When I asked my friend to come with me to L’Industrie Pizzeria in the city on a Friday evening, she mused that perhaps they wouldn’t have a line, given the two adequately spaced locations in New York: the original in Williamsburg and the new(er) location in the West Village. I assured her that, no matter what time of day, they always do. I sadly confirmed I was right as we neared Christopher Street, walking toward the stretch of people who were coming out of the door and down the block.
L’Industrie's perpetual wait times are just a result of the pizzas crafted by Massimo Laveglia. The Tuscan-born chef opened up shop in Williamsburg back in 2017, perfecting and then hawking wonderfully blistered and crisp pies à la New York style, dressed in all things Italian with prosciutto di Parma and milky balls of burrata. I knew I was in for a wait at the city's current "It" slice shop. So, I steeled myself, clocking the time for 7:54pm.
I will say, as long as the line was, the crowd of tourists, twenty-somethings, and older individuals was a jovial one. We collectively scooted down the block at a nice and steady pace, fast enough to feel like I was making progress but slow enough to hear a chorus of strangers say some variation of “I don’t do lines.” Over the next hour, I chatted with the bouncer/doorman at the neighboring TALEA Beer Co.—who graciously invited all future slice holders to come back and grab beer, a pro tip! I also peeped a sleepy shop cat inside a liquor store and watched a girl walk across the street and promptly vomit, all the makings of an interesting Friday. Thanks to the laminated menu passed down while waiting, by the time I reached the counter at 8:20pm, I quickly rattled my order: one slice of the L’Industrie ($7.50), one burrata ($5.75), one pepperoni ($5.25) and one tartufo ($5.75).
Then, another wait. But this time inside. Compared to the grab-and-go model of the Williamsburg locale, the West Village has room to wait inside—just a little more!—amid pressed tin ceilings, rectangle-shaped hi-tops and a small corner area with just a few spots to actually sit. Luckily, the good people of New York knew not to linger, often leaving out the front with crust still in hand so the next group of hopefuls could slide right in. Such as the case for my friend and I, as we seamlessly changed places with two women, gently but not too boldly hovering behind them. Just in time, as our slices finally arrived at the ripe time of 8:40pm.
But an hour later, was I still hungry? Was it all in vain? One bite into that crunchy crust, and I immediately understood the hype. The Burrata rose above the rest as the clear winner, with two full dollops of the stuff, giving a little hot and little cold action. With each bite, the cheese bled into the sauce, yet the crust was sturdy enough to handle its weight. The L’Industrie slice dips even further on the decadence scale, as Burrata meets strips of salty and chewy prosciutto. And while I’m not much for vegetables on pizza, the Tartufo with its earthy cremini mushrooms hit the right balance, livened with a bit of oomph of truffle on the nose and on the tongue. Even better? All of the slices easily folded like a New York slice should.
So, would I wait in line again? Yes, but with a few caveats. I'd try a go for lunch (they open at noon) or at least before the nine-to-fivers get off work, hoping to shave my time to a more reasonable 20 minutes or less. I may pop into Talea next time to stave off the crowds inside. And next time, I'd make sure to get two slices of the Burrata because one was certainly not enough.