The century old tradition of coal fire pizza from under the Brooklyn Bridge has made its way to the West Coast.

Having been to Grimaldi’s twice,  I can fairly say that both visits were pleasant culinary experiences. The toppings offered were classic East-coast toppings, nothing out of the box. As one costumer sitting next to me put it, “simple perfection” is the best description to be associated with such an eatery.

The opening night experience was a tad chaotic, but overall pleasant. When I arrived, the hostess said there was a forty minute wait. Annoying right? Well, in reality, it was only about fifteen minutes and we were served quickly once we ordered. We ordered a pizza with meatballs and fresh garlic (photo 1 below). They were out of their traditional N.Y. cheesecake, so we left without dessert but full of good pizza.

The second time the table ordered the caprese appetizer (photo 2). It was a good portion for three or four people. The tomatoes were fresh, and it was a good proportion of tomato-to-cheese-to-basil. It was little too cold for my liking, as if it was in the refrigerator for too long, but the balsamic was decent. The only downside was that the mozzarella’s texture was a little off. I would personally stick to just the pizza since that was so excellent.

The pizza from the second trip was topped with sausage and garlic (photo 3). The sausage was fresh, and luckily so was the garlic. The sausage was not as flavorful as the meatballs, but the garlic was incredible and pulled the whole pie together.

The first pie did not live up to its reputation, it was a tad soggy on the end and got progressively crunchier and crisper the further up the slice you ate. It was really good  in its own way; just not what I expected. The crust was much better the second time. It exceeded all expectations and was crunchy and flavorful all the way through.

Some say the sauce is the most important signature of any pizza joint. Grimaldi’s sauce was sweet without taking away flavor from the toppings and, best of all, not boring. It was full of great spices that enhanced the pizza.

The cozy, chic, vintage vibe of the restaurant is very welcoming. The Italian wine bottles made in to lights and chandeliers are very unique and add to the very comfortable atmosphere (photo 4). The waitstaff is nice, but I could tell they were new. The abundance of  people in front made the entrance a tad chaotic, and waiting for change at the end of the meal was slow, but again, they are just opening up and doing a good job adjusting.

Overall, the grand opening wasn’t perfect, but the pizza is to die for. You can read the full history of the infamous coal fire oven on their website, or try it out for yourself down in the South Bay.

Click on an image below to view the slideshow.

Featured Image: The Grimaldi’s menu. Photographer: Marcela Riddick ’16