Bryan Stalder
Contributor

Northeast Kansas City got an unexpected moment in the national spotlight this week when Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy — known for his massively popular “One Bite” pizza reviews — stopped into Northeast Pizza (2203 Lexington Ave.) in Pendleton Heights on Tuesday, December 2. The viral reviewer ranked their slice a 7.7, a high score for a brand-new shop that has only been open a short time.

Portnoy is in Kansas City to mark the launch of legal sports betting in Missouri, and while in town he’s been sampling pizzas across the metro. On Monday, December 1, he gave North Kansas City’s Pizza Tascio an impressive 8.1 — a rating that immediately drew attention citywide.

But for the Historic Northeast, the real excitement came on December 2, when Portnoy ventured just east of the River Market to visit Northeast Pizza, located at the corner of Lexington and Brooklyn Avenues in the heart of the Pendleton Heights neighborhood.

Northeast Pizza specializes in New York–style pies and has quickly become a local favorite since opening earlier this year. Portnoy’s visit — and the 7.7 he awarded their classic cheese slice — is likely to bring a surge of newcomers eager to see what the buzz is about.

For a small, independent shop still building its reputation, it’s the kind of publicity that can change a business overnight.

Portnoy’s “One Bite” series has become a national phenomenon since it began in 2013. A single high score often translates into lines out the door for local restaurants, and Kansas City has been no exception. With only a handful of Missouri reviews under its belt, Northeast Pizza now finds itself with one of the highest scores in the state.

Residents and pizza fans can watch Portnoy’s full Northeast Pizza review on X/Twitter here:
https://x.com/stoolpresidente/status/1995991374383161482?s=20

It’s not every day that a neighborhood spot in the Historic Northeast gets a shout-out from one of the internet’s most influential food personalities — and for Northeast Pizza, this week’s “one bite” might just be the start of something big.