Well, folks, it seems like the long, sad saga of Grimaldi's Pizza has hit a dead end today, with the original space looking like it's almost certainly shuttered and no re-opening date for the famed pizzeria's new digs next door in sight.
The evidence of the pizzeria being down and out comes courtesy of @FultonFerry, who tweeted a picture of the shuttered space last night, along with the comment "Priceless: The look on tourists' faces when they see what remains of Grimaldi's." Unsurprisingly, calls to the restaurant went unanswered, and their PR team doesn't know what's going on, either: "Because of extenuating circumstances, we put all official opening plans on hold. We're just waiting for them to call us and say they're ready to go, but right now, I don't have any details for you," said a rep. She could not confirm that the current location is officially closed, but that photo seems to speak for itself.
For those of you keeping score at home, here's where we're at: the beloved coal-oven pizzeria in Brooklyn was supposed to have closed (their lease was up) and moved next door last month, so that the space's original pizzaiolo, Patsy Grimaldi, could start work on his new pizzeria in the old space. The move was postponed by a death in the family of Grimaldi's current owners, and as of December 2, the pizzeria was still up and running in their disputed space. The new space, at 1 Front Street, has been subject to some Department of Buildings drama over Grimaldi's plan to install an illegal coal-fired brick oven, and there is currently a stop work order on the address.
So, in short: Grimaldi's as we've known it appears to be closed for good, with no re-opening date in sight. Better head over to Queens if you want a taste of the not-quite-original coal brick-oven pizzeria.
