Pizza is New York. New York is pizza. And no, Chicagoan, your pizza is NOT “actually” better. However, the quest for the best NYC slice is a tough one; many critics like myself have found themselves in an impossible task, trying to rank wood-fired neapolitans against gooey cheese classics. So to make it easy on myself, I chose to compare three, quite similar, cheese slices in Williamsburg.
Image credit: untappedcities.com
First up: Joe’s Pizza. Joe’s is a classic slice, found all over the city. It has been consistently rated one of the best pizza joints in town and is a go to for take out. Given how familiar I am with the product, I felt this was a safe baseline pizza to start my journey.
A Joe’s slice is reliably crispy, the crust lightly salted. It has a bright tomato sauce, which was a little on the salty side at the Williamsburg location, but which I normally find to be a bit sweet in Manhattan (different strokes for different boroughs?). This slice always has plenty of cheese without being overwhelming. Bonus – Joe’s is open til 4 AM, making it an excellent late night munchie.
My second stop was at Fini. Having just opened a few months ago, Fini is the new kid on the block. The space is fresh and modern and there’s a bit of seating for when you’re not in the mood to eat in the street with the rats. This slice is heavenly; extremely thin and crispy crust on the bottom with a pillowy and chewy top. Each bite packs a punch. Juicy flavor oozes from the tomato and cheese, which is dotted on rather than shredded. The mildly salty sauce has a hint of oregano which I quite liked for added freshness. Additional toppings, while not necessary, included olive oil, chili flakes, and hot honey, so you can dress it up as you please. Though very casual, Fini wouldn’t be a bad date spot either.
Last on the tour (I can’t eat that many slices in a sitting) was L’Industrie. This joint is pop-u-lar and quite adored by the foodie press. I was excited to finally be trying it. L’Industrie’s vibe is, well, industrial. Mostly black with graffiti and stickers, they play loud, upbeat music to round out the “we’re a hip fun place” vibe. The pizza is closer to neapolitan style, but with a slightly thicker crust. My hunch is that this is necessary for the more toppings-loaded slices, such as the burrata, which would need a bit more heft to keep everything from falling off. The crust has a great balance between very soft and crunchy, and is a bit chewier than the others. I liked the sauce to cheese ratio, plus the little basil leaves sprinkled on top. Similar to Fini you can heat things up with pepper flakes or hot honey as needed. If you were going to get just one slice for dinner, this one would certainly be the most filling.
All of these pizzas are tasty, deserving of your money any day of the week. But there can only be one “best”. The crown goes to…
Fini! Though newer than the rest, Fini’s slice is simply delicious. It packs the most flavor of the bunch and has a flawless texture. I could have happily eaten several more slices. Time will tell if they can keep up the high quality, but for now, Fini is where it’s at.
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