Owner Of 'Iconic' Pizzeria Destroyed By Fire Suffers Another Setback In Union County

ELIZABETH, NJ — The owner of an"iconic" New Jersey pizzeria, which is still rebuilding from a fire in January 2024, is now hit with another setback.

Al Santillo of Santillo's Brick Oven Pizzeria, at 639 S Broad St., in Elizabeth, is currently hospitalized due to a stroke, said his daughter-in-law, Jenni Santillo, on Easter.

She added that Al "would like me to ask you all to please send him all the prayers and positivity you can! It is greatly appreciated.

Founder of Barstool Sports and popular internet personality Dave "El Pres" Portnoy previously came to the aid of Santillo's Brick Oven Pizza after the fire.

In 2024, Portnoy donated all ticket sales from his One Bite Pizza Festival to Al Santillo to help rebuild.

Portnoy posts daily pizza reviews to his millions of social media followers, scoring pies on a stringent 1 to 10 scale. The videos, which often go viral, usually start with Portnoy's catch phrase, "One bite, everyone knows the rules."

He previously visited Al Santillos Brick Oven Pizza in January 2019 when he rated the pizza an 8.3 out of 10.

For more information or to follow the pizzeria, visit Al Santillos Brick Oven Pizza.

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