Gothamist.com reports, “just days after we staged a North Brooklyn New Wave Neapolitan Pizza Battle Royale, major contender Motorino has been permanently knocked out of the competition by the Department of Buildings.”

“Here’s what happened: for years now, the building on Graham Avenue in Williamsburg that houses the restaurant has been listing to one side, to the point that the pizzeria was almost forced to shutter last year while the DOB tried to right the structure. At the time, Motorino’s publicist assured us that everything was copacetic, but now, after spending months under scaffolding to try to correct the lean, the pizzeria has slung its last pie. ‘I’m sadly reporting that the Department of Building has shut down Motorino in Brooklyn. The stupidity of our landlord is a force we were not able to overcome. While this setback is unfortunate, we promise to soon re-open in a new location,’ chef/owner Matieu Palombino told Eater. The East Village location remains open, and Palombino is still planning to open a diner on Bowery sometime this year.”