Why Did Barstool’s Dave Portnoy Review This Boston Pizza Shop Twice?

Barstool owner and founder Dave Portnoy doesn't usually give the pizza shops he reviews a second chance. But for one Boston pizza business, he was willing to bend his rules.

During his initial visit to Pizzeria Rustico, Portnoy gave the establishment a score of 6.7 out of 10.

“This guy's working so hard. I really want to give him a good score,” Portnoy said in a video before he tried another bite, shrugged, and provided the score. “It's just too floppy.”

Portnoy explained that his pizza, which he termed “Flop City,” rested for about seven minutes before it was served to him. He said the time delay contributed to the pizza's undesirable texture.

Many of Pizzeria Rustico's patrons told Portnoy that “it's usually better,” and that's when the Barstool owner returned to give the pizza shop another shot.

“I'm turning into a nice guy. I don't know,” Portnoy said. He said the gentleman working at Pizzeria Rustico was “the nicest guy ever” and “working his a** off,” which is what prompted him to give the business a second chance. 

Portnoy called his second pizza far better than the first. The second pizza boosted Pizzeria Rustico's rating to a 7.3 out of 10.

According to a Boston.com report, Portnoy has been making his rounds sampling pizza in the Boston area. He has visited Braintree Brewhouse in Braintree, Eagle Brook Saloon in Norfolk, Laced Pizza & Pub in Foxborough, and Mike & Lenny's in Walpole. All four pizza places received a 7.5 out of 10 rating or above, which is fairly good given Portnoy's list of reviews of more than 1,000 pizza places.