Dave Portnoy, the well-known founder of Barstool Sports, has made his long-awaited return to San Antonio for his popular One Bite Pizza Review. Fans of his reviews were eagerly anticipating the first 2025 review from the Alamo City, which dropped on Monday, April 7. The video, shared across Portnoy’s social media channels, takes viewers to one of San Antonio’s most unique pizza spots: Royal Pizza, located near Shavano Park.
Royal Pizza opened in 2011 with a focus on Swedish-style pizza, but in 2018, Basset Ridene took over the restaurant and introduced more traditional Mediterranean ingredients to the menu. Ironically, that was also the last time Portnoy visited San Antonio, which coincided with the Final Four.
Despite the changes in the menu, remnants of the original Swedish influence remained, which seemed to catch Portnoy off guard. “Alright, pizza review time. Sick per usual. Traveling too much,” he began in his signature high-energy style.
Portnoy immediately noticed the fusion of flavors, comparing the pizza to a blend of European influences. “This one right off the bat, it’s like a taste of Europe and then you go inside, and it’s not even Italy. It’s like Switzerland, Sweden, Spain,” Portnoy said, adding, “I don’t think pizza for any of these places.”
The review, as always, is simple but effective: Portnoy takes a single bite, analyzes the slice, and gives his verdict. As he checked the crust, or “undercarriage,” he described it as “stunningly decent,” though his assessment of the cheese and spices was less favorable. Despite this, he admitted that the pizza wasn’t “awful” overall.
Portnoy also made a passing comment about the restaurant’s mural of Coach Gregg Popovich, a figure who is revered in San Antonio but not so much by Portnoy. “They got Popovich on the wall. I don’t like [Pop]. That’s probably bad thing to say in San Antonio,” Portnoy joked, adding, “He’s like a know-it-all, I could coach the team he had with those players.”
In the end, Royal Pizza received a score of 6.8 out of 10, which Portnoy described as “legit.” Before wrapping up, a worker at the restaurant contacted the manager, who took the opportunity to talk more about the menu, including a unique pistachio pizza. The manager also asked Portnoy for help in correcting an issue with the One Bite app listing, to which Portnoy graciously promised to assist.
Portnoy’s San Antonio pizza journey isn’t over yet, as he mentioned two more reviews in the pipeline. He was recently spotted at Mattenga’s Pizza and hinted at a future visit to Lover’s Pizza in the Monte Vista neighborhood. Fans can look forward to more reviews as Portnoy continues to explore the city’s vibrant pizza scene.
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