Patsy Grimaldi learned pizza from his uncle Patsy Lancieri in 1940s Harlem, sold the famous shop that bore his name, then came out of retirement at 81 to reclaim his original coal-oven space under the Brooklyn Bridge — naming the new place for his mother, Juliana. The result is a masterclass from one of the last links to New York pizza's first golden age.
The No. 1 — margherita with extra basil — is the pie to measure the genre by, its coal-fired crust thin and lightly charred. Yes, the neighborhood is a tourist magnet, and yes, the line outsizes the room; come at opening or mid-afternoon and you'll share the place with locals who know the difference between this and the shop next door.
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