Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy made a recent trip to Connecticut during which he bestowed high grades onto some of the state's pizzerias he hadn't yet visited.
Portnoy is best known for his "One Bite" platform, in which pizzerias are given a grade out of 10 based on "one bite." The series began nearly a decade ago and has netted Portnoy popularity in the foodie community.
He was in the area last week for the Barstool College Football Show, which was held live at Rentschler Field for UConn's game against UMass. Hundreds of UConn fans watched the live show headlined by Portnoy.
"Connecticut: they have UConn, and they have pizza. That's quite literally what they have. It's the best pizza state, not only in the country; it's the best pizza in the entire world, bar none," Portnoy said on the show.
While here, Portnoy visited pizzerias in Middletown and Manchester and gave high scores to three spots.
The following grades were given out to Connecticut pizzerias on this latest trip:
8.2 — Mulberry Street Pizza: 981 Main St., Manchester
8.1 — Randy’s Wooster Street Pizza: 285 E Center St., Manchester
7.8 — Apizza Heaven: 218 Smith St., Middletown
For comparison, the only perfect score Portnoy has ever given out was Monte's Restaurant in Lynn, Massachusetts. In Connecticut, his highest rating belongs to Sally's Apizza in New Haven with a 9.2.
Portnoy likened Mulberry Street Pizza to New Haven apizza in his video, claiming he liked the char on the pie. With similar remarks regarding the char, Portnoy gave Randy’s Wooster Street Pizza a close 8.1 rating. At Apizza Heaven, Portnoy said the pie didn't taste like a New Haven pizza, but it still was "really good."
The CT Pizza Tour Instagram account notes that Luna, Sparrow and Harry's Bishop Corner in West Hartford; First & Last Tavern and Hartford Pizza Garden in Hartford; Naples in Southington; Southtown Apizza and Domenic's & Vinnie's in Southington and Pat's Apizza in North Haven were also visited by Portnoy, but no ratings have been published for the aforementioned locations.