One Bite Helps You Find The Best Pizza. Here's How
We can all agree the feeling of finding the best version of your favorite food is incomparable. From your neighborhood taco truck to the most caffeinated lattes in town, you've probably already memorized a lengthy list of go-tos for every occasion.
But even if you've got it all figured out, the foodie landscape is constantly changing. Exciting new dishes and restaurants seem to emerge on a weekly basis. Who's got the time to stay on top of it all?
Well, you're in luck if you're a pizza enthusiast (honestly, who isn't?), because One Bite is here to help you track down the crispiest crust, the most savory of tomato sauces, and the ultimate in gooey, stretchy cheesiness. What started as a video series of David Portnoy giving reviews of pizza at restaurants across the U.S. has transformed into a cult following. In response to the popularity of these reviews, Barstool Sports has created the One Bite app.
Now the Holy Grail of pizzas is at your fingertips. You can find your dream pizza without even getting up from your couch. Whether you've got a hankering for deep dish, New York style, or adventurous toppings, One Bite covers it all. Take a look at all the ways One Bite helps you find the best pizza around.
David Portnoy samples just 'one bite' of pizza and reviews it for you
David Portnoy, the host of One Bite's video reviews, has refined the fine art of pizza critique to a simple premise: He takes one bite of pizza and reviews it for his followers. Real talk, he usually continues to eat the entire slice of pizza, sometimes eats a second slice, and even shares it with passerby or guest reviewers on occasion.
In addition to reviewing the taste, authenticity, and texture of the pizza, Portnoy also speaks on the ambience of the restaurant, ease of ordering, and other details a responsible pizza buyer would want to know. By watching these One Bite reviews, you can learn what kind of restaurant you're visiting, how to order, and, most importantly, how good the pizza is.
Much of Portnoy's appeal lies in his "everyman" style of review. He shows viewers exactly what they'll be getting as soon as they open that telltale flat box of pizza. He is honest about his experience in each restaurant, and rates each bite of pizza on a scale of one to ten. The best part? All of his reviews can be accessed in moments on the One Bite app.
David Portnoy even reviews frozen pizza on One Bite
Truly a food reviewer for the masses, David Portnoy even reviews frozen pizza on his One Bite videos. From Trader Joe's to Red Baron to Freschetta, there's no pizza Portnoy won't sample in the name of helping pizza lovers find their ideal pizza match. In addition to dropping wisdom like "It's chaos in the streets, but pizza goes on," Portnoy offers refreshing commentary on the portion size of frozen pizzas, pointing out when "family size" labels don't adequately deliver. He also doesn't hold back when he feels a brand of frozen pizza is too doughy or dry. Just like restaurant pizza, frozen pizzas get a rating on a scale of one to ten.
By tuning into One Bite's app and watching Portnoy's reviews on frozen pizza, users can find the best frozen pizza to add to their shopping lists. Since Portnoy does all the trial and error for his viewers, we no longer have to endure the heartbreak that comes with thawing and baking a frozen treat only to find it doesn't live up to our expectations. Inedible crusts, chemical-y cheese, insubstantial toppings — we've all been there before and we don't want to return.
With the help of One Bite, couch potatoes everywhere can find the perfect frozen pizza for a lazy Sunday at home.
Using the One Bite app, you can locate the the highest rated pizza in your city
The beauty of the One Bite app is that you're not only limited to seeing reviews from David Portnoy's videos. Because users of the app can add their own pizza reviews and ratings, you can view community rankings as well. With this function, any user can find highly rated pizza in a particular area. After viewing all the intel on your chosen pizza spot, you can even order takeout or delivery directly from the app.
Imagine craving pizza when you're out and about and being able to see right away the highest rated pepperoni pie near you. Gone are the days of walking blindly into a pizza parlor and trying your luck with a potentially mediocre slice of 'za. One Bite makes it so that you're never left with an unsatisfactory pizza experience.
You can also contribute to this valuable network of pizza knowledge. Join the One Bite community and add your own pizza reviews to the mix. You can rank a pizza restaurant on a scale of one to ten, leave a written review, take a photo, or record your own review video for users to watch. Who knows, you might even become the next David Portnoy!
The One Bite can help you plan a tasty trip
Did you know New Haven, Connecticut is packing some oven-level heat when it comes to authentic, old-school style pizza? Yeah, we didn't either. Until we fell down the rabbit hole of watching One Bite pizza reviews by the city. In this video, Portnoy discusses all the amazing pizza he's found in New Haven and makes a great case for visiting the neighborhood. Tidbits about the local culture are bonuses that pizza-loving travelers will appreciate when they visit that town.
It's not just Connecticut, though. With trips to places like Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, and Illinois, Portnoy helps One Bite users zero in on communities that value quality pie-making. Watching these reviews helps pizza lovers locate new hot spots for pizza and it almost feels as if we're traveling and dining with him too.
Search by city on your One Bite app to see all the reviews in the community. But please don't blame us if you find yourself booking tickets to sample some of those pizza pies for yourself!
One Bite might even show you what pizza your favorite celebrity recommends
Can't choose which pizza place to hit up tonight? Maybe your favorite celebrity can help. In addition to David Portnoy's signature solo reviews, One Bite also brings on famous guests to help you find the best pizza.
We don't know about you but we've always wondered what kind of pizza Jason Derulo eats, and One Bite taught us that since he's vegan, his pizzas have no cheese are very veggie-heavy. And John Cena favors Giordano's from Chicago. Even we were surprised to see Paris Hilton doing a review for One Bite, but she took Portnoy to her favorite pizza spot in NYC, Artichoke Pizza. Watching Portnoy interact with these stars is almost as interesting as the reviews themselves.
Okay, okay, don't worry. There are some professional chef opinions in that bunch too. If you're wondering what celeb chefs think of New York style pizza, One Bite's got you covered. You can find reviews from experts like Bobby Flay on the app too (but be warned, they're a little more picky than the average reviewer). It's easy, just hit the tab labeled "Dave" at the top of the app and scroll to "Celebrities." There's just something appetizing about seeing stars enjoying their pizza too, wouldn't you agree?
One Bite even takes you behind the scenes to see how your pizza is made
Foodies who like to see exactly what ingredients go into their pizza and how the pie is made will find some extra benefit from One Bite's app, too. When David Portnoy reviewed Santillo's Brick Oven Pizza in New Jersey in 2019, he went behind the scenes with the pizza chef himself to show his loyal followers all the work that goes into making those piping hot pies. The third generation Italian pizza maker dishes about his family history and even schools Portnoy on how to order the best pizza from his restaurant.
We get to tour the pizza chef's kitchen, take a look at his oven, and see the beautiful results of his labor. In up close and personal interviews like this one, we learn "the real Italian way" of developing pizza crust and watch the chef add aged (up to three years!) Romano cheese from Italy. Historical background, authentic ingredients, and passionate pizza-making all in one review. What more could a true pizza lover want?
If you're lucky, maybe he'll go behind the scenes at your favorite pizza place one day.
One Bite investigated rumors about Chuck E. Cheese's
David Portnoy calls himself a "reviewer for the people," and this was never more apparent than when he got up close and personal to report on the conspiracy theories surrounding Chuck E. Cheese's pizza. That's right, foodies, there's so much more to the wide world of pizza than New York style and pepperoni.
Tea alert! Apparently, the rumors flying around about Chuck E. Cheese pizza is that the kid-friendly restaurant takes uneaten slices of pizza and uses them to Frankenstein together new pizzas, which they then sell to unsuspecting customers. The rumor mill basically implies Chuck E. Cheese patrons are getting a raw deal when they order from the restaurant because portions of their pizzas are not fresh — and not even originally meant for you. Just like us, Portnoy had to know if it was true.
We were relieved to see the theories, at least as far as the restaurant Portnoy visited, are apparently unfounded. In fact, Portnoy thought Chuck E. Cheese's pizza was better than some of the "fancy" places he'd visited recently. As always, One Bite exists to try out pizzas first so you don't have to wonder. You deserve the best, even if you have to scarf down that slice while beating kids half your age at Skee-Ball.
One Bite gives you a heads up about wait times
Every pizza aficionado knows time lengthens to an unbearable degree when you're waiting for your pie. It's some kind of evil scientific phenomenon. So of course we'd want to know which pizza places take a long time to get your pizza to you.
Who better to let us know how long we'll be waiting and whether the pizza is worth it than the good people at One Bite? David Portnoy's reviews give you the honest-to-goodness info on how long you have to wait to descend into the depths of a cheesy, tomato-ey sanctuary for your taste buds.
When One Bite visited Cleveland, Ohio, Portnoy didn't hesitate to lay it all out like a stretchy circle of pizza dough. He observed how difficult it was to get pizza in that area, pointing out that many restaurants don't have their pizzas ready when they say they will. He mentioned Edison, which took about three hours for pizza pickup, another restaurant, Pizza 216, which was closed in the middle of a weekday, and Il Maron, where the pickup process was extremely confusing.
And you don't have to watch Portnoy's videos, you can also find out that very valuable information from the app. Just make sure you read before you order — no one wants to order a pizza for lunch and find out it won't arrive until dinner.
Despite the hassle, Portnoy's rating of the pizza at Crust in Cleveland is fair: piping hot with very good crust, but burnt on the bottom.
One Bite gave us the skinny on Chicago deep dish pizza
Floppy New York slices not your thing? Bored with your usual sausage, mushroom, and peppers order? Hey, we won't judge. Variety is the spice of life and One Bite understands that more than anyone. One Bite reviews regularly venture way beyond traditional slices.
Take, for example, David Portnoy's reviews on Chicago's famous deep dish pizza. This is not a pie for the weak of heart (or stomach). Deep dish pizzas are known for their dense, hearty portions, super thick crust, and hefty toppings. Many an intrepid pizza enthusiast has reported going down for the count after only one slice.
But One Bite users need not suffer such dire consequences. Portnoy sacrifices himself to a deep dive into deep dish throughout the Windy City so that we get to determine ahead of time whether Chicago's best is right for us. Doesn't that deep dish sound pretty tempting now? Just don't say we didn't warn you about that oncoming food coma.
One Bite even reviewed Cheez-It stuffed pizza
You've heard the hype, seen the pics, and encountered the ads, but are you really going to spend an hour's pay on experimental pizza? Save the adventurousness for your next hiking trip because trying out Cheez-It stuffed pizza is as easy as clicking on the "Reviews" tab in your One Bite app.
In response to popular requests, Portnoy tried out Cheez-It stuffed crust pizza from Pizza Hut so you don't have to. He's actually a huge fan of both Cheez-It snacks and pizza (obviously) so this initially sounded like a match made in heaven for him. Unfortunately, the combination of his two favorite foods isn't enough to elicit a positive review from Portnoy. Always honest, Portnoy reveals that this funky concoction from Pizza Hut doesn't even taste like Cheez-Its, and is more a novelty than a hearty snack.
If you had to find that sad news out yourself instead of just watching on the app, we're sorry. Next time, save yourself the trouble and look to One Bite, first.
One Bite can help you scope out a pizza spot for your next date night
It probably happens more often than we'd like. We get dressed up for a night out, hoping to enjoy some good pizza while we're at it, only to be sorely disappointed by a fluorescent-lit, vibe-less dud of a pizza parlor. We won't even get a good Instagram shot out of it. Which pizza spots are actually worth your time?
In one helpful video, One Bite reviewed some coal-fired pizza in Bay Ridge, New York with a great view of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. In the video, we learned that Campania has a great vibe with a bustling atmosphere and is definitely a choice date spot for pizza night. And of course, we also need to make sure the pizza is on point. David Portnoy continued to inform his followers as to what a true "Brooklyn flop" looks like.
Using this review and many like it, One Bite users can find out about new and exciting pizza restaurants to visit as well as determine whether they'd like to dine in or out — a very important distinction when you're looking for a place to take that special someone.
One Bite doesn't only review pizza
We're not sure if it's physically possible, but in the unlikely event you're sick of pizza, have no fear. One Bite has reviews for more than just pizza. David Portnoy also reviews foods like sandwiches from Chick-fil-A, Wendy's, and Popeyes. But some of his most intriguing reviews are his cookie videos.
He definitely adds bonus reviews at pizza places that offer dessert, but he also reviews certain cookies on their own. Take, for example, his review of a giant cookie from Eat Me Cookies in Charleston, South Carolina. It's so big, it's practically a pie. Or "cookie-cake," as Portnoy calls it. Be forewarned though, because Portnoy's honesty also extends to his cookie reviews. In this review, Portnoy doesn't hesitate to call out the gargantuan cookie is more a marketing ploy than a decadent dessert.
Oh, by the way, it's mostly chocolate chip cookies that he reviews — just because he's reviewing for the masses doesn't mean he can't have great taste.