Conte's Pizza

Conte's Pizza is Princeton's most beloved casual institution, a cash-only BYOB pizza restaurant on Witherspoon Street that has been feeding students, faculty, and locals since 1945. The restaurant's identity is built on one thing done exceptionally well: thin-crust tomato pies produced in an old-school New Jersey style that predates the artisanal pizza movement by decades. The Classic Tomato Pie — the New Jersey name for a pizza sauced generously and finished with cheese rather than the reverse — is the centrepiece of the menu, available in 14-inch portions with a selection of toppings that reflects the simplicity of the restaurant's approach. The Sausage and Pepper Hero is the second most-ordered item and stands as a reliable alternative for guests who want something from the kitchen beyond the pie. The dining room is small and unchanged in spirit: vinyl booths, no-frills decor, and the cheerful noise of a full house of regulars who have been returning for decades. No alcohol is sold; the BYOB policy has been part of the experience for as long as anyone can remember, and the sight of customers arriving with wine bottles and six-packs is one of Witherspoon Street's most recognisable evening sights. No reservations are accepted. Cash only. The restaurant is within easy walking distance of the Princeton University campus and the town's main shopping district.