On a chilly Wednesday night, Lower East Side community members gathered at Grand Street Pizza to celebrate the restaurant’s fourth anniversary. Friends, couples and individual guests sat close together, chatting over pizza slices and half-drunk beers. Paper plates and empty boxes covered the tables, while the warm smell of pizza in the oven wafted outside.
The community came together to celebrate the pizzeria, which has become a neighborhood staple for embracing the spirit of a casual pizza joint in an elegant environment. Founders Robert Persson and Ian Glazer opened Grand Street Pizza in the spring of 2021. The two had previously worked for a hospitality company, and Persson had just co-founded BonBon — the Swedish candy company — a few years earlier.
The celebration also aligns with National Pizza Month, a reminder that Grand Street is a classic place to go to enjoy New York’s favorite food.
“We’re both big foodies on so many different levels,” Glazer told WSN. “To the point where we love eating a hot dog on the street to going to a five-star restaurant.”
Grand Street offers a selection of classics like the OG cheese pie and pepperoni slice, as well as a spicy soppressata with burrata and Mike’s Hot Honey — one that is not officially on the menu, but all the regulars know of.
While the menu may be standard, Grand Street is set apart by its quality. The crust strikes a balance between crispy edges and a fluffy interior, creating a satisfying bite. The marinara sauce is slowly cooked for two to three hours, and the finished product is topped with fresh, shredded mozzarella and an assortment of toppings.
Persson and Glazer noticed that the Lower East Side didn’t have many places to casually grab a slice of pizza, so they decided to create their own. When they first opened, the space was an empty flower shop. Their Friday nights were typically quiet since the neighborhood didn’t know about them yet.
“Now you look at it on a Thursday night, it could be packed to the gills in here,” Glazer said. “People hanging out, a lot of regulars.”
Grand Street’s manager, Rico Carrasco, explained how much of a joy it is to work for the shop. He opens the store every morning and is grateful to be surrounded by love from the customers.
“It’s honestly the best place anyone could ever walk into, and I try my best to make that happen every single day,” Carrasco said.
Four years in, the neon sign is shining bright and Grand Street has become a landmark for the neighborhood, a place where everyone knows your order and you feel right at home. Regulars now stop by all the time to have a simple drink at the bar and enjoy a crispy, thin slice.
“They sit down and I already know what they’re getting,” Carrasco said. “It’s in the oven already.”
Contact Christobelle Rudes at [email protected].