Hoping to lure Dave Portnoy to your pizzeria for a One Bite Review? Don’t give up. Persistence recently paid off for the owners of Turnpike Market in Bellerica, Massachusetts.
The Turnpike Market team repeatedly sent direct messages to Portnoy’s Instagram account in an effort to get his attention, urging him to drop by and try their Neapolitan-style pizzas. And the DM campaign worked. “These people hit me on Instagram no less than 3,000 times,” Portnoy said, after stepping out of the store and addressing the camera. “We had it in the files. We’re finally in their area.”
As he spoke, a member of the Turnpike Market team slipped out of the door behind him, moved toward the street, and started shooting Portnoy’s spiel on her cellphone. A photo of Portnoy with his cameraman later appeared on the restaurant’s social media.
Portnoy noted that the photos he’d received from Turnpike Market didn’t look like Neapolitan-style pizza to him, but he changed his mind—sort of—when he had the pie in front of him. “It is a little bit Neapolitan,” he said.
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After taking several bites—despite his one-bite “rule,” which isn’t exactly strictly enforced—Portnoy concluded, “I wouldn’t say it’s straight Neapolitan, but it definitely has the bread of a Neapolitan pizza. Weird because [in] the pictures they kept sending me, it looked super-crisp. I don’t think this one would ever be super-crisp. It’s still good.”
Talking with his mouth full, Portnoy rated the pizza a 7.1. “It’s good. Like, a traditional Neapolitan I gave a 6.8. I think [this one] is better, more flavor.”
It was a solid, if not stellar, score. Turnpike Market didn’t mention the score in its social media post about Portnoy’s visit, but one follower predicted it accurately in the comments. “My guess is 7.1,” that person wrote. “Portnoy is big on crust and crunch and usually doesn’t favor Neapolitan…He’s gonna like the San Marzano taste and the high-quality ingredients, which is gonna get this into the 7s.”
Responding to that comment, a Turnpike Marketing owner posted, “5, 6, 7, 8, just [a] number, man. He came all the way to my place. That, to me, is everything.”
In his review, Portnoy described Turnpike Market as an eatery with “all sorts of food and sandwiches—looks like a cool little spot.”
At present, it’s a delivery and carryout spot only, but indoor dining will be added in early 2024, according to the restaurant’s website. The venue also caters outdoor events like baby showers, bridal showers and birthday parties on its patio overlooking Nutting Lake. It has a 4.4-star rating on Google.
Turnpike Market’s menu promises “a taste of Napoli,” with a multitude of pies, including the Roasted Corn and Jalapeño Pie (garlic butter base, mozzarella, roasted corn, diced onions, roasted peppers, roasted jalapeño aioli and Aleppo peppers) and the Fresca Verdura (artichokes, arugula, mushrooms, peppadew peppers, roasted corn, red onions, mozzarella and ricotta salata).
Also on the menu are pastas, burgers, wraps, ciabatta and a variety of sandwiches like the Avocado Grilled Chicken, the Meatball Sausage Bomb and the Nashville Chicken Sandwich.
