About Juliana's
Patsy Grimaldi built a coal-fired oven at 19 Old Fulton Street in 2012 — one of the few new coal pizza ovens to get a permit in New York in decades — and that single piece of equipment explains the crust. Coal burns hotter and drier than wood or gas and holds the heat steady, so a pie spends ninety seconds against a floor running well north of 800°F. You get a thin base, blistered and leopard-spotted on the underside, with a chew that gas ovens cannot fake. Grimaldi founded Grimaldi's a few doors down, sold the business and his own surname in 1998, then came back at seventy-something to open this place under his mother's name.
The Kitchen
Patsy Grimaldi runs the technique he has used since the 1980s, and it is a study in restraint. The Classic Margherita — DOP San Marzano tomatoes, fresh local mozzarella, basil, a thread of olive oil — is the dish to judge him on, because there is nowhere to hide on a plain pie: the sauce is uncooked and barely sweet, the cheese is laid on in islands rather than a blanket so the crust never goes soggy, and the char does the seasoning. An 18-inch runs $30.50, the 16-inch $27.50, the 11-inch $18.50. The other pie regulars order is the white, built on smoked mozzarella with no tomato so you taste the oven directly. The proof of the room is dated: in 2015 TripAdvisor ranked Juliana's the number-one pizzeria in the United States, and the line down Old Fulton Street has not really shortened since. This is a kitchen that does three things — fire, dough, restraint — and does them at a level almost no one in the city matches.
The Room
It is a narrow Brooklyn storefront, tin ceiling, tile floor, black-and-white photos of old DUMBO on the walls, the oven glowing at the back. Tables are close, the room is loud in a happy way, and the turnover is brisk because the kitchen wants the seats. There is no liquor licence drama to manage — it is beer and wine, pies and a few salads. Dress is whatever you wore to walk the bridge. Expect a queue at peak; it moves.
Best for a First Date
Book or queue for a first date here because it does the hard work for you: a shared pie is the most natural thing in the world to split, the bill is small enough that no one is calculating anything, and the Brooklyn Bridge is a two-minute walk for the after. The rivalry with Grimaldi's next door is a built-in conversation if the talk stalls. It is unpretentious, fast, and warm — the opposite of a tasting menu where you stare at each other between courses.
Not For
Skip it if you want a quiet, lingering dinner — Juliana's runs on turnover, the tables are tight, there is usually a wait, and the kitchen would rather you eat your pie and free the seat than settle in for the night.
Frequently Asked
Is Juliana's worth it?
Yes, if you care about the crust. The coal oven gives a char and chew you cannot get from gas, and Patsy Grimaldi has been refining the same Margherita since the 1980s. TripAdvisor named it the number-one pizzeria in the United States in 2015, and the pies still justify the queue. Go hungry and order a whole one.
What should you order at Juliana's?
The Classic Margherita first — DOP San Marzano, fresh mozzarella laid in islands, basil — because it shows the oven and the dough with nothing to hide behind. The 18-inch is $30.50, the 16-inch $27.50, the 11-inch $18.50. If you want to taste the char directly, get a white pie built on smoked mozzarella with no tomato to compete with it.
How do you get a table at Juliana's?
Mostly by showing up. Juliana's is walk-in driven at 19 Old Fulton Street in DUMBO, and at peak weekend hours the line stretches down the block. Come at an off-hour — late lunch or early evening on a weekday — and you will usually be seated quickly. It is cash-and-card casual, not a reservation room.
What is the difference between Juliana's and Grimaldi's?
Patsy Grimaldi founded Grimaldi's, then sold the business and the name in 1998. Juliana's, opened in 2012 a few doors away on Old Fulton Street and named for his mother, is his return to the coal-oven technique under his own hand. Both use coal ovens; locals argue endlessly over which crust is better. Taste both and decide.
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