The original Brooklyn location of the beloved wood-fire-pizza joint Paulie Gee’s is about to go the way of the dollar slice.
The iconic Greenpoint pizzeria will close for renovations in January — to completely transform into a “tavern” under a different name in 2026, The Post has learned.
The newish owners of the classic joint — the same team behind boozy borough haunts such as the Skinny Dennis, Rocka Rolla and Turtles All the Way Down — took over the red-sauce institution at 60 Greenpoint Ave. from local restauranter Paul Giannone in 2024.
Giannone still runs Paulie G’s Slice Shop on Franklin Avenue around the corner and franchises others around the US.
But his original location has slowly been undergoing changes, and the upcoming renovation will be the “final step” in its overhaul, its owners said.
“While the name will change, the ownership remains the same team behind your favorite local watering holes and will feature a cozy new look and feel,” management wrote in a Friday announcement on Instagram.
The eatery’s new name, which has yet to be announced, will not contain that of its original namesake, and the location will be a “tavern,” but it will still sling “Paulie Gee’s” pizzas, managing partner Lina Pinciaro told The Post.
“Basically, what it’s going to be is a bar,” she said. “We’re moving into the direction of what we already know and do – which is run bars.”
The new space will feature a 50-foot bar, jukebox, pool table and booth seating, Pinciaro said.
“There will be a lot of booth seating towards the front, which allows for people to come, bring their kids, bring their friends … it’ll be open to all ages,” the co-owner said.
The existing restaurant is expected to close Jan. 4 and reopen sometime in March.
In an oven-hot comments section on Instagram, local slice aficionados were already slamming the change in what is arguably New York City’s most beloved food industry, which famously offered dollar slices as recently as two years ago.
“What if I just want really good pizza?” a commenter wrote.
Another person lamented, “We miss you and your original timeless place.
“What inspires this increasingly bar-ified aesthetic?”
A third person fumed, “Did anybody ask for this?”
The eatery’s management shot back in response, “We want to create a synergy of our original pizzeria and the great taverns my friends have had a great deal of success with in North Brooklyn.”
Outside the coal-fired establishment, a 45-year-old Greenpoint local, Camryn, explained one reason behind the resistance.
“I kind of miss when we kept things separate,” she said of watering holes and pizzerias, noting “there’s about four bars just on this stretch [of Greenpoint Avenue].”
But 27-year-old Brooklynite David Brown argued the transition into a tavern “won’t take away from anything.
“Honestly, it may draw more of a crowd,” he said. “Pizza, drinks, music: In what world is that a bad combo?”
Restaurant managing partner Lesley Brown told The Post, “I think we’re just trying to go back to what we know.
“And with the restaurant, you’re expecting turnover to clear a table, and you’re waiting for the next [customer] — and with bars, people come and go as they like.”
For those still looking to grab a slice during the renovation period, Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop, which opened in 2018, will be on hand.
Giannone also will still be a regular at the tavern “to make sure we’re making it exactly as recipes call,” Pinciaro said.
The managing partner assured pricing won’t increase after the renovation.
“This is not going in the direction of trying to make it more bougie-fied,” Pinciaro said.
“We’re not going upward, downward or this way or that way,” she said. “I know people have an adversity to change. It’s very natural — but this change will be one that I think everybody will be happy with.”
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