AI narration · about 5 min
Portnoy Pizza Wars
PIZZA WARS: Portnoy's Tampa Bay Scoreboard Gives Pinellas the Edge
In Tampa Bay, people will argue about just about anything.
Beaches. Baseball. Bridges. Which side of the bay has the better drivers.
But few debates get people fired up like pizza.
So instead of arguing opinions, we looked at one of the internet's most recognizable pizza scorekeepers: Dave Portnoy's One Bite Pizza Reviews.
Using Portnoy's published scores from pizza shops in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, one county comes out on top.
Spoiler alert: It's Pinellas.
The Scoreboard
Here's how the numbers stack up.
Pinellas County
9 reviewed pizza shops
Highest score: 8.1 (The NONA Slice House – Safety Harbor)
Average score: 7.67
Hillsborough County
9 reviewed pizza shops
Highest score: 7.9 (Forbici Modern Italian – Tampa)
Average score: 7.10
Translation?
Pinellas didn't just sneak by.
It owns the highest score and the better batting average.
Pinellas' Starting Lineup
The county put together a deep roster of highly-rated pizza spots.
The NONA Slice House (Safety Harbor) — 8.1
The Violet Stone (St. Petersburg) — 7.9
Cristino's Coal Oven Pizza (Clearwater) — 7.8
Pizza Box (St. Petersburg) — 7.8
Madison Avenue Pizza (Dunedin) — 7.7
Toby's Original Little Italy (St. Petersburg) — 7.7
Piper's Scratch Pizza Shop (Palm Harbor) — 7.6
DiGiorgio's Pizzeria (Palm Harbor) — 7.5
Brooklyn Pizza Company (Seminole) — 7.4
That's not one standout carrying the team. That's production up and down the lineup.
Hillsborough Brings the Fight
Don't mistake this for a knockout.
Tampa has some serious pizza.
Forbici Modern Italian posted a strong 7.9, while Santoro's Pizzeria (7.8), Marina's Pizza & Pasta (7.5) and Lee's Grocery (7.5) all earned solid scores.
There's plenty of quality across the bridge.
Just... not quite enough to catch Pinellas in Portnoy's rankings.
Before Anyone Loses Their Mind...
A few reminders.
These are Dave Portnoy's published One Bite scores—not ours.
One guy. One bite. One score.
Taste is subjective, and every pizza fan has that neighborhood spot they'd defend until the end of time.
But that's exactly why the One Bite reviews have become such a phenomenon. They give fans a common scoreboard, spark endless debates, and turn local pizza joints into destinations overnight.
Final Score
If we're keeping score by Portnoy's numbers...
🏆 Highest-rated pizza: Pinellas County
⭐ Higher overall average: Pinellas County
🏖️ Current holder of Tampa Bay pizza bragging rights: Pinellas County.
Hillsborough fans can call it cherry-picking.
Pinellas fans can call it the scoreboard.
Either way, the Pizza Wars aren't ending anytime soon—and honestly, that's half the fun.
Did Dave get it right? Which Tampa Bay pizza spot deserves the next One Bite review? Sound off in the comments.
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