Patsy’s. Grimaldi’s. Juliana’s, names synonymous with great New York City pizza. Separate by design but connected through a fascinating and tangled history.
The story begins in 1933, when Pasquale “Patsy” Lancieri and his wife, Carmella, opened the original Patsy’s Pizzeria on First Avenue in East Harlem. It was one of the first pizzerias in New York City to bake pies in a coal-fired oven, was among the first to sell pizza by the slice, and legend has it that it was one of Frank Sinatra’s favorites. After Lancieri’s death in 1991, the restaurant was sold to Frank Brija and longtime employees, ensuring the original location would continue its coal-fired tradition.
In the mid-1940s, Pasquale and Carmella’s fourteen-year-old nephew, Patsy Grimaldi, began his apprenticeship at Patsy’s Pizzeria’s First Avenue location. Decades later, in 1990, the younger Patsy opened his own pizzeria under the Brooklyn Bridge on Old Fulton Street in Brooklyn. There, he installed the first coal-fired pizza oven in NYC in more than fifty years. As a result of a lawsuit from the owners of the East Harlem Patsy’s, he was forced to rename his Brooklyn location to Grimaldi’s. In the late 1990’s, Patsy Grimaldi sold the Grimaldi’s name and business to restaurateur Frank Ciolli and retired.
But the story didn’t end there. In 2011, Grimaldi’s was forced to relocate from its Old Fulton Street address to a nearby space on Front Street. One year later, Patsy Grimaldi came out of retirement and reclaimed his original Old Fulton Street location, opening Juliana’s, named in honor of his mother. Grimaldi passed away in 2025, having devoted nearly eighty years to crafting some of the finest pizza in New York City.
Today, multiple restaurants across New York City, operating under different names, trace their lineage back to these two Patsys, the original 1933 coal-fired oven in East Harlem and a family’s enduring love for authentic New York pizza. The Boca Raton location, opened in 2025, is owned by Frank Brija, the same Frank Brija who purchased the original East Harlem Patsy’s in 1991.
When I heard that Patsy’s from Brooklyn had opened a satellite location in Boca Raton, I had to try it. The restaurant sits in downtown Boca on Plaza Real South, just southeast of the Federal Highway and East Palmetto Park Road intersection. There are numerous outdoor tables perfect for people-watching, and inside, a long bar stretches across the back of the dining area. The entire left wall is devoted to pizza, with the prep-area front and center, guarding the specialized, dual-fuel pizza oven. The oven floor is heated by gas, while the top heat is powered by coal, a throwback to its 1933 origins and one of the main reasons the pizza is outstanding.
I grabbed a small table outside and took in the scene. As I scanned the menu and spotted the legendary Patsy’s name, I couldn’t help but reflect. Nearly a century ago, a couple in East Harlem risked everything with little more than a coal oven, a recipe and sheer determination. Their nephew carried that torch under the Brooklyn Bridge. And here I was, far removed from those gritty New York streets, sitting in the polished setting of Boca, a complete contrast, yet connected by the same pizza lineage. The differences weren’t lost on me, I hoped I would taste the love and history when the pizza arrived.
I ordered an Original, with sausage on one half and pepperoni on the other.
When it hit the table, I was impressed. The sauce extended almost to the edge, leaving just a small border of beautifully charred crust from the coal fire. The sauce itself was a deep, rich red, applied generously but not excessively. The cheese was evenly layered, and the toppings were abundant without being overdone, hearty chunks of sausage and curled slices of pepperoni with a touch of oil in many of them.
I started with a piece from the sausage side. On its own, the sausage surprised me, it was milder than expected, with less fennel than I typically prefer. Next, I sampled a pepperoni cup, complete with its pooled oil. It was the complete polar opposite, bold, spicy, and assertive, perhaps even a touch too spicy for my usual taste. I wondered how each would meld with the other components in a full bite.
I next checked the underside, and it was perfectly baked, lightly charred, thin, crisp with hints of charring. I took a full bite of the sausage slice first. It was pizza heaven. The crust crunched, the sauce delivered deep tomato richness, the cheese added luscious creaminess, and the sausage tied it all together beautifully. Any initial hesitation with the sausage vanished completely. In combination, the sausage slice was perfectly balanced. It was one of the finest sausage slices I’ve ever had.
Then came the pepperoni slice. The crust, sauce, and cheese provided the same flawless foundation, but the pepperoni transformed the experience entirely. Its spiciness kicked in and challenged the palate. If the sausage side felt like a long, warm hug, the pepperoni side was an enthusiastic slap on the back, wake up and savor it. Though I’m not typically drawn to spicy pizza, this slice was fantastic.
With each slice, my smile grew wider. I was sitting in what felt like pizza royalty, even sitting in South Florida. Before leaving, I made sure to thank the pizzaiolos. They stood proudly in front of their oven, gracious and welcoming, guardians of a nearly century-old tradition that continues to thrive, one coal-kissed pie at a time.
114 Plaza Real S Boca Raton, FL 33432
(561) 334-2553
patsyspizzaflorida.com
Jfood Eats 