Bar Stool Sports founder Dave Portnoy certainly loves a good pizza.

In 2024, Portnoy went all over the state and reviewed the pizzas of four Rhode Island establishments as part of his online show: One Bite Pizza Reviews.

Portnoy grades a pizza shop off his personal criteria: the store-owners’ vibes and the attitude of the patrons eating there, the ambience and atmosphere of the place and, arguably the most important part: the quality of the pie.

Lower ratings on Portnoy’s scale tend to be around 6.0 to 7.5, with the highest ratings being in the 8’s and 9’s.

Here are 2024’s best pizza restaurants in the state, according to Portnoy’s pizza reviews.

4. Merlino’s Pizzeria — Cranston, Rhode Island

Most of this review was Portnoy complaining about the then-recent backlash he received for his comments on the return of Ed Cooley, a former Providence College basketball coach.

Concerning Merlino’s Pizzeria at 889 Dyer Ave, he said it was good and that the pie had “Papa Gino’s vibes.”

He gave Merlino’s Pizzeria an 7.4 out of 10.

“Good, middle-of-the-road pizza,” Portnoy said.

3. D. Palmieri’s Bakery — Johnston, Rhode Island

At first, Portnoy got pizza strips from D. Palmieri’s Bakery at 624 Killingly St., having been told to review the local classic. He tried a cold pizza strip and said it was an acquired taste, giving the Rhode Island delicacy a 5.8.

“If this is Providence food, then everybody’s going hungry,” Portnoy said.

The owner then came out and convinced Portnoy to try their hot bakery pizza.

After approximately 10 minutes of waiting and locals taking selfies with Portnoy, the actual pizza came. Portnoy took a couple bites and gave it a 7.5, complimenting the crispy crust.

“I’m glad I tried this,” Portnoy said.

2. Nice Slice Pizzeria — Providence, Rhode Island

Visiting Nice Slice Pizzeria at 767 Westminster St, Portnoy took one bite and exclaimed “nice,” following up with a “no pun intended,” commenting that he was glad that he and his team picked Nice Slice.

“I take back Providence not having good pizza,” Portnoy said. “This is really good.”

He gave Nice Slice a 7.7.

1. Francesco’s Pizzeria — Providence, Rhode Island

This Providence spot was the standout champion of One Bite Reviews in 2024 in Rhode Island; the restaurant owners heralded Portnoy’s arrival with a sign saying “We Want Portnoy.”

Portnoy said he really liked the pizza at Francesco’s Pizzeria at 357 Hope St. He was surprised by his enjoyment of the pizza, calling it a distant relative of a New Haven pizza.

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“This is as good as you can really get from me without getting to the eights,” Portnoy said.

He gave the pizza at Francesco’s Pizzeria a 7.9.