Not New York, Not California — Dave Portnoy Says The Best Pizza Comes From This Overlooked US State

Pizza is in New York City's DNA. Sure, there's California-style pizza, full of fresh, farm produce; then there's Chicago-style deep dish that might be more well-known by name than it is beloved in its home city. (Pretty much any Chicagoan will tell you tavern-style is king.) But when you go hard on pizza, New York City is generally number one. Thin crust, gooey cheese, foldable to eat as you walk the streets. However, the social media king of pizza, Dave Portnoy, the man behind One Bite Pizza Reviews and founder of Barstool Sports, has something to say about the best pizza in the U.S.  Portnoy's highest rated pizza actually comes from his home state, Massachusetts. On One Bite Review, Portnoy said he's heard a lot about Monte's Restaurant and its bar-style pizza from fans and had to give it a go. "A lot of people tell me, 'Monte's, Monte's, Monte's. You gotta give Monte's a shot.' A lot of people say it's the best pizza they've had," he said.

As he bites into a plain cheese from Monte's, Portnoy remarked it had a nice, thin crust, "Everybody knows the rules, one bite ..." But he took multiple bites and exclaimed, "The first perfect score in the history of pizza reviews. It lives up to all the hype." He loved the crispy crust, texture, and sauce. "This is the best pizza I've had during my pizza reviews. Whoever was saying, 'Monte's is the best ... Monte's is a 10.' They're right ... As the man who tastes pizza for a living ... Monte's is a 10."

Monte's pizza is sort of a mix between Chicago tavern pizza and a New York slice — thin and crunchy crust with a proprietary blend of cheese that gets nice and crispy in the oven, plus a secret sauce that's sweet and tangy and fresh-made every morning. It's cut into standard triangles, but they're hand-made, personal-sized pizzas meant to be polished off in a single sitting by a party of one. 

The story of Monte's begins with Peter Motejunas, known as Pete Monte, who went into partnership on a restaurant with some friends in the 1940s to make "a little extra money." But Motejunas soon left his job to run the business full time, and when someone passing through gave Motejunas a recipe for pizza, things really started to move. In the 1950s pizza was still new to Lynn, Massachusetts, and Monte's caught on.

While it appears Dave Portnoy's review was of a simple cheese pie, Monte's has a big array of offerings, from the customizable, pick-your-toppings meat and veggie faves to the sometimes-maligned Hawaiian pizza with pineapple and ham. And even if you're not a pizza fan, you can get a build-your-own pasta dish — ziti, stuffed shells, spaghetti, and ravioli — with sauce of your choice. And while the restaurant has changed hands since its founding, it's still a family-run business, with young family members up and coming in order to lend a hand when they're old enough to help run the business.