Over the weekend the Post reported on a possible “pizza war”: Patsy Grimaldi is coming out of retirement to open a pizza place in the current Grimaldi’s space at 19 Old Fulton Street, which owner Frank Ciolli is vacating in order to reopen Grimaldi’s next door, at 1 Front Street. Meanwhile, there was another twist in the story when Ciollo found out that he wouldn’t be able to install a coal-fired brick oven in the new space at 1 Front, a turn of events that’s somehow being blamed on an architect from Robert Scarano’s office. (The details on this point are a bit difficult to swallow; the Post notes that “the city rarely issues new permits for coal-fired brick ovens because of environmental concerns.”) Anyhow, Patsy Grimaldi—who sold Grimaldi’s to Ciolli in 1998—plans to be back in business by March at 19 Old Fulton and is going to call his pizza place “Juliana’s.”
‘Illegal’ Install May KO Grimaldi’s Move [NY Post]
Photo via PropertyShark


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. This is great news…First we will likely get great coal fire pizza again (current Grimaldi’s sucks) and second, the current owner of Grimaldi’s Ciollo will get screwed. I have been following this saga and Ciollo was screwing around with the LL, likely figuring that he had the LL over a barrel (where else would LL get a high rent successful tenant for this crappy building on a street with numerous vacancies) – well its nice to see such games get punished in this way – Ciollo has essentially single handily killed his own (extremely successful business) . Without a Coal oven, all he’s got is a name – pedigree and the coal oven belong to the once and future pizza man Patsy. And if your looking for non-coal oven pies – Ignacios is terrific.
    Justice served. Congrats to the LL – well played, well played.

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