Restaurants & Bars
Dave Portnoy Reviews Old Bridge, Aberdeen, Hazlet Pizzerias
Here are the scores Portnoy gave Via Sposito pizza in Old Bridge, the pizza at Alternate Ending Beer Co. and Salerno's in Hazlet:
OLD BRIDGE, NJ — David Portnoy of Barstool Sports reviewed three pizzerias in Central Jersey: Via Sposito pizza on Rt. 516 in Old Bridge, the pizza served at Alternate Ending Beer Co. in Aberdeen and Salerno’s in Hazlet.
Portnoy posts daily pizza reviews to his millions of social media followers, scoring pies on a stringent 1 to 10 scale. The videos, which often go viral, usually start with Portnoy's catchphrase, "One bite, everyone knows the rules."
Portnoy did all the reviews Wednesday, Aug. 7. Here's what he said:
Find out what's happening in Matawan-Aberdeenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
- Via Sposito pizza on Rt. 516 in Old Bridge - 7.4 from Portnoy. “Thin, looks good, ewww a little flop,” said Portnoy upon first bite. "Taste is great. My only thing is it could have more crunch, but that could be because of the box. Good stuff ... I wish it had a little more crisp. But still good quality pizza." (Watch the review, where Portnoy appears to call one of the pizzeria owners "a meatball.")
- The pizza served at Alternate Ending Beer Co. in Aberdeen. (Their pizza is made by Talula's): A 7.2 from Portnoy. Portnoy said their pizza was good, but "just heavy." He also said pizza should be like an offensive lineman, as it should “look heavy, but be light on your feet." Watch the review.
- And finally, Salerno’s Pizzeria in Hazlet (Bethany Road): A 7.3 from Portnoy. Of their regular pie, “It's a lot floppy, is it always this floppy? Great taste … great taste, traditional New York pizza taste, but it does have quite a bit of flop.” Watch the review.
This is not Portnoy's first foray into NJ for a slice. In fact, he is dedicating next month's One Bite Pizza Festival to support the rebuilding of Santillo's pizza.
This will help Santillo rebuild his brick oven pizzeria, at 639 S Broad St., which burnt down in January.
Find out what's happening in Matawan-Aberdeenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"We need Santillos, we need Elizabeth NJ, this place rebuilt," said Portnoy. "Every cent on this ticket is going right to Al. We are going to rebuild Santillo's, get 'em going. This is for Al. This is for the pizza community. This is for local business."
To get tickets to the One Bite Pizza Festival visit onebitepizzafest.com.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.