When it comes to a quintessential New York slice, we’re ready to say that L’Industrie sets the standard. This Williamsburg pizza place (with a second location in the West Village) Frankensteins together an impressively thin crust you’d find in Roman varieties (like at Bread & Salt in Jersey City), toppings imported from Italy, and a funky-flavored dough thanks to a long fermentation process. The result is the kind of slice you’ll crave for no reason at all, like on a random Tuesday afternoon when a leaf falls on your head and reminds you of basil. Outside, there’s a large sidewalk patio where people drink natural wine. An Italian flag proudly hangs on a tree, a loudspeaker calls out order numbers, and 2000s hip hop blasts into the street. There are about a dozen bar stools inside, though you’re unlikely to find a seat during busier times. The line moves fast though, and it won’t be long before you’re holding a hot slice. Each bite of blistered crust puffs, then crunches, tasting more like bread from a bakery than a happy dough triangle from a pizzeria. Minimal tomato sauce and spot-on oven temperatures ensure that a layer of rich mozzarella stays perfectly in place. The sexy kind of orange grease drips down your wrist when you fold a slice. If you momentarily decide to tear the crust in half, you’d see a smattering of air pockets that look something like bubble wrap. Beyond the crust, L’Industrie stands out because they’re hardos about using fresh ingredients, often imported from Italy. The shop was opened by a Florence native in 2017, after all. Every slice has a final kiss of basil and parmesan for the kind of salty herbaceous pop you’d get if you licked an herb garden and some salt before taking a tequila shot. It’s one of the few places where we approve of pizza wearing burrata, a too often-fetishized ingredient on menus in NYC. This creamy burrata is spread over the majority of the regular cheese slice, and drizzled with fruity-rich olive oil. Instead of a bland blast of goo, you get a manageable mouthful of velvet dairy. Another essential topping experience here is the pepperoni. These flat discs will make you realize how artificial the ’roni cups of your past tasted, since these are porky, and sweeter than they are salty. As is true for some very good pizza places in a dude-dominated scene, L’Industrie has serious pizza-machismo energy. When it’s busy, it can sometimes feel like all the cool boys who made fun of you in high school started a guild here together. We say this not to dissuade you from coming, but because someone might look at you like you’re an idiot for not knowing where to return your tray inside. We’re lucky that there will never be a dearth of slice shops in this city: places where you can find convenient slices, 2am slices, and $2 slices that used to be 99-cent slices. L’Industrie isn’t here to replace those experiences with burrata and fresh basil, but their excellent pizza contextualizes a history of slice shops. We used to first think of Joe’s whenever someone brought up the category of a New York slice. Now, we think of L’Industrie. L'Industrie Pizzeria is featured in an episode of our podcast, Restaurant People, where we discuss lining up for restaurants.