Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy continued his long running One Bite Pizza Reviews tour of New Jersey with a stop at Francesca Pizza & Pasta in Elmwood Park, presented by DraftKings as part of the show’s ongoing partnership. Portnoy opened his visit noting the restaurant’s oddly squared off website design before getting down to business with the pizza itself, continuing a series that has already made its way through a genuinely staggering number of New Jersey pizzerias over the years.
Francesca Pizza & Pasta has built a genuine local following in Elmwood Park well before Portnoy’s cameras ever showed up. Much of that reputation centers on owner Adam and his crew, frequently praised by regulars for the efficiency and care they bring to preparing and delivering food, even on short notice during a busy rush. The restaurant’s menu leans into genuinely creative territory rather than sticking to strictly traditional pies, offering options like a plain pie finished with a BBQ sauce drizzle, a Nicola panini, fried ravioli, and both pepperoni and Buffalo chicken slices, alongside a Detroit style pizza that gives the menu real range beyond a standard New York slice shop.
Beyond the food itself, regulars consistently point to the restaurant’s atmosphere as a genuine part of the draw, with the space’s ambiance frequently described as inviting and even reminiscent of a grand feast inside Hogwarts Castle, a genuinely distinctive comparison for a neighborhood pizzeria. Customers also consistently praise the cleanliness of the space and the friendliness of the staff, particularly Adam himself, and the restaurant’s catering services have earned their own reputation for punctuality and genuine attention to detail, making Francesca a popular choice for Elmwood Park residents planning an event well beyond a simple weeknight slice run.
Portnoy’s visit fits into a series that has become something of a cultural phenomenon in its own right, with the Barstool founder posting new One Bite reviews Monday through Thursday, working his way through one pizza shop at a time in a genuinely simple but wildly popular format, a single honest bite followed by an unfiltered reaction and a numerical score. That format has turned Portnoy into a genuine tastemaker within the pizza world, since a strong score has repeatedly sent modest neighborhood shops into a sudden surge of foot traffic almost overnight, as fans from well outside the immediate area make a special trip specifically because Portnoy gave a place his blessing.
For Elmwood Park, a visit from one of the country’s most closely watched pizza reviewers offers Francesca Pizza & Pasta a genuine moment in the national spotlight, giving a restaurant that has already built real local loyalty around its creative menu, its atmosphere, and Adam’s own hospitality a chance to reach an audience well beyond North Jersey. Whether Portnoy’s verdict lands as high praise or something more mixed, Francesca’s reputation within its own Elmwood Park community was clearly well established long before the cameras showed up looking for a slice.
