Brooklyn’s Grandma Pizza Does it Right

Before it gets too hot and humid, I wanted to check out the pizza truck that seems relatively new to the scene. When I walked up, there was a girl giving away samples of the regular slices, so there was a slight crowd around the truck – but it didn’t seem to be getting them any paying customers. As I watched, one man in a suit grabbed three samples, turned and walked away, saying loudly, “I’m good with samples, I don’t need to buy anything.” Umm…

The menu is pretty straight forward, so I walked up to order a slice.

But when I got to the window, I noticed these two signs: one with the special pies of the day, and one with a lunch special. The lunch special clocks in at exactly Midtown Lunch’s limit – $10 – and offers three regular slices along with a beverage (water, soda). The guy taking my order was quick to bring it to my attention, too, which I appreciated – 3 regular slices alone would run $10.50, so it’s a good “deal” insomuch as how much those items cost regularly – but that’s way too much food for me. I turned my attention to the special pies, and decided to order a slice of the Usual Suspects as well (I initially was going to order just one slice total; I ate double for research purposes, you understand – for science!).

Slices are displayed prominently in the window for you to drool over while you wait.

It didn’t take too long before my slices were ready, plated and shoved into a paper bag a la every NYC pizzeria since ever.

I was actually kind of happy that the slices weren’t huge, but for $8 for the two slices I felt a little ripped off. $3.50 for the plain, $4.50 for the Usual Suspects.

Really nice upskirt, good crust.

I only took a photo of the side of the plain slice, which was pretty thin and crisp, but the Usual Suspects boasted a slightly thicker crust – better for holding up the toppings, I suppose. The crust was slightly sweet, though the sauce itself wasn’t particularly sweet. I actually really enjoyed my plain slice – it was crisp, slightly chewy, and carried with it a lot of cheese flavor; in fact, it tasted like a cheesy flat bread of sorts. But the uneven scattering of sauce left it tasting very little like pizza… and $3.50 for that didn’t sit well with my stomach or wallet.

The other slice suffered from similar issues; though this piece was thicker and had more of that pizza-innard softness, the toppings were scattered unevenly and skimpily over the slice and didn’t really warrant the $4.50 price tag.

I’m actually a fan of Grandma slices in general (square slices which have the cheese laid down first, then the sauce; it’s hard to find a place that does them properly, a lot of places just reverse the order from Sicilian slices but Grandma slices aren’t quite as thick as Sicilian), and this place comes close. But a little more sauce would go a long way – and a little more toppings would go even farther to justify that exorbitant price tag.

Based on their Twitter and my experience, they also frequently give away samples of various items, so if you’re like that guy, you can swing by to try… before you buy, unlike that guy.

THE + (what people who like this will say)

  • Grandma slices FTW
  • I like cheesy breads
  • I have lots of pizza money
  • I like samples
  • That lunch deal is awesome, it takes at least 3 slices to fill me up

THE – (what people who don’t like this place will say)

  • $3.50 for a plain slice? Seriously?
  • This menu’s got a lot going on
  • I like my pizza with lots of sauce
  • I want toppings to be more evenly spread
  • These slices should be bigger

Brooklyns Grandma Pizza, Today they’re parked on 50th btw. 5+6th but you’ll want to check their Twitter. They move around quite frequently though it looks like they stick to the Midtown area. They also appear to have two websites – the one on their Twitter is listed http://m.mainstreethub.com/bksgrandmapizza, while the one on their truck is http://www.brooklynsgrandmapizza.com/home.html.

15 Comments

  • FREAK OF THE WEEK

  • Those two slices cover about as much paper plate as a slice from a typical pizzeria – so for $7, I can get as much pizza (FROM A TRUCK!!!) as a $2.75 slice? Sign me up!

    • If you order 2 plain slices, yes. It’s $8 for one plain, one specialty, if you do it the way I did.

      PS Where do you go for pizza slices that are $2.75?

      • Nowhere in Midtown – it’s all dollar slices or delis, so I avoid.

        I don’t normally get slices unless I’ve been out at night, which would tend to mean West Village since no slice places are left near home any more.

  • User has not uploaded an avatar

    I have tried their free samples and they taste pretty good, but the tiny slices have stopped me from buying.

    I think if they offered 3 ‘special’ slices & soda for $10 I might bite.

    As for pizza, Boca sells their plain slice for $2.25 and I think it is pretty good.

    Joe

  • User has not uploaded an avatar

    BTW…. did the cops chase the trucks away from 50th street?

    When I came into work this morning, there was 4 or 5 trucks lined up and when I went to get lunch, they were all gone!

    • Thanks for the info! And yes, based on a couple of tweets, the cops cleared trucks from 50th. Domo Taco reported being chased away and went to 45th between 6th and 7th, but not sure where everyone else wound up.

      • User has not uploaded an avatar

        Domo was on 45th between 5th and 6th. Gorilla Cheese was further up towards 5th. Getting really crowded around that courtyard area.

  • Excellent review. Well balanced. Like the toppings on that Usual Suspect.

    It’s always the suits who grab up the freebies.

  • User has not uploaded an avatar

    This seems like Harry’s (in Rock Center Concourse) but more expensive! I have been one of those people that have tried a mini sample (sausage was good) but couldn’t get past the price-value proposition

    http://www.webflowsolutions.com/harrysitalian/parlor-menu.pdf

    • Samples are there to be tried – I was just surprised that the guy unabashedly announced loud enough for the girl giving them out to hear him, that he was just there for samples. He also took three samples while I watched; no idea if he took before I got there too.

  • I like a half pie from Lazarras on 38th, or go full pie and share the cost/pizza with friends when in need of a grandma style fix. You can still clock in under $10 if you pick up a drink elsewhere.

    • Is going “full pie” like … a certain quote from Tropic Thunder? Because we all know you never go full… pie.

      Thanks for the tip! 38th is way too far for me (I’m in the 50s), but good to know.

  • makes pizza from Pizza by Certe a bargain. Love their mushroom slices though not as good as they used to be.

  • tiny bites for the overpaid masses

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