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Make Grimaldi's Your Next Stop for Family Pizza Night!

By Hosted Review by Alex Rocha (Mr. Macaroni) and Kindle Rising, East Tucson Macaroni Kid September 15, 2017

With the start of the new school year upon us we are often reminded of the family traditions that seem to go hand in hand with the official beginning of the busy season. Now, I don't know about you, but in my family, it was customary to celebrate a great report card, a big win for the team, or a spectacular recital performance with a trip to a local pizzeria, preferably one with red and white checkered tablecloths and fantastic pizza.  In Tucson, Grimaldi's certainly captures the spirit, taste and time homered tradition of the family pizza joint, checkered tablecloths and all. And of course, amazing New York style pizza. 

Located in Sam Hughe's Place on the corner of 6th and Campbell, Grimaldi's is within walking distance from Arizona Stadium,  McKale center, and campus museums. This makes it a perfect, convenient gathering place before or after any university or midtown event. But location aside, it is the hand tossed New York style crust, secret recipe tomato sauce, and delicious toppings that will keep you coming back for more. Not to mention the great service, fresh salads and sinful dessert menu. Want to make your whole family smile? Head to Grimaldi's!

Our family was recently invited to visit Grimaldi's for the first time, and we were eager to try this little midtown gem. Our outing started with our 7-year-old (the picky one) affirming that Grimaldi's was a good choice because we all like pizza (read: Pizza is one of the few foods she likes). She went on to ponder whether Grimaldi's might have a good sausage pizza because, "We all like sausage," (read: Sausage is one of two pizza toppings SHE likes). It just so happens that one of Grimaldi's popular hand-tossed pizzas is the Brooklyn Bridge, an Italian sausage pizza with roasted red peppers and ricotta cheese. This was the perfect choice for our family, even though the 7-year-old picked off the peppers...more for mom and dad. Of course, for families with different preferences, the build-your-own options range from pepperoni to fresh spinach to anchovies, with a choice of traditional, white garlic, or pesto sauces. Truly something for every taste! 

We also ordered a delicious Caprese salad, and while the picky child didn't try it, the 10-year-old was amazed at how delicious fresh mozzarella and tomatoes taste together. Like the pizza, something else we all agreed on was dessert. Or rather, desserts. There were four desserts we were anxious to sample, so we ordered the Dessert Trio with cannoli, tiramisu, and blueberry cheesecake, PLUS an extra strawberry cheesecake. All of these confections were absolutely amazing, and we all spent several blissful minutes not saying much more than, "Mmmmmmmm" as we polished off the desserts. Grimaldi's cheesecake selection rotates with the season (and they have other seasonal items as well), and as of September 1 the new flavors are Caramel Apple and Chocolate. I have no doubt these are just as delectable as the berry cheesecakes, and I certainly wouldn't mind stopping back by Grimaldi's to verify that!

While the food was the centerpiece (literally, in the case of the pizza!), our visit to Grimaldi's was a pleasure from start to finish. The Tucson restaurant is small, and it was busy when we arrived, but we were seated promptly and our iced teas were never empty. Our server was friendly and informative, and looking around, I noticed college-aged couples, families with babies and children in booster seats, and groups of friends enjoying a Sunday meal.  It was certainly an enjoyable meal for our family. Grimaldi's has some new fans in Tucson.

Not only is Grimaldi's a great place to fill your family's tummies, during the month of September they are participating in Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign to help fill the tummies of hungry children in America. If you head to Grimaldi's for a meal during the month of September and you donate to No Kid Hungry, you'll get a bonus card for the amount you donated to be used during your next visit to Grimaldi's.

Visit www.grimaldispizzeria.com for more information about the menu (including the seasonal menu), locations, gift cards and more!

My family of 4 were guests of Grimaldi's Pizzeria and received complimentary food for the purposes of this review. All opinions are those of myself and my family.