We’ll finally get our piece of the pie!
After two years of hype and delays, the second Brooklyn outpost of beloved Greenpoint pizza shop Paulie Gee’s is set to open at the end of the month, according to the chain’s owner and chief pizzaiolo. Paulie Giannone first announced Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop in 2016, but construction delays kept the parlor under wraps until an as-yet-unspecified date at the end of August, said the pizza master, who downplayed a previously-announced opening date of Aug. 29.
“There’s lots of stuff still to be done and I had to hire people to do it, but we could open tomorrow,” Giannone said on Sunday. The spot did not open on Monday.
The original Paulie Gee’s on Greenpoint Avenue focuses on wood-fired Neapolitan-inspired pies with unorthodox toppings — and it does not offer takeout. In contrast, the new location is a take on the classic New York slice joint, and will sling cheese slices for $3.50 a pop, to eat in or take out.
“I decided to make it an homage to the kind of places you’d go 50 years ago for a slice,” Giannone said. “The kind of place I grew up on.”
The new space will also offer a handful of off-beat slices, including a variation on Paulie’s famous Hellboy slice made with pepperoni and Mike’s hot honey, and four vegan slice options, along with dessert icees from Spumoni Gardens in Bensonhurst.
The slice shop, located less than 10 blocks away from the original location, will feature classic pizzeria decor, including bright orange booths, wood paneling and vintage Coca–Cola signs. The rear of the space features a bar serving beer and wine, decorated solely with Yankee memorabilia. Giannone’s allegiance to the Bronx Bombers is so strict that he banned blue recycling bins from the shop, because they could combine with the orange booths to suggest the colors of the New York Mets, he said.
In keeping with old-school standards, Giannone bought old-fashioned pizza ovens instead of opting for newer technology, which he acknowledged was a risky move.
“I may regret that, but that’s what I did,” he said.
Giannone has also compiled a playlist of almost 2000 songs to play at the shop, with an emphasis on the 1960s pop that would have played in the pizza parlors he plans to emulate.
Day-to-day operations at the shop will be handled by Andrew Brown, a longtime Paulie Gee’s staffer, who Giannone said was more motivated to pursue the Slice Joint than he was.
Paulie Gee’s first debuted at 60 Greenpoint Ave. in 2010. Since then, it has opened locations around the country, with outposts in Miami, Baltimore, and Chicago, but there has only been one New York City location until now. Giannone said that he is amazed to see how his empire has grown over the years.
“I can’t believe what I created,” Giannone said. “It’s what I dreamed of creating and more.”
Paulie Gee’s Slice Joint (110 Franklin St. at Noble Street in Greenpoint, www.pauli
