“One bite, everyone knows the rules.”
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has revealed his picks for the best pizza in Syracuse and Utica. The sports blogging company leader visited a dozen pizzerias in Central New York at the end of July, and shared video from each visit over the past three weeks for his social media series “One Bite Pizza Reviews.”
Portnoy, also known as “El Presidente,” has been filming himself taking one bite (usually more) of a pizza pie and sharing his reactions and ratings as part of a years-long search for the best slice. He said he planned his first-ever visit to CNY around O’Scugnizzo Pizzeria in Utica, home of the upside-down pizza, as part of a July 29 road trip to Saratoga.
“I don’t know what else you’re going to do in Utica,” he joked at O’Scugnizzo in his final review from the trip on Wednesday.
Portnoy said he wanted to visit O’Scugnizzo, family-owned since 1904, because it’s the second oldest pizzeria in the U.S. Otherwise, he joked that the only thing he knew about Utica was a reference on “The Office” when some Scranton employees visited a rival branch and Dwight threatened to “burn Utica to the ground.”
Ultimately, O’Scugnizzo got the highest score in Central New York with a 8.1 out of 10. Another Utica eatery, Slice Pizza, got the second highest with a 7.7 and two Syracuse restaurants tied for the top ranking in the Salt City at 7.6.
Here’s how Portnoy rated all the pizzerias he visited in Syracuse and Utica, along with a few comments he made:
- O’Scugnizzo Pizzeria in Utica — 8.1 (”it’s worth it if you’re a pizza person and you want to try all the historic places, you have to come here”)
- Slice Pizza in Utica — 7.7 (“super light… crispy… this would be one if we started [a day of reviews] I would have, like, four slices”)
- Mario & Salvo’s in Syracuse – 7.6 (“crisp, basic but very good”; basic is a good thing, according to Portnoy)
- Pavone’s in East Syracuse — 7.6 (“I would keep rotating amongst” Paladino’s, Mario & Salvo’s and Pavone’s, he said)
- Paladino’s Pizzeria in Mattydale — 7.5 (“good football pizza”)
- Francesca’s Pizza in Liverpool — 7.4 (Portnoy accused the shop of re-cooking the pizza when they heard he was there for a review and said the owner, Vinny, “looks like a pizza”)
- Nina’s Pizza in Utica — 7.3 (included first-ever watermelon review, was surprised it was offered as a side dish, gave it an 8.7)
- Avicolli’s Italian Restaurant in Liverpool — 7.3 (“I wish it had a little more crisp for that thin of a pizza”)
- Toss ‘n’ Fire in North Syracuse — 7.2 (“good if you like the floppy Neapolitan stuff”)
- Apizza Regionale in Syracuse — 6.8 (“Full Neapolitan… that’s no indictment, that’s what I rate all Neapolitans”)
- Varsity Pizza in Syracuse — 6.5 (“A college pizza… I’ve had worse, I’ve had better”)
- Twin Trees in East Syracuse — 6.2 (“Not horrible,” but it was a last-minute addition to his tour and he admitted the score may have been lower because he got a ready-made slice instead of ordering a full pizza due to time constraints)
How accurate are these rankings? In 2017, syracuse.com judges and readers both picked Pavone’s Pizza & Eatery as the best pizza in the Syracuse area, followed by Mario & Salvo’s. But Portnoy didn’t visit every pizzeria in CNY, so he didn’t even try Peppino’s Pizzeria, which ranked No. 4 on our list five years ago.
Portnoy only compared cheese pizzas at each restaurant and based his judging on factors like whether the slice “flops” in his hand, frequently noting that he prefers a thin crust with a “good undercarriage.” Neapolitans got lower scores automatically simply because he doesn’t like Neapolitans. (O’Scugnizzo’s upside-down pizza is still a cheese pizza, by the way; it’s just the sauce is on top of the cheese and any other toppings.)
Most of Portnoy’s favorite pizza slices are in New York City, where he began the “One Bite” series near Barstool Sports’ offices, giving scores of 9.2 or higher to places like Lazzara’s Pizza, Angelo’s, Luigi’s (Brooklyn), John’s of Bleeker Street, Lucali (Brooklyn) and Di Fara (Brooklyn). The only perfect score (10 out of 10) he’s ever given went to Monte’s in Lynn, Massachusetts, located less than five miles from where he grew up on the North Shore of Boston.
Portnoy, it should be noted, is also not without controversy beyond his food preferences. He’s been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, famously defended an Australian man acquitted on a rape charge after using a “skinny jeans defense,” and recently became a trending topic when he criticized two rival Little League baseball players who hugged during a game in a viral video last week.
“This isn’t good sportsmanship. It’s dumb,” Portnoy said of the heartwarming moment, which came after a pitcher hit a batter in the head. “You got this kid on the ropes and he’s rattled. Trip to Williamsport on the line. You can play pattycake after.”
Portnoy offers similar biting commentary in his videos, mocking the Syracuse basketball (”sharpshooting slow white guys”) and football teams (”They don’t play football here in Syracuse anymore”) and even rating one fan’s unusual hairline outside O’Scugnizzo Pizzeria. At Mario & Salvo’s, he claimed “a little known fact” that Jim Boeheim is a “big Barstool fan” and said he once met the SU basketball coach, who joked that Portnoy’s girlfriend Silvana Mojica is “way too hot” for him.
Portnoy knew more about Syracuse than Utica, making references to “my guy Adam Weitsman” and Orange alumni like Gerry McNamara (he bought a ton of G-Mac jerseys on the trip), Eric Devendorf, Lawrence Moten and Rob Konrad. He previously endeared himself to the Salt City in 2021 when he helped rescue Mulrooney’s in Armory Square during the Covid-19 pandemic; he called Mully’s bar owner Joe Rainone himself to offer payments of $6,000 per month from the Barstool Fund to cover its expenses until it could reopen for business.
All of Portnoy’s reviews are available on Instagram (@stoolpresidente) and YouTube (youtube.com/c/OneBitePizzaReviews).
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