Mister Softee

Mister Softee.  An iconic brand you'd think I would have experienced before now, given that I adore soft serve ice cream.  And yet, although I had great brand awareness, I hadn't ever actually visited a Mister Softee truck before now.

"Mister Softee was founded by William Conway and James Conway in 1956 in Philadelphia and is one of the largest franchisers of soft ice cream in the United States, with about 350 franchisees operating 625 trucks in 18 states. The headquarters have been in Runnemede, New Jersey since 1958. It is still run by the Conway family, co-owned by cousins Jim Conway Jr. and John Conway."

Mister Softee trucks are ~everywhere in NYC, but the city also has so much actual premium high end specialty soft serve I've just never prioritize it, although I've walked by the trucks many, many times.  Also, I'll admit I've always thought they were overpriced for what is pretty basic ice cream at the end of the day.  They do NOT post their prices on the trucks (hello, tourist tax), but when I've stopped by to ask a few times I recall a basic cone being $6-8, which seems crazy to me.  They have just the basics: vanilla and chocolate soft serve (or twist), cup or cone (or double cone), and standard generic chocolate or cherry dip, sprinkles, and simple sauces for sundaes.  I think they only do a single size.  That is it.  Iconic, yes, premium, no.

Visit #1: Catered truck, June 2026

But ... they also do catering, and I attended an event with the Mister Softee truck for all attendees, so I seized the moment to finally get to try it.

Small Vanilla with Rainbow Sprinkles.

This was such a basic cone!  It wasn't made with any particular care, it was kinda small (although really the size was fine with me), the sprinkles weren't particularly well applied.  Basically, generic, you can get it anywhere, in terms of looks.

The taste was good, but again, pretty generic you can get it anywhere.  The base flavor was perhaps a bit vanilla, not too fake tasting, not too sweet, but definitely more akin to frosting flavor than a deep rich vanilla.  It was very creamy, perfect temperature and consistency, and melted beautifully.  Their machine is clearly well calibrated.  The sprinkles were standard sugar sprinkles, the cone a triangle shape cake cone (which is actually my favorite style - I grew out of sugar cones for the most part, but I get annoyed by the flat bases of standard cake cones).  Both were fresh though, no staleness detected.

I see this as what is probably a very reliable, basic cone.  It is good, there is nothing at all wrong with it, but it is not an interesting, unique, or premium product.  Certainly many steps above a fast food cone though.  High 3/5, maybe 3.5/5.

Visit #2: Citi Field Concession Stand, July 2026

About a month after my first time actually having Mister Softee, I found myself again at an event with their ice cream, this time, at Citi Field, where several of the concessions had their soft serve.  Since it was a special event, the menu was very basic: cups only (no cones), vanilla/chocolate/twist, sprinkles.  That's it.

I again really wanted to like Mister Softee more than I did.  It was a bit better than fast food soft serve, but, barely.  It is just a shame to eat this kind of soft serve in a city with such better soft serve. 

Twist w/ (Mets) Sprinkles.

Since I had a vanilla cone my first visit, this time I went for the twist, even though chocolate ice cream of any kind isn't my favorite.  I got the sprinkles of course, and they were Mets colors in honor of the venue.

I was not very into this.  As I sorta feared, the chocolate ice cream was a miss for me (it was fine, but just not my thing).  I really like my soft serve in a cone (unless being used as an a la mode component) and only bowls were available.

It was a nice consistency, and melted nicely, but I found myself less and less into it with every bite.  Very low 3/5, really probably 2.5.

Vanilla w/ (Mets) Sprinkles.

At the end of the event, I decided to give Mister Softee one more try, opting for vanilla only.  Of course with sprinkles, which were pretty meagerly applied.

I liked this more than the twist, but the ice cream flavor just wasn't particularly good, a bit sour.  The ice cream melted nicely, but it was less creamy and premium than really good soft serve.  Another very low 3/5, if that.

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MIXUE Ice Cream & Tea

Update Review: 2026 Visit, New York, New York

I'll always remember the first time I went to Mixue.  It was in Sydney (in 2023, see my original review blow), and the idea of a $1 soft serve cone, even all those years ago, was wild to me.  AND it was decent?  Woah.  So when Mixue finally reached NYC this past December, I took notice.

"Mixue Menu has officially arrived in New York, bringing its renowned soft-serve ice cream, milk tea, and refreshing fruit drinks to one of the world’s busiest cities. Known for its great taste and affordable prices, Mixue New York is quickly becoming a popular destination for dessert lovers, students, and anyone seeking a quick sweet treat. Also, you can explore Mixue USA Menu."

The first NYC location opened on Christmas Eve, 2025, and was soon joined by 3 more.  They all seem crazy busy all the time, which sorta makes sense. Yes, there are a slew of bubble tea and soft serve spots in the city, but not with this price point.

Snow King... for Halloween.

Like all Mixue locations, there was a huge Snow King statue, and given the upcoming holiday, he was surrounded by a Halloween explosion.

There was also ... the jingle. ZOMG the jingle.  I was there less than 10 minutes, but it drove me low key insane.  And, it wouldn't leave my head the rest of the day.  A short jingle, sing-songy in all the catchy ways, on repeat. Gah.

Menu.

The most notable thing about the menu at Mixue really is the prices.  $1.19 for a soft serve cone.  A big one. In THIS economy.  Wild.  The ice cream lineup is rounded out by the pricier sundaes which come with toppings like chocolate, strawberry, cookie bits, etc.  The rest of the menu is the tea drinks: fruit teas and milk teas, fairly standard with mods like sweetness and a few toppings, although a considerably smaller topping lineup than most bubble tea shops. They certainly keep costs down by streamlining things.

Soft Serve.

There was one staff member solely responsible for soft serve.  He'd call out your number, and upon confirmation that you were there (a wave, an aggressive attempt to get near the counter,etc), would make your ice cream and hand it over.  He had a steady queue - when I ordered, I was behind 13 others he made first, which is remarkable given that most people were getting tea drinks (that station was REALLY backed up).  His station had the toppings exclusive to the soft serve (chocolate sauce, cookie bits) but he needed to dunk over to the tea station if you opted for toppings that are also used for tea.

Super Mango Sundae. $3.49.

"Sweet mango jam over soft serve."

This was my first time trying a sundae, far more pricey than the $1.xx cone, but still very reasonable at $3.49 for a decent size sundae (definitely bigger than fast food joint sundaes).  I had a hard time picking a flavor, but somewhat randomly picked the mango (er, "Super Mango") version.

It really was good.  The ice cream was creamy and not icy.  The soft serve machine was well calibrated, the ice cream was the right consistency, not too runny not too thick.  It melted really nicely.  The flavor was fairly classic vanilla-ish, although a bit more milk forward.  The serving was pretty large, no hollow center, really a full cup of soft serve.

The mango topping was enjoyable, very sweet, fruity, but clearly not fresh actual mango.  It worked though, and for this price, I didn't expect a fancy artisanal mango compote.

I enjoyed this, and it certainly out ranks any fast food or other soft serve in this price range.  4/5.

Original Review: 2023 & 2024 Visits, Sydney, Australia

I had never heard of Mixue before I visited Sydney recently, but once I saw it when I was walking by, I was pretty instantly drawn in, by their cheery "Snow King", and ridiculously affordable prices.  It turns out to be a large Chinese franchise, with 22,500 stores worldwide.  It started in 1997, but the first location in Sydney didn't open until February 2023, not long before I visited.

Storefront.

Visiting the store is, um, a cultural experience.  It does draw you in though, with the very welcoming mascot, the Snow King, showing up in many places.

$2 ice Cream.

The very low prices are definitely one of MIXUE's main attractions, and are displayed prominently, like the one here for the $2 cone (which, was $1.50 just a few months prior).  Note that these are Australian dollars, so that is actually just $1.25 USD with today's exchange rate.

Tea.

Milk and fruit teas make up the rest of the menu, and are mostly reasonably priced as well.

Snow King Magic Shop.

Off on the side is the branded "Snow King Magic Shop" where you can purchase toys and tumblers.

Signature Cone. $2.
(November 2023)

I had seen people walking down the street with these cones, so I knew it would be comically large, but, I still wasn't prepared to have this handed over.  The cone itself is, well, worthy of the Snow King perhaps.

My cone didn't actually look particularly made with care.  Nor did it look as well filled or as big as others, and they only make one size, so, it wasn't like I had a different size.  They lose a few points for that, as part of my cone was pretty hollow.  And, as I said, I was pretty apprehensive this could really be very good.

I took my first bite of the ice cream.  Well, huh.  It was creamy.  It wasn't icy.  The flavor was sweet, but not cloying.  Nothing artificial about it.  Milk flavored, I guess, but I detected hints of coconut even.   Certainly better than any fast food ice cream, and it rivaled many ice cream shops.  Not blow your mind special, but very good.  3.5/5, on the verge of 4/5.

And then the cone.  Ice cream cones are often sorta a throwaway component, a means to getting ice cream in a satisfying to lick form factor, and little else.  But this cone, this cone was part of the experience too.  It was a unique style, like thin sweet wafer cookies rolled into a cone shape, 2-3 layers.  It was sweet, it was crunchy, it was really quite good.  It got to maybe be a bit much, just given how big it was, but I truly enjoyed it.  I think it would be good just as a standalone cookie to eat alongside a coffee.  A memorable, and tasty, and unique, cone.  4/5.

So overall, made with care?  No.  Perfectly swirled and filled?  No.  But actually very enjoyable, and ridiculous quality for the price.  4/5, and I'd gladly get another.

Signature Cone. $2.
(February 2024).

Two months later, I was back in Sydney, and the moment it was a warm day, I was right back at Mixue.  This time I knew exactly what to expect, and I'll say that Mixue seems highly consistent, at least based on my experiences.

My order was ready relatively quickly, the soft serve was a bit haphazard and did have a bit of a hole in the middle, but, the cone was crispy, unique, and not stale, and the soft serve was fairly creamy, again lightly sweet milk flavor.  I added my own sprinkles, and was still just amazed that I got such a decent and unique ice cream cone for literally $1.20 USD.  3.5/5.

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Cajun Crackerz

I'm an avid snacker, but crackers are rarely what I reach for.  In fact, I actively dislike many crackers.  Yet I was drawn to a new cracker product, Cajun Crackerz.

"Surrounded by Cajun foods our entire lives, Sam, Shelby, and Will had the vision to take everyday foods and put a spin on their Cajun heritage into them, thus Cajun Crackerz was born. A simple cracker is almost found in a Cajun pantry, restaurant, and camp. Cajun Crackerz brings the flavors of our Bayou roots transforming these everyday crackers into a must-have at every camp, pantry, crawfish boil, and Cajun restaurant!"

I actually didn't realize that basic crackers, specifically saltines or oyster crackers, were such a core part of Cajun cuisine.

My first impression when trying these crackers?  Well, huh.  I never thought saltines could be this good.  Saltines aren't normally remotely exciting crackers, and I don't even really care for the base to them, so I never imagined that adding seasoning would transform them so much.  But, it does.

Ranch.

"Our special ranch recipe was created to bring you the freshness of herbs and spices as well as the creaminess you love. Add them to a dip, salad, or snack for that true southern taste."

"A flavor you will find all over the south, the Ranch flavor’s versatility can be found in so many different dishes. Our recipe has been refined to bring you all the freshness of herbs and spices and that creaminess we all love when ranch is thought of. These flavors in these crackers bring a splash of brightness to any dip, salad or snack. "

The first flavor I tried was the ranch, the flavor I didn't really care about, as I'm just not a ranch person.  My sister (and her kids) are obsessed with ranch everything though, so I figured this would be easy to pass off.  After trying a few, I nearly didn't (and, in fact, they got intercepted by my mother, who planned to give to my sister's family, but tried one, and declared she was keeping them for herself).

It is hard to explain what makes these so good, but, they really just are great.  The cracker crumbles nicely, almost breaking into slight layers.  They were fresh and crisp.  And the seasoning really made them quite flavorful - zesty, tangy, yup, very true to ranch.  Still not quite the flavor I wanted, but, these were a joy to eat, and the flavor was just so legit.

They recommend using with dip, but honestly, they were so flavorful they didn't need anything.  3.5/5.

BBQ.

"Cajun grilled foods are famous for their spices and so are our BBQ Cajun Crackerz. Enjoy their spices and sweetness right now or at your next cookout."

"If a Cajun isn’t boiling crawfish or making a gravy, you’re guaranteed to find them next to a BBQ pit! From fish to wild game to steaks, we’ll grill it all. Our BBQ flavor brings the spices and sweetness from the flavors we spice our grilled foods. These crackers are sure to be a hit at any BBQ! "

Next I went for the flavor that I was most likely to enjoy: BBQ.  When it comes to potato chips, of mainstream flavors, BBQ is definitely my favorite.  While I can't say I've had BBQ in cracker form, I see no reason why they wouldn't work.

And they did.  Damn these are good.  They look like big Cheese-Its, but totally aren’t.  They are insanely flavorful, smoky bbq flavors, with plenty of garlic and onion that linger on the aftertaste.  High salt level.  Soo much coating on them. They are nicely crisp, yet melt in your mouth.  Fantastic base cracker, incredible flavor.

The serving size of these is 5 crackers, at 170 calories, and the bag is supposed to be 5 servings, but I’d have zero problem finishing it in one sitting.  Danger, but oh so delicious. 4.5/5.

Crawfish.

"Experience the flavors of a true southern crawfish boil with our Crawfish flavor. Combining the heat of cayenne with a fresh burst of lemon, these crackers keep the tradition going!"

"A staple in Cajun cuisine is the crawfish. Celebrated throughout Bayou country you will find crawfish boils happening on every corner. This was a must have flavor that truly brings to life the heritage our ancestors have passed down through many generations. With the heat of cayenne to the fresh burst of lemon these crackers are sure to bring you right back to the crawfish boils we all love. "

And finally, the most interesting, crawfish.  I'll admit I've only probably had crawfish about 10 times, so I'm certainly no expert in crawfish boil flavors, but these sounded fascinating.

I ended up hating them.  

Well, I still liked the form factor, the big size, the crispy yet melt in your mouth nature of them.  But the taste?  No.  They just tasted a bit ... rancid?  Hard to describe. And waaaay too salty.  I tried a few times to make sure I wasn't just having a strange preferences day, but no, I did not like these.  1/5 for flavor, but higher for the form factor.

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Tea Makers

Tea Makers is one of my absolute favorite finds from the summer of the Paze promotion*.  I likely wouldn't have stumbled in otherwise, I am I glad I discovered it, driven by of course the freebies.

*If you are unfamiliar, Paze is a digital wallet system (like Paypal or Google Pay) that you can use to check out with some merchants.  In the summer of 2026, when they launched, they had a promotion with most major credit cards and banks to give you back a $10 credit, up to 10 times, per card/account, if you spent $10 and paid with Paze.  One of their launch partners was Clover, the company behind many restaurant POS systems, so if you ordered online through their Clover storefront, and paid with Paze, you got $10 free (over and over, again, 10 times per card/account).  Tax, tip, it all counts towards the $10, so you could get something <$10, and just tip up to the $10 to trigger the credit.  I love a freebie, and I love excuses to check out places that I wouldn't normally stumble into, so I used Clover and Paze to go on little missions every weekend, gettings $100s in free food along the way.

Setting

The Manhattan location is in Koreatown, right along a busy street, really a great vibe.  They also have a location in Brooklyn.

Window.

It would be very easy to miss Tea Makers, even if you walked right by.  The store is just a window, with a tiny little prep space inside.  Obviously, no seating, etc.  The service was fast and efficient. 

Food & Drink

Tea Makers is primarily a tea shop, as you may have guessed from the name. 

"Make Tea as it Should Be. It originally created Cheese Fresh Fruit Tea, Brown Sugar Milk Tea and Cheesecake Milk Tea, etc. Teamakers uses the best original leaf tea from the tea source, fresh fruit from the farm, imported cheese and wheat flour. The products are all made-on-side."

In addition to classic milk teas, they also make fruit tea, slushes, fresh sodas, and "cheesecake" drinks.  You can adjust sweetness, milk type (Lactaid, almond, oat), and of course mix-ins.  They have exactly one food item: pudding.  As a pudding lover, this thrilled me.  In fact, I ordered it rather than a drink my first visit.

Korean Banana Pudding
(Large). $8.50.

"Homemade creamy banana pudding made with fresh bananas, fresh cream, and cozy wafers. Super delicious and made fresh daily."

I'll admit I had no idea what Korean banana pudding would be when I ordered this, and, after eating it, I still do not know.  This just seemed like ... regular banana pudding?

That said, it was very good banana pudding.  It was thick and rich.  The pudding was perhaps vanilla or perhaps banana, not quite sure, but there was tons of banana flavor from plentiful banana slices.  The banana was not too mushy nor browned, so it really did seem relatively freshly made.  It was not too sweet.  The wafers ("cozy wafers"?) were quite soft and just provided a different textural element.  Everything in here was good, and the ratios were right.

I may have liked this more than Magnolia even, as I appreciated that it wasn't over the top sweet.  High 4/5.

I got the large for $8.50, they also sell a smaller one for $5.

Taro Slush, 0% sweet,  (L). $6.75.
Almond milk ($0.50), +coconut jellies ($0.75), +cheese foam ($1)

It was extremely hard not to order the pudding again my next visit, as I loved it so much, but it was a hot day, and I really did want to try one of their drink items.  The taro slush it was, which I asked for 0% sweet and almond milk (you can pick almond, oat, or Lactaid for $0.50 more), and added in one fun mix-in (coconut jellies) and one fun topping (cheese foam). 

My drink was quickly prepared and handed over. They were very generous with the coconut jellies, as they occupied a pretty substantial part of the base of the cup.  They were standard, sweet, slimy, slight coconut flavor.  The flavor was a good match for the taro, but they were quite sweet.  I would have preferred fewer actually.

The drink itself was fine, the slush nicely mixed, no big chunks.  The taro flavor was good, but clearly powder.  I could taste the almond milk, and it worked really well to give a complexity to the overall taste.  However, it was really, really sweet.  I said 0% sweetness, and I know using a powder has some sweetness anyway, but this was really, really sweet.  To the point that I wondered if they made it full sweet.  Combined with the jellies, just, too much sweet for me to consume much of in a sitting.

I loved the thick rich cheese foam on top, great tang.

Overall, I enjoyed the creation, but it wasn't something I'll repeat just due to the sweetness.  3/5.

Taro Cheesecake.  %0 sweet, (L) $6.50.
Almond milk($0.50), +aloe vera ($0.75), +matcha cloud ($1.25)

"If you’re looking for an alternative that won’t melt on you, Teamakers mixes the best things about a halo-halo with one of the best things they’re known for — cheesecake milk tea! "

I returned to try another taro creation.  This one is called a "cheesecake" but I knew it was going to be a drink.  It still wasn't quite what I was expecting at all.  I really thought the cheesecake part would be more dominant - I thought there would be thicker denser cheese foam and maybe some of their cheesecake that is an available mix-in in it.  Instead it really just seemed to be a taro milk tea with a bit of cheese foam that was drizzled around the cup before the taro milk tea was poured in.  It was liquid, not thick or rich at all, and it was pretty hard to even taste the cheese foam.  I tasted it more in my taro slush from having it on top.

So it was an ok taro milk tea, although again quite sweet even though I asked for 0% sweet, and I didn't actually taste almond milk this time (even though I paid for it), and it had ice even though I asked for none.  They really don't seem to pay any attention to customizations, although it did have my aloe vera pieces (soft, sweet, refreshing) and the matcha cloud (decent matcha flavor, but just seemed like matcha whipped cream?).

Very underwhelmed given what I thought I was getting, and lack of accuracy in my order, so for all that, this is a 2.5/5, but for a taro milk tea with a bit of foam and matcha whip, sure, 3.5/5.

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Telegraphe Cafe

Telegraph Cafe is another small business I wouldn't have randomly stumbled in to if it wasn't for the summer of the great Paze promotion, but I was charmed by it instantly when I entered.

*If you are unfamiliar, Paze is a digital wallet system (like Paypal or Google Pay) that you can use to check out with some merchants.  In the summer of 2026, when they launched, they had a promotion with most major credit cards and banks to give you back a $10 credit, up to 10 times, per card/account, if you spent $10 and paid with Paze.  One of their launch partners was Clover, the company behind many restaurant POS systems, so if you ordered online through their Clover storefront, and paid with Paze, you got $10 free (over and over, again, 10 times per card/account).  Tax, tip, it all counts towards the $10, so you could get something <$10, and just tip up to the $10 to trigger the credit.  I love a freebie, and I love excuses to check out places that I wouldn't normally stumble into, so I used Clover and Paze to go on little missions every weekend, gettings $100s in free food along the way.

Setting

"Welcome to Telegraphe Cafe,your cozy neighborhood cafe! Whether you’re looking for a place to catch up with friends , relax with a good book, or get some work done, we’ve got you covered."

I found the cafe very charming, ambiance wise.  Located of a side street, and every time I visited it had such great coffee shop vibes, with folks sitting and working at laptops, pleasant music playing.  I could see it being a great neighborhood place, just as they say.  And they seem to welcome lingering.

Counter.

The space is pretty small, with a counter for ordering, a back prep area, upper level storage, and a few seats along the window on barstools.

Seating.

There were also a few small tables.  No outdoor seating.

Food

Telegraphe is both a coffee shop and a cafe, and they do have a back kitchen with real food.  The breakfast menu has a large lineup of egg sandwiches, plus standard bagels, granola, yogurt, overnight oats, pastries.  Lunch is sandwiches, soups, and salads, and I appreciate that they offer half sizes.

Pastries.

The pastries look better than average for a coffee shop. They do have a house made look to them, or at least not mass produced, although I'm not sure if they really do make them there, I doutb it.

The lineup had an assortment of croissants,danishes, and muffins, plus several kinds of cookies in jars along the counter.

Spinach Turnover.  $5.60. 

In non-standard Julie behavior, I opted for a savory pastry, the spinach turnover.  I ordered it thinking it was going to have spinach and ricotta inside.  Or maybe spinach and mozzarella.  I was quite surprised when I warmed it up to discover ... woah, it was like spanakopita inside.

Spinach Turnover: Inside.

It was quite generously filled, and the filling was quite flavorful but ... I don't care for feta, and these just weren't flavors I was excited by.

The pastry itself was nicely flaky, and almost seemed like it might be a bit whole wheat?  It had some grains and heartiness to it I wasn't expecting.

Overall this was a bit unique, and well made, but not the flavors I like much.  Low 3/5.

I handed it off to my mother who was visiting, who does like feta, spinach, whole grains and she didn't care for this either, so ... shrug.

Some Kind of Cookie. $3.50.

Of course I wanted something sweet too.

What I ordered (from the menu, online): "White Chocolate Cookie & Oatmeal chocolate cookie" ... which I hoped meant they had both these kinds and I'd get one of them, or perhaps that it was one kind of cookie with all these things, or even one of each.  I wasn't entirely sure what I'd be getting, but I did expect at least one of white chocolate or oatmeal to be present.

What I got: this.  A rock solid, like, not just crispy, but hard puck of a non-oatmeal cookie with chocolate hunks in it and chocolate coating.  Oh, and nuts, bits of walnut. Good thing I do not have a nut allergy.  No white chocolate.  No oatmeal.  And a very, very stale hard cookie.  The base flavor was actually ok, but, just not at all what I ordered, and way too hard.  The chocolate coating wasn't particularly good either, which is a shame, as the dark chocolate hunks inside were decent.  2/5.

Looking at the menu on their website, not the online ordering page, they have "Double Fudge Chocolate Chip", perhaps that is what it was?

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L'Industrie Pizzeria, NYC

Update Review, October 2026

When another group at the office has a pizza party, and pulls off bringing in L'industrie, of course I went running for their leftovers!  I'm glad they seriously over-ordered, as they had full untouched pies of several kinds still left.  

I was able to try two new-to-me options.  The crust and the sauce were the highlights on both, just as I remembered from my previous slices.  Perfectly crispy crust, great depth of flavor to it, nice back crust with a bit of char, and slices were evenly coated in vibrant slightly sweet sauce.  These elements are what really put L'industrie on top, at least for me.

New Yorker. $38/whole.

"Tomato sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, spicy sausage, ricotta cheese."

My first pick was easily the New Yorker, as I love pepperoni and sausage (although I'm less a fan of ricotta on pizza).  The sausage was my favorite part, slightly spicy, nice rustic style hunks, although there wasn't all that much of it.  I would gladly have more.  The pepperoni I thought was only average (fancy pizza shop average that is).  It was good, but it made me really just want Grandma's One pepperoni.  It was rather haphazardly applied.  The ricotta was the only topping that seemed applied with any precision.  It was fine, but again, not really a ricotta on pizza person as I feel it makes it eat a bit dry.

So overall, this wasn't perfectly made pizza (e.g. topping distribution), the toppings weren't amazing, but the crust/sauce/cheese is just so good that it was still an excellent pizza.  Low 4/5.

Spicy Salami. $38/whole.

"Spicy Italian Sopressata."

I moved on to the spicy salami.  I could tell immediately that this one wasn't perfectly executed given the burnt crust.  I'm actually a little surprised they didn't re-fire it.  Besides that very charred back crust though, it was actually good.  Again, great crust/sauce/cheese, and again, kinda haphazardly applied topping, salami in this case.  The salami was fine, fairly flavorful, albeit fairly greasy too.  

Another 4/5, because dammit, their crust and sauce are just so good, but I do wish for a bit more precision.

Original Review, September 2025

When you tell someone you'll be spending time in New York, the inevitably start telling you all the places you *have* to go.  The best bagels/pizza/burger/pastrami/drinks/etc of their lives, yadda yadda.  Even locals get quite passionate about some of these categories, and pizza of course is a common one to debate.  Once you get past the variations like square pizza (generally frowned upon), places only by the slice or only by the pie, etc, you are still met with intense debate.  But there are a handful of places that nearly everyone has heard of, and at least agree are in the top.

L'Industrie is one of these places.  It is also one of those places where people line up and wait for quite a while for their slices.  Those who want a whole pie can at least order those in advance for pickup (but, no delivery, and they have 6 pie order maximums).  But most people seem to line up and wait, as part of the overall experience.  They do not take reservations.

L'Industrie has two locations, the original is in Williamsburg, opened in 2017.  They followed their success by opening a second location in Manhattan in late 2023.  Both locations are open daily, 12pm-10pm.  Both are equally busy, all the time.  

"From the City of Pistoia and the streets of NYC. We’ve come together to bring you L'industrie Pizzeria. With the artful techniques and passions of Italy blended with the flavors and characteristics of a classic New York slice. We work daily to bridge the gap between these worlds, while putting quality and passion above all."

They serve classic NY slices, but, more upscale versions of them.  The menu has 12 different curated pies on it.  No gluten-free options.  They also have a daily sandwich, soft serve gelato, and some Italian desserts (tiramisu, pistachio tres leches, cookies, olive oil cake, bombolone, etc).  No salads, no appetizers.  Just pizza and great desserts.  I like their style.

OMG, pizza.

I was thrilled, overjoyed really, when I arrived at an event to see the L'industrie boxes.  OMG.  Our hosts really brought it, with plenty to go around, a lineup of 6 different varieties (so half the menu), all of which they had to go fetch and transport to the venue, as they do not do delivery.  Dedication to serving us the some of the best pies in NY!  I was a bit sad they didn't get the fig jam and bacon one, but otherwise, happy to see the host's selections.

I tried to have restraint, and tried only 3 of the 6 kinds we had.  I'm glad I got to try 3, but my experience of each slice was fairly different.  One was ... exceptional, life-changing nearly, the others, forgettable.  That said, the great one was so great, I'll go back in a heartbeat.

L'Industrie Pie. $47.

"Prosciutto di parma and burrata."

I nearly started with their namesake pie, topped with burrata and prosciutto because, well, you kinda have to right?  And clearly many other people were going for it as their first slice.  But the prosciutto just wasn't calling out to me.  

Note that this pizza, when you get it fresh, it topped with the burrata and prosciutto after it is cooked, so those are cold toppings on the pizza.  You can see the burrata had partially melted here from being boxed up with the hot pizza, when first served, they are fresh gooey gobs.

Spicy Salami Pie. $37.

"Spicy Italian Sopressata."

I briefly considered the spicy salami too, but quickly moved on, as there were other meat toppings I was more drawn to.

Margherita Pie. $31.

"Tomato sauce, mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, parmigiano, basil."

The basic margherita was easy for me to look past, although I did hesitate for just a second thinking it might be good to try just a simple classic one as a good base point.

Burrata Pie. $37.
(Signature).

"Tomato sauce, mozzarella, burrata."

I moved on because I saw the burrata pie, and that was clearly the answer for me, for my first slice.  A notch above the margherita, and in the direction of their namesake pie, just, sans the pork product.  And *this* is the one that turns out to be their signature pie.  I immediately understood why.  My goodness, this was an exceptional pizza.

It came with the expected big gobs of burrata well distributed on top, along with some less well distributed basil.  Again, when you get it in person, the burrata is applied after cooking, so not as melted in as it was here, the heat from the pizza had melted it a bit (which was fine with me!).

Burrata Pie (slice).

I selected a slice, and dug in.

My goodness.  I was blown away on all levels, even with extremely high expectations.  It lived up, surpassed even.

The crust was perfectly crisped, dusted with a tiny bit of flour, lightly chewy.  It was the right thickness to hold its shape well but not overwhelm, the back crust was puffy and had a slight char. Very good crust.  I'm not a crust person usually, but I wanted this crust.

The sauce is what blew me away, just the right level of tang and sweetness, and applied in the proper amount so that I tasted it in every bite, but it too did not overwhelm. And then of course the cheese and burrata on top, perfectly melted, and just dreamy.  The ratios here were right too.

Every element about this was done well, just really exceptional all together. I don't think I've had a better pizza of this style before.  5/5.  Nothing I'd change.

Pesto Hello Pie. $38.

"Crumbled Spicy Pork Sausage, Nut Free Pesto."

Next, I went for the Pesto Hello, an odd choice for me as I'm not a huge fan of pesto, but the spicy crumbled pork sausage really did call out to me.  It also had (not on the menu description) gobs of ricotta dotted on top.  This one was ... fine.

It actually had no sauce (I was expecting pesto spread under the cheese), but instead was a white pie with the pesto zig-zagged on top only.  The pesto was fairly standard, classic pesto taste, but there wasn't a lot of it.  

The sausage was as excellent as I hoped it would be, super flavorful.  I wanted even more hunks of it, or bigger hunks, as I loved it so much, and it was fairly minimal.  4/5 sausage though.

The ricotta was standard, slightly herby.  Same great crust.  But I found the slice a bit boring, besides the sausage.  Kinda dry.  It was excellent sausage but the rest of the slice wasn't compelling enough for me. 3.5/5 overall, although the sausage really was a 4/5 itself.  I wouldn't get this again, but I could imagine getting the sausage on another pie (they do allow customizations).

Tartufo Pie. $37.

"Mozzarella, braised cremini mushrooms, ricotta and truffle oil."

And for my final slice, I went for the tartufo, sorta because I had been really loving mushrooms on that trip. It too was one of their white pies, no red sauce, and it came with the same dots of ricotta on top.  The truffle (oil) aroma was strong as I picked it up.

It let me down.  The truffle oil is definitely the first thing I tasted with this one.  It was fine, but definitely dominant, so, be prepared for that.  But that is really all I tasted, no other flavors really came through.  It was fairly oily from both the truffle oil and the cheese.  It did have a good distribution of mushrooms on top as well, but I found myself really wishing it had some kind of sauce, and that the truffle oil was tamped down.  It did still have their great crust though.  The ricotta again made it eat a bit dry (besides all the oil).

But really all I tasted was truffle oil. 3/5, my least favorite.  I wouldn't get this one again.

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Don Ceviche

Don Ceviche is a Peruvian restaurant with locations in the East Village and Essex Market.  They do, of course, serve ceviche, and are known for their rotisserie chicken. 

I didn't visit either location however, as they came to do a popup catering event at my office, with a limited menu of 3 main dishes, including the signature chicken (with rice & beans).  They also had beef stew and a veggie option, both of which were served with rice, and an additional side dish of yuca.  As I don't like chicken, rice, or beans, and wasn't really into beef stew, I went vegetarian and only got the one side dish.  The staff were very confused that I didn't at least want the rice and beans!

Saltado De Champiñones / Yuca.

Saltado De Champiñones:

"A savory vegetarian delight featuring a stir-fry of assorted mushrooms, crisp vegetables and Peruvian spices."

The vegetarian offering, particularly without rice, was more of a side dish really.  It was definitely a bit boring, just mushrooms and TONS of onions and a few tomatoes, but the sauce was flavorful.  The ratios seemed all out of whack though, as in my portion I had 1-2 tomatoes, 5-6 mushrooms, and the rest was just onions.  I liked the onions, they were quite flavorful and soaked up so much of the sauce, but, definitely felt a bit off.  3/5.

Yuca

The menu said yuca frita, but this really did just seem steamed.  I liked it though, not too soft, not too hard, nice starchy flavor.  3.5/5.

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