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Waiting in line is a young man’s game. And once I was that young man (or woman or whatever). In my early twenties, I believed in the prize at the end of the line. I had to—the thought alone kept me warm as many nights I stood outside in the dead of D.C. winter in little else but a skin-tight dress. But I’m older now, my outfits actually match the weather and I am more than over long waits and lackluster results. And yet this summer I found myself in quite a few queues, all just for the chance to eat at some of New York’s most coveted restaurants.
I know, I know, I hear the old adage: New Yorkers don’t wait in lines. But we actually do, we just get other people to do it. According to TaskRabbit, New Yorkers have outsourced the wait. In October 2024, the online marketplace’s line-waiting requests surged to 56%. And I only have to take one look at the winding lines that follow any buzzy opening (Radio Bakery and L’Appartement 4F) or long-standing institution with long lines to match (Hometown Bar-B-Que and Katz) to know that, as much as we hate the dreaded line, it is inevitable that we may just end up in one.
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This summer, I found myself in such a situation, twice in one month, as I decided to queue for two of New York’s line-inducing pizzerias: Lucali and L’Industrie. Edging near its 20th anniversary, Lucali’s thin-crust pizzas made by “accidental pizzalo” Mark Iacono have become a favorite to locals and then some, as Jay-Z and Beyoncé are known fans. Cementing its iconography, the pizzeria was even at the center of Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef last summer. But most locals know of the Carroll Gardens pizzeria for its no-reservation policy, causing queues before the doors even open. While there are few to no tables to be had at L’Industrie, lines sprout all the same at both the West Village and Williamsburg locations. The L’Industrie slice has the most pull as creamy rounds of Burrata sit on top of prosciutto, showered in basil and Parmesan cheese. Within a two-week period, I put on my most comfortable shoes and visited both, hungry and curious to see what the fuss was really all about.
For L’Industrie, I waited for significantly less time, which isn’t as surprising, as both the Williamsburg and West Village pizzerias follow a more takeout model rather than a sit-down model. On a Friday night, I was able to scoot through the line in Manhattan in under an hour's time with semi-relative ease. I made nice with the crowd of NYU students and tourists before me and even watched a girl throw up on the same street. Must be the weekend!
Clocking in at just under an hour, I finally found myself in a back corner of the restaurant, slices in hand. There, I sank my teeth into crispy, foldable slices that still held the weight of prosciutto, curled cups of pepperonis, and, my favorite, creamy dollops of Burrata. There wasn’t a slice I didn’t like, and there wasn’t a crust untouched either, as the resulting pizza box held nothing but crumbs once I was done with it.
Lucali, however, was more of a rigmarole just to get your foot past the red velvet rope at the door. (Yes, they have one. And yes, I do find it amusing). Thanks to a staunch no-reservation policy, it's common to find a group of hopefuls lining the strip of Christopher Street starting around the 2 o’clock hour, with the mission of getting a table when the books open up at 4pm. My late-ish 3:30pm arrival on a Sunday afternoon could’ve easily resulted in a loss, but I reasoned that I didn’t mind a late table, which I nabbed at 9:30pm. Yet, when I came back five hours later, I was met with another wait as the diners inside weren’t quite done. 30 minutes later, I was finally seated, totaling a solid wait time of about an hour and a half before the meal even began.
But you know that sigh of relief you get when you finally get what you’ve been waiting for? When you actually get the pot at the end of the rainbow? Making it inside Lucali felt a little bit like that. It's hard to say if I appreciated it more because of all of the hoops I had to jump through, but as I sat at the foot of the marble table of the kitchen, watching chefs roll out dough with wine bottles and ladle sauce by candlelight, I felt like I had made it into something special. And when the adequately described Large Pie with Basil ($32) with its puffed, blistered crust, bright tart tomato sauce and blanket of imported Italian cheeses arrived, I felt like so had I.
Now, if I had to recommend one over, L’Industrie ranks over Lucali. When it comes to pizzas alone, variety is the spice of life. And L’Industrie’s fig jam and bacon and cremini mushroom and truffle oil creations edge out the simplicity that is Lucali, which only deals in pepperoni, garlic, and a few veggies such as shallots and sweet peppers. (Perhaps one day we will get more variety like the Miami location, just a hope!) The crust is an even split, as I love the sharpness and crunch of L’Industrie, but Lucali’s Neapolitan blistered pies will always have my heart.
When it comes to grinning and bearing the line, L'Industrie also comes out on top. Minus the weekends that are guaranteed to draw a crowd, L’Industrie’s wait times can drop to 20 minutes if you show up around the opening hour or before 9 to 5ers crowd gets off work. Lucali’s wait is consistent and unchanging—the amount of time that you stand outside is dependent on you and your dining preferences. If you need to eat early, i.e., before 7 pm, lining up at 2 pm is a requirement. Flexible? Show up closer to 3. Let alone if you get a table, you must factor in more time just for the doors to open.
That's not to say Lucali doesn't have its place. It does, and I am glad to have experienced its intimate interiors and table-sized pizzas at least once. Would I opt to do it again? Maybe if the weather is agreeable and I still live close enough to stand in line, get a table and process my wait back at home. Would you catch me waiting for two hours for a reservation in the dead of winter? No. Would I encourage my friends in Harlem to make the trek for the possibility of a table? It's a hard pass.
Perhaps one day I'll be like Queen Bey and fly past the lines and the waits altogether. But until then, I'll treat my time like money and try my best to spend it wisely.
L’Industrie
Wait time: 50 minutes on a Friday night.
Order: The burrata ($5.75), tartufo ($5.75). If you want the combo of prosciutto and burrata, you can get the L’Industrie ($7.50).
Any tips on the wait? If you come closer to opening hours, times can drop down to 20 minutes, minus cook time.
Want more? Read the full review here.
Lucali
Wait time: Depends on how early you want to show up.
Order: There are only two menu items here, and you likely came here for pizza, so order the Large Pie with Basil ($32). Make sure you bring a nice bottle of wine to pair with it as the restaurant is BYOB.
Any tips on the wait? Plan to line up around 2pm if you want to snag a specific time or eat on the early side; or chance it for under an hour if you don’t mind eating at 10pm. Just know that once tables are gone, they are gone. You can also order a pie to go by calling the restaurant the day only after 4pm or in person. Remember, the operation is cash-only.
Want more? Read the full review here.