The Dave Portnoy’s Baltimore pizza tour continued with a stop at Pizza John’s in Essex.

Portnoy is known for founding Barstool Sports, an often polarizing sports and pop culture blog.

In addition to running Barstool, Portnoy, 47, travels the country reviewing pizza restaurants and gets hundreds of thousands of views online for his critique. He begins each pizza review with a signature “one bite” proclamation; although he actually takes several bites of the slice.

His reviews often have the ability to considerably boost sales if it’s positive, or hinder or even kill a business for a negative review, especially if he gets into a confrontation with the owner.

As a result, Portnoy is often treated like a star when he arrives for a critique.

“They scrambled the fighter jets when I got in there,” Portnoy said as he walked out the front door of Pizza John’s. “I think the owner may be yelling … huge operation.”

Pizza John’s, founded in 1966, can accommodate 320 guests throughout four dining rooms. As far as the review, Portnoy gave Pizza John’s a 7.4 out of 10, but said he would lie to owner Brett Steall that he earned a 7.7 rating … if asked.

“It’s a little thicker, fresh, good, but I like it less cheesy,” Portnoy said, holding up a slice of pizza. “Like that’s too much cheese for me, but it still feels fresh. … It’s good, though. This is all preference. If you like a heavier, cheesier pizza, this is for you. I like it lighter.”

After tasting the pizza, Portnoy toured the restaurant with Steall and took photos with staff.

Pizza John’s review didn’t match Portnoy’s experience at his previous stop — Frank’s Pizza and Pasta in Overlea.

At Frank’s, Portnoy had an instant rapport with the second-generation owner Gennaro “Gerry” Buontempo, who spoke about how his father Armando Buontempo and his father’s cousin Frank Mastrantuono chased the American dream after emigrating to the United States in 1981.

Frank’s Pizza was opened the pizzeria in 1985. A coin flip decided which of the owners’ names the restaurant would share — Armando or Frank. Four years later, a pharmacy robbery in an adjoining store killed Frank, according to Buontempo.

“A bullet went through the wall and it hit Frank in the back of the head and killed him on his 33rd birthday,” Buontempo said.

Buontempo then showed Portnoy the dent where the bullet ricocheted off the oven, which has remained in the restaurant.

Frank’s received the highest score — 8.3 — among the area’s pizza shops.

“This pizza is spectacular,” said Portnoy, who admitted that he would’ve rated the pizza an 8.1 without the tragic backstory.

Under Barstool’s rating system, a 0 is considered the worst pizza and 10 represents an almost perfect pie. Monte’s Pizza in Lynn, Massachusetts, is the only pizza restaurant to earn a 10 rating by Barstool.

In addition, Portnoy made headlines when he donated $60,000 to TinyBrickOven in Federal Hill after the pizza shop had originally been slated to close. The cash infusion should help the shop stay open for at least a year as he tried to get a license from Baltimore City to sell beer and wine “to be on an even playing field” with other restaurants in South Baltimore, according to owner Will Fagg.

TinyBrickOven merited a 7.9 rating. Portnoy praised the restaurant’s pizza for having a “good undercarriage” and lauded Fagg’s “upbeat” spirit.

Portnoy recently stopped in Baltimore while driving from Philadelphia to Washington for the Army-Navy football game on Dec. 14.

Sun reporters Racquel Bazos and Dan Belson contributed to this article.