Food & drink · Brooklyn

Grimaldi's Pizzeria, DUMBO

Under the Brooklyn Bridge, in a brick-walled room filled with the smoky perfume of a coal-burning oven, Grimaldi's has been turning out some of New York City's most celebrated pizzas for decades — a pilgrimage that every serious visitor to Brooklyn owes themselves.

Why the Queue Is Worth It

Grimaldi's is a Brooklyn institution built on a single, obsessive idea: a coal-fired brick oven that burns at temperatures no gas oven can match, producing a crust that is simultaneously charred, chewy, and impossibly thin. The original pizzeria, founded under the Brooklyn Bridge, helped define what a New York coal-oven pie could be, and the DUMBO location carries that legacy forward with whole pies only — no slices, no shortcuts.

The menu is deliberately short: classic margherita, fresh mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes, and a handful of toppings. The coal oven does the rest. Pair a pie with a pitcher of house Chianti and a table by the window looking toward the bridge, and you have one of Brooklyn's most satisfying meals at a price that won't hurt.

Making the Most of Your Visit

Grimaldi's draws a crowd, especially on weekend evenings. Arrive when it opens for lunch to walk straight in, or embrace the queue — it moves faster than it looks and the bridge views from the line are a reasonable consolation. The restaurant is cash-friendly, and the atmosphere inside is classic New York red-and-white checkered tablecloths with zero pretension.

After your pizza, the rest of DUMBO's food trail is within easy walking distance: Jacques Torres Chocolate for handmade truffles, the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory in the old Fulton Ferry fireboat house for a scoop, and Brooklyn Roasting Company for a post-meal espresso with a waterfront view.