The Grotto Pizzeria & Ristorante

It’s a nice place to hide out from the cold. It’s subterranean and warm. I do a late lunch so haven’t had an issue finding a place to sit. And most importantly the slices are thick with crunchy bottoms. The pepperonis are gigantic. Sometimes I get fancy and get one of their pineapple sodas too.

Ordered penne alla vodka for a holiday party and it was a hit! Not a single bite left within an hour of the event! Thank you!

Popped in for a slice with the family– what a find– they have it together– loved my pie and so did the family. The staff were nice and kept everything moving (during lunch hours at Wall Street can be challenging) seating is for midgets but who cares– it is about the pies!

An office-​ordered pizza event turned me on to Grotto.
Sad it took me 6 months to find this place 3 blocks from my office.
Choices are amazing (for a vegetarian).
I had their grilled veg stromboli today (made fresh for me).
It was heavy on the black pepper, but hopefully I can ask them to tone that down next time.
They have whole pizza which is unusual for most pizzerias.
Prices are decent.
Seating area is nicer than most places.
Hope they are making money — I’d hate to see them close down.
My previous go to downtown place is Big Al’s Chicago Style Pizza on Thames Street.
I’ve been going there for a few years, but this is closer, better menu and better seating.

Stopped here during feast of San Genarro. The food was good and service was fast and accurate. It’s worthy of a sit down. The prices were fair and portions normal but not huge.
I’ll try others, but this is worth the stop if you’re reading and wondering.

Our office ordered pizza for an office party this past week and decided on grotto.
I’ve had many other pizzas. How could you not in NYC? In truth it wasn’t anything I’m falling out of my seat for, but it’s still quality. We had the pepperoni, a standard choice. And it delivered what a pepperoni should be, but wasn’t beyond either.

Shrimp scampi showed up and at first I thought the shrimp were deep fried because they were all a dark brown color. But when I inspected it, it looked like they were breaded and broiled until they turned dark brown. Regardless. This food was fkn disgusting. The pasta was mush and the garlic oil had a consistency of garlic water. And the nerve of them to send these massive, dry dinner rolls and call them garlic knots. The whole thing was a waste.

The pizza, wings & meatball hero were authentic & delicious! The service was also great; quick & kind. Fabulous experience for our 1^st NYC pizza!

It’s all about the jumbo pepperoni, people. Grotto knows this and so should you.
What else does Grotto know? How to make a decent slice of pizza. Thin chewy dough. Nice layer of cheese. And giant pepperoni’s.
Giant slices with giant pepperoni’s are $ 3.50. Go get one.

These guys are awesome. They welcomed us in, made whatever we wanted – it was tasty! And it was a hell of a good value too. I felt a little less snide over Wall Street having experienced their hospitality.

Food and service are good. Since they have a steady flow of customers the food stays made fresh. A large variety of pizza with a range of toppings. Friendly staff and clean environment. Short walk from the job.

The pizza is good and the people who work there are great. However the pizza is definitely on the greasy side. but then again, I’m sure most people who order pizza aren’t exactly looking for something healthy.

I ordered from Grotto over Seamless web and got the sampler appetizer platter, a personal-​sized pizza with a sweet sausage/​fresh tomato topping, and the rice balls. The food came on time (30 minutes wait) and it was decent enough although the pizza dough was kind of bland and the appetizer batter had a sandy taste to it.
The restaurant reviews are quite good so maybe I’d try the place again but order something else.

Tasty and fresh. A very special tiny store. My mom and I order pepperoni and buffalo chicken pizza slice. Emm yummy and cheap but good. Overall, highly recommend it!

I really wanted to like this place and was looking forward to trying their shrimp scampi hoping this would replace my review of their overly sweet shrimp fra diavolo. I finally get the shrimp scampi to my desk and see that the shrimp is battered and deep fried. This is NOT shrimp scampi, they should definitely specify this so that people who want shrimp scampi know not to get it at grotto. Aside from that, the sauce on the pasta is goopy and gelatinous.
The guy behind the counter was nice when I was there, he gave me a sample of a soup they had today. the soup was okay. Good service, bad food.

I have to rave about there taco pizza. I’m addicted to it, it’s like having Taco Bell on your pizza… amazing. Grotto is truly the best pizza in FIDI
I order a few pies at least twice a month from this place for the office. The phone customer service is the best, always so nice, let you know how much and how long it will be. Never ever a disappointment.
Oh and there buffalo pizza is out of this world was stuck on eating that for a good few month. If your in FIDI and want a good pizza this is the place to go.

I’ve had plenty of pizza before but never had a buffalo chicken slice until I meet a friend here at The Grotto. Grotto is at 69 New Street downtown Manhattan near the 4 & 5 Bowling Green train station. You would never notice this place because New Street feels like an alley instead of a main street. You will have to walk down in the cellar to get to the food. As you walk in, POW… the pizza and cashier are right in your face. A few steps down, they have other lunch/​dinner foods that I have never ordered and the seating area. They have plenty of seating but the tables are quite small and seating is kind of tight.
I am hooked on their Buffalo chicken pizza. I would say hands down this pizza is the best I’ve had, because the crust is just about right, not too doughy or cardboardee and crispy, the cheese is just enough, not too much or overcooked, and tomato sauce is just right with spicy taste and crunchy chicken that makes everything proportioned in the right way. It’s so good, on some Friday’s; I order a pie to take home to JC for dinner. That’s how much I enjoy their Buffalo pizza.
So if/​when I’m in a mood for a slice or two of pizza, I would definitely walk over to Grotto’s for pizza/​food, because it’s a good place!!!

The Grotto gets points for its space, a subterranean location next to a Cuban restaurant. After winding past the counter and up a separated half-​flight of stairs, there’s a surprisingly nice dining room for a take-​out joint with pieces of faux-​greenery and a mixture of two tops and bigger booths for eating.
There’s even free Wi-​Fi, which is great because there’s no way your cell phone is going to get any reception down here.
The Grotto features pizza that’s markedly better than its competition in the neighborhood, where truly horrid establishments like Georgino’s try to lure in the Wall Street trader in need of a caloric fix in between trades.
The Grotto goes heavy on the speciality pizzas. The best of the bunch is the slightly sacrilegious Honey Mustard pizza, which isn’t too sweet and is perfect with a couple of shakes of black pepper.
The crust here isn’t too thick and the cheese is perfectly fine. The sauce could use a bit more flavor. Come on Tuesday, when the $ 5 two cheese slice and a fountain soda is a nice deal.
For the dinner diner, be prepared for a pretty mediocre selection. Volume here is definitely a lunch thing, so either wait 10 – 15 minutes for a fresh pizza or grab whatever is remanent is available.

i miss this place, ever since my office moved to the west side, i lost one of my lunch hot spots
Happy Tuesdays are the day to go for those looking for a special, other days aren’t so expensive but on tuesdays its a treat for you cuz you get 2 slices and a soda for $ 5, when is the last time you heard you can get lunch for $ 5, its unheard of in the city
another option instead of the pizza is the spaghetti, so you have some choices
this place is located in the basement
now to the food… i would say hands down is the best pizza i’ve had, because the crust is just about right, not too doughy or cardboardee and crispy, the cheese is just enough, not too much or overcooked, and tomato sauce is just right, everyone is proportioned in the right way
they have plenty of seating but the tables are quite small and seating is kind of tight
if you decide to sit here and eat, there is this cheesy smell in the air, so not sure if its too pleasant to be in a place with cheesey smell, i don’t really notice that in other areas
so if i’m in a mood for a long lunch, i would walk over here to get food, because its good!!!

This place is pretty great. there is about a million pizza places in the area but his one really stands out.
It’s down in the cellar, yet it gives of a warm and cozy feeling. The second you walk through that door are smacked in the face with the amazing smell of what a pizza place should smell like. Go here and you will know exactly what i’m talking about. U will immediately be starving to death even if you are not remotely hungry. Welcome to the grotto. Hells yea
Everything here looks good and everybody eating is really happy. And why shouldn’t they be, because they know the grotto is where its at. Now, I happened to order a foccatia with chicken, prosciutto, mozz, and roasted red peppers on it. Little garlic and some red pepper flakes, 8 bucks (picture attached). It could have used a little more time in the oven. But hey, they probably saw that hunger in my eyes and knew how bad i wanted to just mowe that thing down.
When i come back here I will most definitely be getting that Giant thick slice of pepperoni pizza I saw the person next to me eating. That thing looked beast.