I've been wanting to try out a new pizza place, but it makes it hard when I have Villa Francesca and Hawthorne's close by. My friend told me about Portofino's, telling me it was his favorite spot for a NY style pie. I gave them a call last Saturday night when we felt like staying in for the night.
Don't be disturbed by the shopping center it's located in. It's one grungy, depressing area. I already knew that ahead of time, so it didn't bother me. There were a few guys behind the counter, but the bald guy with the heavy Italian accent was funny as hell. He asked me about my day and if I had any plans for the 4th of July holiday. I told him about my plans and he wished me well and to be safe. I didn't really expect such a nice, warm greeting. That's customer service!
The pizza was great too. A perfect NY style pie. I was just in NYC last month, so I've got street cred! There's a reason this place has 4.5 stars. I think this might be my favorite pizza in CLT now, but I need to try it out a few more times before I go that far. I'm pretty sure I'll be bumping it up to 5 stars in the not too distant future.