Grimaldi's Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria

4000 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ - (480) 994-1100

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Posted By Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle on 4/1/2009 12:26:00 PM

There are a handful of Grimaldi's pizzerias in Arizona, owned and operated by sons of the owner (no longer Patsy Grimaldi, incidentally) of Grimaldi's in Brooklyn. We've only visited the one in Old Town Scottsdale (they've been expanding: there are now six in AZ, three in Texas, and one in Vegas), but in our experience the pizza is superior to the pies found at the Brooklyn original.

Our first visit to an Arizona Grimaldi's came about by way of an aborted attempt to sample Chris Bianco's legendary pizzas. The process of securing a table at Pizzeria Bianco can be onerous, and we were forced into looking for an alternative. So Grimaldi's it was.

Grimaldi's uses a coal-fired brick oven, just like in the Brooklyn store. The pies are built in much the same way, too, from the good crushed canned tomato (not sauce) right down to the sparse scattering of fresh basil. What we most appreciate, though, is the chewy-crisp, smoky pizza crust (but we recommend telling them you like your pies well-cooked, because they've learned that the locals are turned off by East Coast burnt spots). For some reason, the Brooklyn crust just doesn't have the same depth of flavor, and can be flabby-textured, in our opinion. And we always fall for superior fresh bread.

The chunks of juicy Italian sausage are excellent. If you love fresh mozzarella, know that the white pie is blanketed rim to rim with the stuff. We would recommend a request for extra fresh basil (extra charge) so that every slice could feature a fresh bite of the fragrant herb.

Like everywhere in spacious Arizona, the restaurant is roomy, with that shiny-happy midscale-chain aura, and there's plenty of parking. What Scottsdale's Grimaldi's lacks in character, it makes up for in first-class pizza.

Scorecard

Overall: One of the Best - Worth a Trip

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Reviewers Photos [Upload Your Photos]

"Patsy Grimaldi's of Scottsdale makes pizzas that compare favorably with the best of the East."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"We adore the toasty browned cheese on the white pies."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"The Italian sausage’s spiciness mixed incredibly with the bitterness of the Greek olives, and the ultra-fragrant basil was truly the pièce de résistance on this culinary work of art. Bravo!"
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch

"It's Scottsdale's superior crust that makes us prefer these pies to the ones made in Brooklyn."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"Pizza here is not inexpensive. If you load on the toppings, the price can rise dramatically. Note that we believe the Phoenix location listed on this menu no longer exists. (Click on the photo for a clearer view.)"
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"The coal-fired brick oven is key to the fine pizza crust."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"Bianco gets all the attention, but Grimaldi's is top notch."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle