Barstool’s Pizza King Stopped in for a Slice at an Albany Landmark

A Favorite in Albany for Decades

Back in the early to mid-90s, a group of goofy friends in their late teens and early 20s would hop in a buddy's car and head down to Sovrana's Pizza on North Lake Ave in Albany for a slice of their iconic pizza.

Most times, this crew wouldn't arrive there until after midnite - but it didn't matter.  Sovrana's was always open, and after a few drinks when the munchies kicked in, there was no better place to be.

Lines Out the Door

Late at night, especially on weekends, there'd be a line out the door, but no one complained - the pizza was too good and it was worth the wait.

Sovrana's Pizza,  which opened up in the mid-80s,   is located in the heart of U Albany student housing, and no other pizza place hit the spot after a night out - and a few cold ones - than this mom-and-pop pizza place, sub shop, and Italian import store.

That goofy pack of friends back then was me and my buddies, and to this day, we still talk about rowdy evenings at the bar that always ended with a trip to Sovrana's where "Mama Sovrano" herself would serve us up a slice of their legendary pizza.

Ask for "Cold Cheese"

I'm not sure if they still do it now, but back in the day, it was customary to get a slice of their thick, Sicilian-style pizza, topped with a handful or two of freshly sliced mozzarella cheese, and it was pure bliss.

"Founded by Demetrio and Lina Greco, Sovrana Pizza first opened its doors in 1985 and became an instant favorite of a generation of pizza-loving Albany college students who have fond memories of "gooey slices of divine bliss" and the pizza reputation continues to this day." -Sovrano's Pizza 

Dave Portnoy pays a visit to Sovrana's

We reached out to Sovrana's after seeing a photo with Portnoy on their Facebook page, and a family member and worker named Cristian confirmed the visit earlier in the week and said that Portnoy got along great with him and his family.

So, what was the review score?

Portnoy hasn't put his video review of Sovrana's online yet, and that may not come for a few days, or even a few weeks. Portnoy does so many pizza reviews, sometimes it takes them a little while to get caught up.

But, according to Cristian, El Prez was impressed.

"Portnoy seemed to love it," he told us.  "I was still shocked that he even came in, I forgot to even ask (about the score), but I think it’s best to wait for his review to come out so it’s more interesting", he said.

No word on whether or not he had the "cold cheese" on top.

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A post shared by Cristian Virgiglio (@crisvkreme)