Pizza at Grimaldis (Brooklyn)-Are the lines a mile long?
 

Although there must be a million fun things to do in greater NYC, the one thing that is on every list is to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and then eat pizza at Grimaldis. That sounds good to me, too, but if this is in every guidebook, aren't the lines at Grimaldi's a mile long? If so, are there other nearby alternatives for good pizza?

The lines are very long at typical eating hours but not so bad at off hours.

What would you consider "off hours"?

If you go between, say 2 and 6, the lines should be manageable. But, even with a long line, it moves quickly -- I have never waited more than 30 minutes.

Di Fara, in my opinion, has, by far, the best pizza ... but it was recently shut by the health board (they have become much more aggressive since they failed to discover a KFC that was inundated with rats). They have even closed some of NY's top restaurants, including La Cote Basque (it has a new name).

Di Fara is in Midwood, but its only two minutes from the subway. Its much, much smaller than Grimaldi's and the lines can be much slower. But the pizza is 1,000 times better.

You might want to eat at Grimaldi's first, then cross the bridge, as that way you are looking at Manhattan rather than Brooklyn. The pizza is superb though its fame has caused some, predictably, to run it down. If you plan to visit for lunch do get there early. If you miss the first seating you'll have a long wait.

They don't know if or when Di Faro's will reopen...

I agree that walking towards Manhattan is probably the more interesting view: take the F train to York Street or the A or C train to High Street (each are the first stop in Brooklyn for those lines).

If you get to DUMBO and decide to try an option other than Grimaldi's, consider Bubby's outpost in Brooklyn: kid friendly and yummy! Right near Fulton Ferry Park.

And I'm sure you've already read that you must try Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and especially Jacques Torres' chocolate!
:)

re di fara's:

Di Fara ready to reopen

By David Freedlander

June 11, 2007

Pizza lovers pining for their favorite slice of Sicilian pie may soon find the wait is over.

Di Fara, a legendary neighborhood pizza parlor that was shuttered last week for repeatedly failing health inspections, is slated to reopen by the end of the week, according to Dominic DeMarco, the restaurant's 70-year-old owner.

The Department of Health charged the 42-year-old pizzeria with 51 violation points at a spot inspection June 4. Di Fara has failed seven such inspections since the beginning of the year, and the city agency found mice, flies and also an "unwillingness" to make changes.

The city has ordered the restaurant to keeps its door and windows closed to prevent flies from coming in, but DeMarco claims that the long lines of customers stretching around the block -- DeMarco crafts each pie individually, by hand, and people frequently have to wait 45 minutes for a slice -- makes it all but impossible to keep the door closed.

"The customer come in through the door and the flies follow the customer in through the door," he said. "We have such a line the door never closes. They make it very complicated. They make rules I never understand. They try to destroy businesses."

DiFara's closing has upset foodies, many of whom claim that the Department of Health has unfairly targeted high-profile restaurants after the embarrassing rat infestation at a Greenwich Village KFC in February. Health inspectors gave the restaurant a passing rating one day before cameras caught dozens of vermin scurrying across its floors.

"The DOH looked like a bunch of buffoons after everyone saw the rats having their little party inside KFC," said Tony Muia, the owner of A Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour. "Dominic has become the face of pizza to many people. If they go after him maybe they figure they can make an example out of him."

To reopen, DeMarco must sign a stipulation claiming that he understands the violations and understands what he must to pass further inspections.

He remains undeterred.

"I've been open here so many years, the customers are on my side. They want me to open. The pizzas are so good."

Obviously the line is much shorter on weekdays than it is on weekends.

But even when the line appears to be really long, I've never waited more than 30 minutes.

When there's a line, Grimaldi's keeps people moving.

a recent journey by a few friends:
pics start at post 164.
enjoy
http://www.roguefood.com/forums/inde...793&st=150

missypie, Grimaldi's cleans their oven(s) once a day. That means the cooking stops. It takes around 45 minutes. We were there when it occurred and I think it was at 6 p.m., if I recall correctly, but someone here probably knows.

We went on a Sunday for dinner on a day that rain looked imminent. The line had about ten people when we got in it. One person was representing a group of twelve sitting in a car. It only took about a half hour to get in. We had to wait for the oven cleaning, but the pizza was really worth the wait. We don't have pizza like that in Knoxville.

a few weeks ago, my daughter got there at 6:15 - since they usually clean the ovens between 4 and 6pm every day - they were cleaning the ovens, so they waited about 30 minutes and then ordered and waited for their pie - by this time she said the line was quite long, but moving - so either way, at such a popular spot, we've always counted on around 30 - 60 minutes.

there's a good self walking tour guide for Brooklyn Bridge - under brooklyn.about.com - but if you just google 'walking tours, brooklyn bridge" - I remember there were quite a few good ones - when we did it we sort of combined a few of them

So if we arrive at 4:30, will we wait until after 6 to eat because they are cleaning the ovens?

I think we spent about an hour and a half, maybe a little longer, from start to finish. When the pizzas started being served again, they came out really fast. I don't know if there is more than one oven, but the one we could see was big. I would just allow plenty of time. We were a little rushed for time since it was the last thing we did before we left NYC. In my opinion, it was worth the wait, and I didn't really mind the wait.

Also, missypie. I copied these directions from an old fodor's post that I found. Sorry to the author, but I don't remember who wrote it.

Brooklyn Briddge/Grimaldi's/Ice Cream Factory

"If you take the subway, the best is the A&C train which runs down 8th Ave in Manhattan. Take it to High Street-Brooklyn Bridge. Exit towards the back of the train (Henry Street/Cadman Plaza West). When you get up to the sidewalk, make a U turn (meaning turn around and go in opposite direction when you arrive at the top of the steps) and head down the hill. The street veers to the left and becomes Old Fulton St. The bridge runs parallel to it and will be across the street on your right. You have to walk 3 blocks down Old Fulton, crossing a couple highway ramps and going under overpasses. As you near the water, Grimaldis is on the right, Ice Cream is straight ahead on the dock. ??Grimaldis, River Cafe & Ice Cream Factory are all practically under the bridge. So if you get lost, just head towards the water where the Bridge crosses over it, then go a little further south (where you'll hit Old Fulton St) and you can't go wrong.??And, yes, when in doubt, ASK someone. Nearly every day when I get out of the subway I see some lost-looking people who are obviously trying to find River Cafe or Grimaldis or sometimes the promenade. If they ask, I gladly give them directions."?

I read your post again, and see that you are planning to cross the bridge first, so the directions may not be useful to you.

Missypie, you asked

"So if we arrive at 4:30, will we wait until after 6 to eat because they are cleaning the ovens?"

no, it takes about 30-45 minutes to clean the ovens and they do it between 4 and 6pm- it's just that you don't know if they will clean them between 4 and 5, or 4:30 and 5:15 or 5:45 adn 6:15....
so, depending on when you arrive, as my daughter did last week, she walked in the door, got a seat, and waited the 30 minutes remaining for them to clean the oven, then they cooked her pie -
by that time, b/c the tables weren't turning, the line had grown longer, but once the pizzas start coming, the line moves too -

you could walk right in, or have to wait, if you go within the hours when they usually clean the ovens - doesn't matter, ifyou go for lunch on a busy day, you'll wait then too for a bit.

If the wait is too long for you, eat ice cream and chocolate for lunch instead :)

missypie, I read on your other post that you're now considering taking the train to Brooklyn on your first day. The directions that claire_bluesky copied are very good. From your hotel, you can catch the downtown A or C very easily. (The E does not go to Brooklyn.)

As you walk down towards the river and Grimaldi's, the edge of Brooklyn Heights is on your left, and DUMBO begins at the bridge and extends towards the right and towards the water. There are a number of shops and galleries in DUMBO that you can wander around and check out if you're not waiting in line:
- Do you know the catalog West Elm? They have a storefront shop in DUMBO on Front Street at Main Street. (And another in Chelsea in Manhattan.)
- There's a store I love called Journey (166 Water Street between Pearl and Jay; journeydumbo.com); import furniture from SE Asia and lots of fun small items like soaps, writing paper, carved boxes...
- Jacques Torres is at 66 Water Street between the Brooklyn Bridge anchorage and Main St; his little bakery Almondine across the street is nothing special, though.
- Lots of little shops along Front Street between Main and Jay, and some on Jay between Front and Water.

DUMBO is an interesting neighborhood because it's a very old industrial area: some of the large brick buildings are warehouses from the Civil War era, and the streets are cobblestoned. It's still industrial, with a large NYC sanitation depot tucked away under the Manhattan Bridge. And there's the din of the subway trains as they pass over the Manhattan Bridge. The artists who originally made the area a destination are being pushed out by the higher rents, which have brought in new development (notice all the new luxury highrises) plus the cute shops and newer eateries.

As others have mentioned to you, Empire State Fulton Ferry Park is a small stretch of green running from the Manhattan Bridge south to the Brooklyn Bridge, with great views of the bridges and Manhattan behind them. At the northern end of this park, there's a small, well kept playground and a tiny beach access to the East River.

To get up on the Brooklyn Bridge, retrace your steps towards the High Street subway station; you'll see a pedestrian access to the bridge as you pass under the anchorage.

BTW bbqboy, I drooled over every picture in your friends' Pizza Tour thread! I think that takes guts, though: all that pizza in one day! (And this from someone who's eaten at all but one of the places listed...) I'll have to check back on RF when they do their Village Pizza Tour... Thanks for sharing! :D