Conte's

On weekends, locals will wait in excess of an hour for a pizza at Conte's, drinking beer and talking to each other over the screams of the numerous children impatient with the wait. The locals all swear by the food and claim to come regularly, but I personally did not find that the pizza justified the wait.

Conte's offers classic neighborhood pizzeria pizza — greasy cheese and slightly sweet tomato sauce on a thin, crispy crust. The pizza is standard for Princeton, but nothing extraordinary, while the salad is lettuce with a token tomato for looks. Avoid the peppers, which are a limp and soggy detriment to any pie.

The atmosphere, on the other hand, is an animated and memorable contrast to the monotonous Palmer Square-Nassau Street scene. The restaurant's menu is posted on the wall, and you place your order when the waitress takes your name for a table.

The dining room is cavernous and jammed with chipped tables and people talking loudly over a steady stream of bottled beer. Children are free to amuse themselves as they see fit, and they appear to relish the opportunity.

The local patrons are all friendly and willing to strike up a conversation. I recommend going to Conte's with a number of friends — a group can have a thoroughly enjoyable evening eating pizza, drinking and being as raucous as they please.