Slices a New Yorker can love have arrived in the East Village at last. The lack of decent pizza slices in my hood has been a long-standing gripe of mine, so I’ve been eyeing Artichoke Basille, and the line snaking out its door, since it opened about a month ago. Although I usually avoid excruciating hype-fueled waits, I figured I’d should finally bite the bullet and get in the queue.

Twenty-six minutes, three rounds of phone tetris, and two passers-by wanting to know what the fuss was about later, I emerged bearing two slices. Since all that was left were a couple lonely squares of Sicilian when I got to the front of the line, that’s what I must base my review on. The short version: they were awesome.

I consider the make-or-break ingredient for stand-out pizza to be the sauce, and here it is tangy, sweet but not too sweet, and liberally glopped on. Topping the sauce is a mix of fresh mozzarella and grated Parmesean, with processed mozzarella pulling it all together and adding a firming crust, reminiscent of now-closed DeMarco‘s pizza squares. The crust is just thick enough to hold up while maintaining its crunch, with a pleasant char around the edges, and a pan-grease veneer on the bottom that drives the indulgence all the way home to your belly. Pizza nerds will quibble about how Artichoke stacks up to Brooklyn institution DiFara; but this is hands-down the best $2.50 takeout slice in the hood.

I wish I could’ve sampled more from the kitchen but they seemed to be stretched a bit thin, swiftly churning out pies to serve the deepening crowd (and I was informed by a guy in line that his full pie required an hour and a half wait–AFTER he got to the front). According to nymag, Artichoke’s menu includes Neapolitan pizza, heros, cauliflower fritters, and a Keith Richards-approved artichoke-and-spinach pizza. I don’t foresee the wait shortening, but I imagine I’ll do a little more research on this place. In the words of the immortal Faith No More, it’s a dirty job but someone’s gotta do it.

Artichoke Basille 328 14th st. between First and Second Avenue
noonish til sometime after midnight – no seating, about a half hour wait for slices; no delivery yet (the counterperson says they’ll start delivering in a couple weeks), but try calling ahead if you’re ordering a full pie – 212-228-2004.