along with its naming and branding rights to a corporation, which franchised the Patsy’s name to other Manhattan restaurants. In 1995, the corporation sued Patsy Grimaldi for naming his restaurant Patsy’s Pizzeria, which eventually led Grimaldi to change the name of his restaurant to Patsy Grimaldi’s in 1996.[2]
In 1998 Grimaldi sold his restaurant, along with the naming and branding rights to Grimaldi's, to Frank Ciolli. Grimaldi soon regretted selling the business and always wanted to return to the Brooklyn location. Following numerous disagreements between Ciolli and the Brooklyn landlord relating to Ciolli's failure to pay rent and city taxes for the Brooklyn location, the Brooklyn landlord did not renew Ciolli's lease for the Brooklyn location. Ciolli is left behind the coal oven that made Patsy Grimaldi's pizza famous and moved Grimaldi's to a new location next door to the old one. [3]
Patsy Grimaldi, the original owner of Grimaldi's, will return to the 19 Old Fulton Street, Brooklyn location to open a pizza restaurant named Juliana's, a tribute to his late mother. [4]
[edit] Renown
- Grimaldi's Pizzeria is one of the most popular in New York City. In recent years, Zagat Survey has rated Grimaldi's No. 1 Pizzeria in New York.[5] It was named one of the top 10 restaurants in New York by Let's do New York City.[6][7] As Grimaldi's does not take reservations, lines for tables are often long in summertime and extend far up Old Fulton Street.
- Grimaldi's Pizzeria was chosen as one of the five best pizzerias in United States by the Food Network. Their pizza was featured on the television show The Best of....[8]
[edit] Other locations
Patsy Grimaldi and his business partner, Sean McHugh, opened a second location in Hoboken, New Jersey. It was named Best Pizza in Hoboken in a Zagat Survey in 2005.
The son of the current owner of the Brooklyn location opened a Grimaldi's in Garden City, New York and Douglaston, Queens. Another son opened up a separate restaurant named "Patsy Grimaldi's" in Scottsdale, Arizona, Chandler, Arizona, and Tucson, Arizona. While separately owned and operated under a different name, the "Patsy Grimaldi's" pizzerias use the same recipe and ingredients, were opened with Patsy's help, and are marketed as if they were part of the original Grimaldi's. There are also 3 Grimaldi's in Las Vegas, Nevada, and 1 in the Uptown area of Dallas, Texas, and Allen, Texas. In 2010 branches opened in Highlands, NJ and New Paltz, NY[9] In 2011, Grimaldi's opened a location at Limelight Marketplace in New York City and a second location in Dallas, Texas at The Shops @ Park Lane.[10]
[edit] References
- ^ Shaw, Joanna. "Pizza Madness: Grimaldi Taking Over Grimaldi's When Grimaldi Moves Next Door". Nona Brooklyn What's Good Today?. http://nonabrooklyn.com/pizza-madness-grimaldi-taking-over-grimaldis-when-grimaldis-moves-next-door/. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
- ^ Shaw, Joanna. "Pizza Madness: Grimaldi Taking Over Grimaldi's When Grimaldi Moves Next Door". Nona Brooklyn What's Good Today?. http://nonabrooklyn.com/pizza-madness-grimaldi-taking-over-grimaldis-when-grimaldis-moves-next-door/. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
- ^ Grimaldi's Move POSTPONED Due To Death In The Family Gothamist.com By Garth Johnston, November 28, 2011
- ^ Shaw, Joanna. "Pizza Madness: Grimaldi Taking Over Grimaldi's When Grimaldi Moves Next Door". Nona Brooklyn What's Good Today?. http://nonabrooklyn.com/pizza-madness-grimaldi-taking-over-grimaldis-when-grimaldis-moves-next-door/. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
- ^ http://www.grimaldis.com/zagat
- ^ Let's do New York City
- ^ http://www.lets-do-newyorkcity.com/bestvaluerest.html
- ^ http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_be/episode/0,1976,FOOD_9949_31026,00.html
- ^ SUNY New Paltz No slices, no problem
- ^ Zagat Buzz Blog: Grimaldi’s Opens in Limelight, Not Doing Slices, February 10, 2011
[edit] External links
