Coal Brick-Oven Pizzas at Grimaldi’s Pizzeria
Having been to New York, but never making it over to Grimaldi’s Pizzeria in Brooklyn I was happy to hear that they had opened a Las Vegas location. Grimaldi’s is located in The Palazzo which is a more upscale hotel and casino on the northern portion of the Las Vegas Strip. The restaurant is on the second floor just upstairs from the casino floor situated among other nice restaurants and shops. I was not expecting such a nice restaurant and setting seeing as the original pizzeria is on a corner below the Brooklyn bridge. The atmosphere at Grimaldi’s Pizzeria is still casual, comfortable and inviting, but the dimmed lighting and fancier interior gave it a more upscale vibe. You would feel just as comfortable bringing your family here as you would going on date night without the kids.
Grimaldi’s Pizzeria is known for their coal fired brick-oven baked thin crust pizzas and their old school pizza making traditions from New York. Having been to Lombardi’s and now Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, I can see why there has been a long-standing debate as to which New York pizza is the best. I am not going to add fuel to that fire, but I can say that both are at the top of my favorite pizzeria list.
A delicious Grimaldi’s pizza coming out of the coal brick-oven. | Photo Courtesy of Grimaldi’s
Grimaldi’s Pizza
Grimaldi’s Pizzeria offers 3 types of pizza, 3 size options and 2 dozen topping options. First you need to select a pizza size which comes in three sizes of personal, 16 inch or 18 inches. The largest pizza should feed a family of four, unless you are all starving. Next you select between the traditional pizza, the white pizza or the pesto pizza. Lastly you need to choose which of the toppings to add to your pizza. Since Grimaldi’s Pizzeria doesn’t have specialty pizza’s on their menu, you will have to construct one that will suit your family’s own taste buds.
The fresh mozzarella, pepperoni and Italian sausage made for one tasty pizza. | Photo by FamilyVacationHub
We started our meal off with a small Calzone with meatballs and green pepper. The Calzone was not our favorite as we thought the Ricotta was too excessive and didn’t allow us to taste the meatballs and peppers. We liked the crust and the sauce, but the Ricotta cheese was too overpowering to allow us to enjoy it. I would try the Calzone again, but I would ask for very little Ricotta to be added.
For our main entrée, we ordered the 18 inch traditional pizza with onions, Italian sausage and pepperoni. Since Grimaldi’s pizzas are prepared to order, you will have a bit of wait for your pizza. I think we waited about 25 minutes from order to it being served. When the pizza arrived the 18″ pizza looked enormous and took up a third of the table, but since it was put onto a raised pizza holder, it didn’t hinder our dining experience. The pizza was really amazing! It had a thin and crispy crust with charred pieces that added a smoky flavor without tasting burnt, a great tomato sauce that was neither bitter or sweet and topped with the best mozzarella cheese that was nicely melted and golden brown from the coal brick-oven. All of that topped with high quality toppings made for one great pizza pie that we will be back for on every Las Vegas vacation.
A small Calzone with a golden brown crust and a side of sauce. | Photo by FamilyVacationHub
Grimaldi’s Dessert Trio
For dessert we thought we would try Grimaldi’s Dessert Trio which came with the house-made cheesecake, Tiramisu and Cannoli. Since all of them sounded so good we wanted a small taste of each. The cheesecake dissapointed us somewhat as it had a lemon flavored crust and I am not a big lemon fan. If the menu had said it had a lemon flavor, I would have ordered something else. As my Nana would say in her Italian accent, “Eh, whatcha gonna do.” The Cannoli was delicious as was the Tiramisu and I would recommend either as a great follow up to their pizza. For the menu and more information, visit Grimaldi’s Pizzeria website.
