Dave Portnoy, the controversial media mogul labeled “the most influential person on the American pizza scene” by The New York Times, is continuing to size up of Baltimore’s pies.
Portnoy was spotted in mid-December at several Maryland eateries, including Pizza John’s in Essex, Angeli’s Pizzeria in Little Italy, Matthew’s Pizzeria near Patterson Park and Frank’s Pizza & Pasta on Belair Road in Baltimore.
The Massachusetts native and founder of the blog Barstool Sports began filming his pizza reviews in 2013. His “One Bite” channel has more than a million subscribers on YouTube and has since grown to include an app and a festival of the same name.
Portnoy uploaded his first review of Charm City’s offerings on Dec. 23. He rated TinyBrickOven on Light Street in Federal Hill a 7.9 and, after learning the business was planning to close on Christmas Day due to struggles with getting a liquor license, Portnoy committed to gifting them $60,000.
While Portnoy is popular — he has 4 million followers on TikTok — his approval comes with an asterisk. He has doubled down on racist and misogynistic comments he made in the past, and lost a 2022 defamation lawsuit against Insider.com, which published two stories quoting women who accused Portnoy of sexual assault and misconduct, according to The Washington Post.
Still, even a middling review from him can be a boost for small businesses, such as TinyBrickOven, which saw an immediate surge in customers. Or it can make owners wish he’d never come in at all.
In 2023, he blasted one New England shop as “The Worst Pizza Place in America,” and posted a video in which he traded expletives and insults with the business’s owner, who later said he received threats and feared for his children’s safety.
Should Baltimoreans expect to see similar behavior on display in Maryland, or will Portnoy find enough to praise in our pizza scene to keep things collegial? We’ll be following his reviews, which post daily at 6 p.m., below.
TinyBrickOven, 7.9
“Good undercarriage.”
“Very good. Thin, New York-kind of style. I really like it. … There’s no way this place should be going out of business. None,” Portnoy said in his online review. “None.”
Frank’s Pizza & Pasta, 8.3
Another “good undercarriage” note from Portnoy. While the Barstool Sports founder ate his slice, the owner’s son, a visibly nervous Gennaro Buontempo, told a long background story about how his uncle Frank, who originally co-owned the shop with Buontempo’s father, was killed more than 35 years ago after a bullet fired next door ricocheted off one of the ovens. Portnoy said the “spectacular” pizza had already garnered an 8.1. But “with the story … I’m going 8.3.” He also referred to the slice as “light” and “crispy.”
Buontempo, who runs Frank’s with his brother, Daniel, also asked if Portnoy would review the restaurant’s cheesesteak, to which he obliged. “Truthfully, I have no cheesesteak scale. They all are so good that I eat that I think it’s easier to get a higher score,” said Portnoy, who rated the sandwich a 9. “But this is spectacular cheesesteak.”
Pizza John’s, 7.4
Portnoy introduced Essex landmark Pizza John’s by baring his soul and reminding viewers how much he loved Frank’s, an earlier stop on Belair Road. “I get tired of doing these reviews, if I’m being honest,” he said. “I’ve done so many.” But finding a gem like Frank’s, he said, “makes it worth it.”
Well, back at Frank’s, the owner’s son had warned Portnoy that Pizza John’s, a massive eatery founded in 1966 that he called “the Taj Mahal of pizzerias,” might not serve his style of pie.
Biting in, Portnoy agreed. While he noted its freshness, it was too thick and “too much cheese for me,” he said, pulling a slice from the box. But even too-cheesy pizza is still good pizza. “I could hammer the whole thing.” And, like the previous two pies, it had a “great undercarriage.”
Afterward, Portnoy toured the kitchen and stopped for photos like a visiting dignitary. On his way out, he murmured: “I may be the king of Baltimore, too.”
Baltimore Banner reporter Darreonna Davis contributed to this story.
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