Famed L&B Spumoni Gardens opens new location on NYC block with two iconic pizzerias but says its not war

There will be sauce.A Brooklyn pizzeria that’s been famously serving up square slices and spumoni for 85 years opened a long-awaited outpost in DUMBO this week on the same block as two iconic slice shops — but claimed it was not firing the first shot in a pizza war.Legendary Gravesend eatery L&B Spumoni Gardens opened a second location at 46 Old Fulton St., directly across the street from Grimaldi’s Pizzeria and Juliana’s, where pizza lovers routinely stand in line for hours to devour coal-fired, brick-oven pies.And around the corner on Water Street is another favorite, Ignazio’s, which makes pies with a gas-fired brick oven.L&B’s reception “has been amazing,” said general manager Charlie Cavallo, who insisted the competition is friendly — with plenty of dough to be made by everyone.“I think it’s a great mix of restaurants where each has their own thing – their own niche,” he said.

“They’re brick oven.We are gas oven, and we’re known for our ‘upside down’ square pies and our world-famous spumoni.”“I’m so excited about this becoming the pizza mecca of New York because you have some heavy hitters here,” added Cavallo.Matt Grogan, co-founder of Juliana’s, agreed, saying “the bottom line is” L&B’s arrival “will be great for the neighborhood because it will bring even more people down to Old Fulton Street” to take in the “whole pizza experience.”“This is probably the most concentrated street in the five boroughs for high-quality pizza,” said Grogan.Charlotte Testerman, general manager of Grimaldi’s flagship DUMBO pizzeria, also extended a warm welcome to L & B.“We look forward to friendly competition and plenty of pizza for visitors and locals alike to enjoy for many years to come,” she said.Although there’s currently pizza peace on Old Fulton Street, it wasn’t always that way — Juliana’s and Grimaldi’s were locked in a feud for years.Coal-oven legend Patsy Grimaldi sold his...