Portnoy, who grew up in Swampscott, recently reviewed The Brown Jug at 1014 Revere Beach Parkway, but his lasting impression wasn't about the pizza. It was the "whole vibe" of the place.
"If you want to know what Boston is like, walk into The Brown Jug," he said on a recent episode of his popular "One Bite Pizza Reviews. "I don't know how to describe it. It smells like a Boston bar — crazy Mass accents, Keno everywhere, Red Sox hats, Celtics, Larry Bird."
He joked that he expected to see Celtics legends Kevin McHale or Robert Parish walk into the Chelsea restaurant at any moment.
"Just for nostalgia, I may give it a big score," the Bay State native said.
But did he follow through on that promise? Kind of.
His first comment on the pizza was a mild critique. He called it "soupy" but said he loved the texture. "It's right on the edge of a bar pie."
He ended up rating The Brown Jug's pizza a 7.5. A solid score, but the restaurant holds an 8.1 from fans on the One Bite Pizza Review app.
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