The team behind Midtown Manhattan’s young cult-favorite Upside Pizza—chef and founder Noam Grossman, international pizza consultant Anthony Falco and partners Eli & Oren Halali— have opened Norm’s Pizza, a back-to-basics slice shop bringing simple yet thoughtfully-crafted pies to Downtown Brooklyn.
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The pies are 100% naturally leavened using a sourdough starter and house-milled flour, cooked in a triple-decker PizzaMaster for a classic New York-slice result, and topped with carefully-sourced ingredients. Staple menu pies include the traditional Cheese with Norm’s signature sauce, Pecorino Romano and low-moisture mozzarella; the Pepperoni with signature sauce, Ezzo Supreme Special pepperoni, low-moisture mozzarella, Sicilian oregano and grana; the White Pie with garlic, Frankie’s 457 Oro di Sicilia Green Gold EVOO, fresh mozzarella, low-moisture mozzarella, lemon zest-ricotta and grana, finished with housemade basil oil and fresh parsley; the Vodka Pie with housemade vodka sauce (made with a Calabrian chili paste for an infusion of well-balanced spice), fresh mozzarella, low-moisture mozzarella and grana; and the Margherita with signature sauce, fresh mozzarella, low-moisture mozzarella, grana, Sicilian oregano and basil and finished with housemade basil oil.
Designed by Matt Dennis and Jonathan Visgaitis at Bolt Design Group, Norm’s 400 square-foot space is inspired by the classic Brooklyn slice shops of the late 60s and early 70s. Old-school formica counters and tabletops, mustard-yellow hues, dark brick walls, pegboards, and a fluorescent-lit menu board combine to create a nostalgic, “grandmother’s basement” aesthetic. Meanwhile, more modern elements, like red neon lights along the pizza counter and the shop’s exterior, bring a contemporary feel. A custom caterpillar table, built using a lazy Susan, slides and pivots to accommodate up to nine guests with seating on low metal stools. Above the seating area, a large pegboard showcases a map of New York City using only pegs; a pink peg shows Upside Pizza’s location, and a yellow peg denotes Norm’s address, a nod to the shop’s roots.
