'Worth The Trip, Must-Hit': New Lenox Pizza Shop Lands High Praise From Barstool Sports Owner

NEW LENOX, IL — "Holy moly, what a spot."

The review is in, and Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy only had good things to say about New Lenox's Pizza di Farfalla.

Portnoy visited the spot last week, and the video dropped Thursday. In it, the One Bite Pizza Review personality took his obligatory one bite, and mulled a bit.

"Wow. What am I gonna give this?" he said. "Very good. I was a bit worried the 90-minute drive wouldn’t be worth it. This is very good—GREAT Chicago pizza. Very good pizza."

Overall score? A 7.9.

"Real close to an 8.1," Portnoy said. "For Chicago? Mid-8s. This would be, bar-none one of the best pizzas in the city."

Pizza di Farfalla is located inside Gost Coffee at 1333 S. Schoulhouse Rd., and Portnoy spent time chatting with Gost's owner Daniel Bednarz, as well as Pizza di Farfalla owner Giovanni Oriente's wife Kristin, before digging in. Oriente himself couldn't be there—he was working a catering job in downtown Chicago. The pizza, the place, and the story behind it all left a lasting impression on Portnoy.

"The overall experience? Outer space. … I love this guy," Portnoy said. "I love the place. I love the story of the pizza guy, quitting his corporate job.

"A must-hit. This is definitely an 8 Chicago pizza. So yeah, worth the trip."

Before issuing his review, Portnoy lamented about his typically fruitless hunt for good pie in Chicago.

"I can’t find pizza I like in Chicago," Portnoy said. "It's very difficult for me. … For pizza cities, bottom of the barrel. Sorry, Chicago, it is."

Just the chatter about Portnoy's visit spiked business for Oriente, who sold 700 pizzas in just several days following word of him popping in.

"Incredible," Oriente said, of the support. "It’s just so awesome to just see the local support, and just the supporters we’ve had all along, even they’re coming out, because they’re excited and happy. They believed in something we were trying to build.

"... We’ve got a lot of opportunity to gain some new customers. It’s gonna be fun, for as long as we can keep it going."

Pizza di Farfalla started in November 2022, as a part-time shop open on Saturdays only. He started branching out, popping out pizzas at pop-up and private events. Word began to spread, and he's become increasingly popular. He first was serving pizzas just at Gost, but then expanded to Hickory Creek Brewing in the same strip mall. When Gost expanded its space, Bednarz offered him space in the kitchen.

In April 2024, Oriente decided to leave his position as chief financial officer of a company and 18-year career in finance and accounting, to focus full-time on his own business. He credits his staff for the brand's success thus far, also applauding them for taking the huge influx in orders in stride.

"It’s been pretty wild and amazing," Oriente said. "We’ve been very flexible and fluid trying to figure it out. The power of him being here, and the social media buzz, is very real.

"It’s a lot of pizza, but our staff is up for it. It’s really hard to put into words how valuable my staff is, and how much they’ve really bought into it. I thought we had something special, and they believed it, because they see what goes into it."

Portnoy continued the praise back inside the shop, but was also somewhat speechless at times.

"There's really no critiques," Portnoy said. "I like the way it was cooked. I don't have much to say about it."

Oriente's wife Kristin thanked Portnoy for the visit, praising her husband for his dedication and passion for his craft.

"It's a huge risk in general, but the passion behind it," Kristin said. "He's the best person, the best dad. He's good at what he does. For you to even come here, regardless of what the score is, for him, it's life-changing. And it makes it all worth it."

Pizza di Farfalla is carry-out only. Service also available to Hickory Creek Brewing during operating hours. Hours are:

• Wednesday through Friday: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Saturday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Sunday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• CLOSED Mondays and Tuesdays