Restaurant owner spent more than a year campaigning for a visit; official pizza and Philly Dilly scores remain pending
After more than a year of signs, social media tags and encouragement from customers, Italian Delite Pizzeria & Restaurant finally received a visit from Barstool Sports founder and “One Bite” pizza reviewer Dave Portnoy.
Portnoy stopped at the 734 W. Main St. restaurant Aug. 4, 2026 while filming several reviews across Philadelphia and its suburbs. His official Italian Delite video and numerical score had not been released as of Monday morning.
(Credit: Italian Delite Trappe Facebook Reel)
Italian Delite owner Giuseppe Tosco had spent more than a year trying to attract Portnoy’s attention, including placing a large roadside sign outside the restaurant reading, “We Want Dave Portnoy.”
Tosco removed the sign about two months before Portnoy arrived, replacing it with one promoting the restaurant’s new patio. When Portnoy entered the restaurant, one of his first questions concerned the missing sign, Tosco told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“The first thing he asked was, ‘Where’s the sign?’” Tosco said. “I told him we’d taken it down. He said, ‘Oh my God, it’s been that long?’”
The surprise visit took another unexpected turn when Portnoy selected a pizza that had been prepared for Italian Delite’s social-media team instead of the pie he reportedly ordered under the name “Austin.”
When an employee told Portnoy it was not his pizza, he opted to review it anyway because it had just come out of the oven.
(Credit: Screenshot/Facebook Reels)
Tosco was attending a catering meeting when Portnoy arrived and returned while the review was already underway. He then persuaded Portnoy to remain long enough to sample the restaurant’s signature Philly Dilly cheesesteak.
“I told him, ‘I just want to make you a Philly cheesesteak,’” Tosco told the Inquirer. “He said, ‘You seem like a good dude. I’ll come back in for you.’”
The Philly Dilly features a pound of shaved ribeye, Cooper Sharp cheese and fried onions on a seeded long roll. At $16.50, Italian Delite describes it as its bestselling cheesesteak.
Portnoy offered encouraging initial reactions to both items, describing the pizza as “really good” and “great” and calling the Philly Dilly “very, very good,” according to footage shared by the restaurant. However, Tosco said he did not hear the final scores while Portnoy was recording.
Italian Delite thanked customers who repeatedly tagged Portnoy, shared the restaurant’s videos and pushed for the Trappe stop.
“After all the tags, comments, shares and noise from this community, Dave Portnoy walked through our doors,” the restaurant said. “You helped make this happen.”
Portnoy’s “One Bite Pizza Reviews” feature him sampling a plain pizza before assigning it a score on a 10-point scale. Despite the name, he regularly takes more than one bite. A favorable review can bring substantial attention and increased business to an independent pizza shop.
Italian Delite was among at least five Philadelphia-area restaurants Portnoy visited during the trip. Other stops included Johnny’s Pizza in Bryn Mawr, Marina’s Pizza in Fishtown, Liguria Pizzeria in Kensington and Pizza Di Vita in Fairless Hills.
Johnny’s received an 8.3, Liguria earned an 8.2 and Marina’s received a 7.9. Italian Delite and Pizza Di Vita were still waiting for their official videos and scores.
Italian Delite offers pizza, pasta, baked entrées, sandwiches, cheesesteaks and other Italian-American dishes for dine-in, takeout and catering. More information is available at italiandelitetrappe.com or by calling 610-454-0172.
Italian Delite is currently hiring. Fill out an application here.
