One of the city’s most famous pizzerias is being tossed out of its building — and adding injury to insult, the rival establishment that’s moving in is inheriting its unique oven.
Brooklyn’s Grimaldi’s Pizzeria will move its world-famous tourist hot spot on Old Fulton Street in DUMBO to a larger site next door as early as Nov. 29 because its landlord declined to dish out a new lease.
But staying behind is one of its biggest attractions — a coal-fired brick oven that will soon be churning out pies for a competing pizza joint.
Mark Waxman, a New Jersey gastroenterologist whose family owns the storefront Grimaldi’s is being booted from, said the oven is staying put to be used by a “very popular pizza establishment” taking over the site.
“The people coming in are very well known, and the neighborhood is going to be very happy with them,” said Waxman, who refused to disclose the name of the new big cheese.
The city rarely issues new permits for coal-fired brick ovens because of environmental concerns.
Existing ones like Grimaldi’s are grandfathered in — making them virtual gold mines.
They can be approved on a case-by-case basis, but one city official said that’s “very rare.’’
Grimaldi’s owner, Frank Ciolli, told The Post that he will apply for permission to acquire one, but insisted that he’s not worried in any case.
“I love competition. Bring it on,’’ Ciolli said. “Our business will continue to do very well.”
He insisted the deal to move next door isn’t official yet — but city records indicate Grimaldi’s received various approvals for its new site, including permission to install an oven.
But there’s no word on exactly what kind.
Ciolli has long battled the Waxmans, who tried to evict him last year for being delinquent in rent payments.
But he received a reprieve when a judge ordered the landlord to accept $60,000 in back rent and other late payments.
Ciolli’s existing lease expires at the end of the month. He bought the eatery’s famous name from pizza king Patsy Grimaldi in 1998.