Closed for Business: Percy's/ South Brooklyn Pizza, 447 1st Street
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at 7:12AM
The outpost of South Brooklyn Pizza on First Street just west of 7th Avenue, part of a mini-chain regarded by many as the purveyors of the finest slice in New York, has closed up shop four months after adding $1 slices to the menu and changing the name to Percy's.
The closure comes on the heels of continuing trouble for the chain and its owner James McGown, who has a long history of legal troubles. The switch to a dollar slice format was obviously in response to customers' unwillingness to pay $5 per slice (even though the ingredients used are top notch, and it's actually a very solid slice of pizza), and just a couple days ago the location on 1st Avenue in the East Village announced plans to move to a new, TBA location. For those who need their fix, the location on Fourth Avenue is still open.
Many thanks to reader Michael for sending the above photo.
Closed for Business in Food, Scoops, Storefronts
Reader Comments (25)
That pizza is unquestionably the best in NYC. The second that slice it's your tongue, you are not thinking about the price. So good.
Man, that sucks. I liked their pizza. The $1 was great, I bought a slice or two every weekend. That's not enough to keep them going I see. Who in NYC pays $5 a slice when there is a plethora of great $2 slices and really decent $1 slices?!
I went all the time when it was South Brooklyn Pizza (slices were $4 not $5) and I've never been to Percy's because it looks tacky and always had teenagers loitering.
I'm back to Roma.
I can't believe people are surprised by this. Whoever conceived this spot just doesn't know our neighborhood. Park Slope is home to some of the best discerning foodies in New York City who will pay top dollar for their pizza. This is why we have Franny's within our town boundary and why Dom Demarco has his amazing place only a short drive away. They should have kept the South Brooklyn spot here and opened this nasty crap somewhere on Pitkin Ave.
It should be noted that the owner of the South Brooklyn chain is a scumbag.
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130317/REAL_ESTATE/303179983/james-mcgown-buys-bankrupts-and-bruises
And Giuseppina's is the best pizza in the area on 19th street and 6th avenue.
Better than Franny's. And I love Franny's.
The original was a great product that was just too expensive. The second iterations reeked of desperation. Doomed from the start.
Seriously, 5 bucks for a slice? Yagottabekiddinme!
I still put my money on Peppino's. It may not be the absolute best, but it's clearly better than your standard pizza corner shop, and i love their old-school checkered tablecloths.
This place was just a smaller chain restaurant that failed to make enough people happy. No tears from this guy.
The Sofia slice at Joe's (which is closed for renovations) between Carroll and Garfield on 7th is pretty solid. I loved the South Brooklyn's slice in their early days, and they always offered pickled peppers, roast garlic, and fresh basil complimentary too. It was a cute spot to just relax with your slice, and they even let me byob tall boys a few times in the evenings.
A month or so ago I hit up the 4th ave location and found overly greasy, excessively cheesy (didn't think it possible) slices. A far cry from the original slice, but the same price. Oof.
FTR I went to Giuseppina's last week and it was some of the best pizza I've had in a while. It is the closest I have gotten to my ideal childhood slice joint and they have complimentary fresh basil and garlic if you ask for it. A schlep for us north park slopers, but so so SO worth it. Great atmosphere and amazing pies.
Giuseppina's is the best pie in Brooklyn in my opinion.
It's the brother of the famous Lucali in Carroll Gardens, but I think Giusepps is just a TAD better even.
I bring out of town people to Guiseppina's and they always love it and say it's the best pizza they've ever had.
I don't think most people in this neighborhood ever make it that far south where a place on 19th street would be a strong consideration. Silly move to open a restaurant in that location. Imagine what a place like that would do in the Slope, if it's really that good. This is why Franny's is far and away better. Much more centrally located. There really is no discussion to be had here.
frannys is not "brooklyn pizza"
Eddard:
You're clueless. And I'm guessing quite elderly.
Giuseppina's is full every night. It's a block away from Greenwood Beer Garden, which is an entire city block with anywhere between 200-400 patrons on any given evening.
Giuseppina's is on the same corner as Lot 2 (another excellent and perpetually packed restaurant)
There is a Bar on the corner also.
And most ignorant of all:
People live in south slope (or greenwood heights) just as they live in north slope. So while it MAY be too far for YOU to walk:
1. Many of us do walk there
2. There is an entire population of residents who live in that area too!
Imagine that. What, because it's not in the north slope then no one goes there? Or south of 15th is somehow inferior? I live in north slope and it's boring as hell and all the storefronts are vacant. I walk to south slope every other day. Honestly all the great Restaurants are down there. The 2 I mentioned, talde, thistle hill, steinhoff, applewood, Der komisser, the list goes on.
3, a meal at Franny's for 2 costs $150 and you'll leave hungry.
Giuseppina's is 1/4 that with wine.
And btw I just read an interview on the owners of Franny's and they admitted that since they've moved into the new larger space, they are not filling up the house on week nights.
Giuseppina's is smaller, always full, and they probably pay 1/3 the rent a place in north slope would fetch.
Many of the greatest restaurants in the city are remote...Roberta's, Peter Luger, Tanoreen.
Your stupid comment is like saying, why doesn't Al Di La open up in Times Square, they could make SO much more money.
They are where they are and every restaurantuer decides where and how much they are willing to throw down the garbage on rent.
I live on 11th street and 5th avenue (pretty sure that's Park Slope last I checked) so Giuseppina's is much closer to me than Frannys's. Frankly as far as pizza goes, Giuseppina's is far better than Franny's. I do like Franny's but it's a special occasion type place. The prices are high for what you get.
Plus it's too far to walk to and on grody Flatbush Avenue. I don't consider Franny's authentic in any way, it's yuppified. Giuseppina's is my favorite pie in the city along with Lucali and Paulie G's in Greenpoint.
The notion that Giuseppina's is too far to walk must be a joke or something. Sure it might be too far for you, but this blog isn't written for you, it's written for an entire neighborhood and area. I go to Sunset Park to eat, Jackson Heights, Manhattan, Carroll Gardens all over. Eddard do you only eat within a 3 block radius of your home? Why even live in New York if you think 19tj street is too far? Are you lazy or just incredibly boring?
Eddard's wife Catelyn typically cooks for him and the rest of the Stark clan. His opining here is just conjecture.
So, Giuseppina's and the likes, are we talkin $5 slices here too? Or something reasonable?
Giusppina's isn't a slice joint. It's a sit down restaurant with the most magnigicent pies AND CALZONES. Seriously the calzones are something special. The atmosphere is great too, perfect for a group or romantic for a date night too.
I think a whole large pie is $20.
And when I say large pie, I mean it will feed 3-4 people.
1 large pie at Franny's is enough for 1 person. And then you still need to stop somewhere for dinner after.
$1 for a slice is garbage food and that's precisely what this was. shameless pandering to ps. 321 kids with no taste buds.
The $4 slice at the previous South Brooklyn pizza was excellent and it was my go to spot until I read what a slumlord a$$ the owner was.
I prefer Roma to all the ones listed.
Guiseppina's and Franny's aren't bad, but they're not Brooklyn Pizza. Roma makes a quality slice, and at a decent price at that.
The South Brooklyn pizza is also delicious, but a tad overpriced imho.
I like that spot I am trying to rent it .. Does anyone have the owners information? Please email me at bmgforver@gmail.com ... Any help would be great appreciated
Eddard: "Park Slope is home to some of the best discerning foodies in New York City who will pay top dollar for their pizza. This is why we have Franny's within our town boundary and why Dom Demarco has his amazing place only a short drive away."
Uhhhhhhh . . . no. That's absolutely not why Dom Demarco opened his pizzeria in Midwood in the 1960s , to satisfy Park Slope's foodies. That concept is so incredibly, absurdly, laughably wrong. Let's not forget that there are other neighborhoods in Brooklyn, with their own residents, some of whom even eat well. What? Eddard, you sound incredibly provincial.
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