L'Industrie Pizzeria

"We've said it once, we'll say it 100 times: makes the city's best slice, fancying up classic pies with a long fermentation and ingredients imported from Italy. Their second outpost serves near-identical pizza as the original sidewalk party spot, only they do it across the river in a slightly more polished West Village space. L'Industrie in Manhattan trades in the sleeveless, eat-on-a-stoop energy of the first location for a more typical, climate-controlled dining experience. There's dark wood paneling, a pressed-tin ceiling, and exposed brick, plus you can wash your slices down with natural wine and bring a group without stressing about finding a place to sit. It's the same unmistakable L'Industrie Cinematic Universe, though. Imported tomato cans, Ferrari ads, and Godfather posters line the walls. The menu board above the counter has goofy lettering. And the main priority, as always, is to get your hands on a greasy paper plate carrying a burrata slice. We have trouble deciphering between the pizza here and the Williamsburg spot—slices are eerily similar and just as delicious. The naturally leavened and long-fermented crust somehow stays puffy on the outside with a crunchy undercarriage. The sauce is bright and a little sweet. Meats and olive oil taste classy and not from America, as if they can quote Dante's Inferno with ease. And everything gets covered with giant basil leaves and freshly shaved parm. Stick to the basics when you're ordering a solo slice, like the spicy salami or the burrata slice. Then bring reinforcements (also known as friends) for a midweek dinner so you can load up on pizza and Wednesday-only sandwich specials like chicken cutlet and vodka sauce or chicken caesar. On hot days, we go for the soft serve-esque gelato finished with olive oil and flaky salt. Or cold days. Or really, any days that end in “Y.” There's no wrong choice between the Manhattan or Brooklyn L’Industrie—both locations serve excellent slices. Still, we ultimately prefer the Williamsburg spot because of its stretch of sidewalk on South 2nd Street. An indoor Manhattan space just can't replicate that rose-colored nostalgia, the one where it's always summer and your crush from eighth grade might show up for pizza and you'll both be cool about it. But L’Industrie's second location officially serves Manhattan's premier slice. The next time you’re spending an afternoon in the West Village or need a quick lunch, go. Even if you don't get the block party that comes with the original. " - Will Hartman