Conte’s Bar

I love that they have a gluten free pizza dough! It is so nice to have that option when ordering pizza, not to mention it is delicious and my family doesn’t mind eating it as well. Yummy!

Went here last week…
The pizza crust hasn’t any flavor whatsoever…
The pepperoni was good quality and tasty
However the sauce could have used oregano or something.
Disappointing as I remember this place having good pizza years ago.

Little hidden gem off the beaten path in Princeton.
it’s totally divey and awesome, without being «gross» or dirty. It’s definitely a no-​fills type joint, and water comes in a pitcher.
The food is ahmazing. Walking in the door, you’re hit with a delicious pizza smell, and for a reasonable price, you have more pizza than you can eat.
We ordered the «special» with olives; which I believe came with mushrooms, garlic, onions, roasted red peppers, sausage, and pepperoni. There were 2 of us, post yoga-​work-​out, and we almost finished the medium pie.
They serve alcohol, which we didn’t get — but servers we’re friendly and nice! Pay at the door as you leave

This is by far the best pizza around! The restaurant is always packed, so plan on waiting a while to be seated. They take your order Wien you check in, so the wait for pizza once seated isn’t bad. This is a college town pizza place!

Ordered special with olives. Very delicious! crust is a bit thin, but I like it this way.
Service is fantastic. The ladies are very friendly and generous. Bar is a dark with and cozy, with wide selections of beers.
Highly recommended.

Straight up pizza pie!!! Pepperoni’s are easily the best. Conte’s for Eva!!!
Rolling Rocks beer tastes better here, no way to explain. Pizza baby!!!

This place is a Princeton staple. We used to live in the area and went all the time. It’s like walking into a 50s style pizzeria. The menu is pretty limited so if you are coming for anything other than Pizza you will be disappointed. Salads are old school iceberg lettuce in wooden bowls. I like this place in general, but the last time we went it was off. It was really cold in the restaurant and the pizza was just meh. I have been here many times and been blown away– maybe it was an aberration, but it was definitely not what I remembered. Go early. Do not go at 6 or 7 on a Friday or Saturday night. You will wait forever on a line with Princeton Students who should have better manners. The line is in the middle of the restaurant, too. If you have kids, go when it opens– go as early as you can. My daughter never would have made it for the time we waited. We were alone, thankfully.

Delicious thin crust pizza. Guilty pleasure and very greasy, great with beer. The tap beer was warm and tasted a bit watery for the price. Would have given 5 stars if the Budweiser wasn’t kinda warm and flat.

Leckerste Pizza in Princeton. Es gibt nichts schöneres als nach einem Pool Besuch zu contes zu gehen, nicht mehr kochen zu müssen und den Abend schön entspannt bei Bier und Pizza ausklingen zu lassen. Wenn es die Kinder mögen, kann es nur gut sein! Freundliche Bedienung, das Ambiente ist halt n Klassiker und erinnert an n Kegelklub Haus. Bieten auch take out an.

Contes has been a staple for pizza going in my family for years. They never disappoint for astounding pizza and long wait times. Call ahead, send reinforcements, make reservations, plan to wait! If you’re starving and want a salad to help fill you while you wait, just be warned they are basic salads. Nothing to get super excited about. So go hungry for the best pizza around, but don’t go starving. And if you want one additional tip, ask them not over cook it!

My family and I are in love with this place. We have been coming here since 2000 something. The service is always great, and so is the food.

Cracker-​crust pizza is exactly the super-​dry crunchy crackle (but bland) of those long and thin breadsticks you used to see in some Italian joints (if that’s what you’re looking for). But MEH.
Disclaimer: I’m new to Jersey. I’m certainly not one to trust about the advice for the best pizza. I grew up on Pizza Hut and Chuck-​E-​Cheese. And pizza in Italy is not a big deal, nothing to get your undies in a pinch about.
For the «best pizza in Princeton», I’m open to the possibilities, but I’m just missing something here. To what I can only call a «cracker crust», which was bland, VERY thin and easily soggy, it just didn’t impress.
## industrial-​grade cleaning «fragrance» (that’s not a good thing) is SOOO strong. It sticks in the nose and tangibly flavors my bite. ICK.
Educate me, people.

Recently returned after a 3 year absence. Very disappointed with the décor. Yes i get it, the 50s atmosphere is what makes this place special. However the pizza has slipped a notch. The crust was not as crispy as I remember it and the place needs to be cleaned up and a paint job. Sausage and onion pizza was very good.

Contes has changed since Mr. Baldino was at the helm.
Still good thin crust pie but crust could be improved. Pepperoni still the best choice!

The pizza is OK, it’s just pizza. The crust is thin and crispy but, bland. Regular cheese and average flavored toppings. The place was built in 1939 and the décor, plates, tables and chairs are all the same vintage. Three large screen TV’s are all well viewed above the long bar the full length of the place. Four different beers on tap $ 6.00 for 16
, no dark beer in the place not even in a bottle. The place was packed and they had taken our orders while we were on line so, our pizza was ready shortly after we were seated a smart organizational move. Decent casual, family place a little pricey for what you received, pizza with mushrooms, onions and garlic; $ 20.

First off, I love places like this — what I mean by that… no frills, not an extensive menu, and maintaining their restaurant integrity. Let’s break this down: this is not a fancy Princeton place. It uses the bare essentials and the décor can be best described as a VFW Hall. As for the menu, the first question they ask is if you even need a menu. Why? Because there are three things they serve — pasta, pizza, or sandwiches. If you say you need a menu, it’s probably because its your first time (it was ours). The beer is refreshing and cold — we opted for Peroni, and we split a large pie, half sausage half mushroom and it was big. Expect a very thin crust, almost cracker like, and a lot of good greasy cheese.
I wouldn’t expect Conte’s to change any time soon. No wonder so many people like this place.

I love pizza. I am also open minded to different styles of pizza. I am glad i ate a pizza here. Crust is thin and crispy, sauce is right on. We ordered pepperoni, sausage and onion. It turned out to be a great combo. If you like pizza, enjoy this place.

A Princeton tradition. Expect a crowd because it is so good. All the pies are great, good sauce and just the right amount of toppings. Parking in the back, but it fills quickly so get there early or during off peak times. It’s a must when you are in the area to try this long known treasure of Princeton.

I’ve been here twice in the last few years. The first time was with a friend who swore by it, and it just didn’t live up to the hype to me. I tried a sandwich and it was mediocre at best. I also tried their famous thin crust pizza, and found it to be a tasteless imitation of Federici’s in Freehold.
Fast forward to last week when I was invited here after a political event. When I walked in, i thought it smelled like a mix between a musty basement and a toilet. There were water stains on the ceiling tiles, which means water damage, which could mean mold.
We were a small group of five within a larger group of people. We ordered our drinks and pizza before everyone else arrived since we were also not going to stay very long. First, the waitress brought me the wrong beer. Then she came back with someone else’s drink and asked me to reminder her what I ordered. After another few minutes, I asked her if my drink was coming out. She then pointed to the guy to the left of me and said that was my drink, which it was, but why not deliver it to me personally and say, «here is your drink, sir» !!!
Our pizza came out shortly thereafter. It was like I remembered. All of the elements of the pizza were just bland. There was nothing wrong with them, but they were just lacking in flavor. Did it stop me from eating three slices? No.
When our small group was about to leave, we tried to settle up with the waitress, but she said she ended up doing one check for the big group, so I just left money with the other people and hope I got it right.

Well… Conte’s is a staple in Princeton, that’s true. You’re like basically not from Princeton if you have never been to Conte’s, even if you have lived here all your life. Try again.
But…their pizza is not very good. I think people are suffering from nostalgia when they say things like «best pizza in the area!» What, are you crazy? Is this your first time having pizza in your life? Are you from California or something?
The bar atmosphere is super casual, almost VFDoubleUy. They will rent out the place for private events and even if it’s not the best pizza in the world, it’s still amazing to have your own pizza party in a pizza place. That’s cool.
One really nice thing about Conte’s is their flexibility and customer service, at least in my experience. Years ago, when my work was having a holiday staff party, we rented out Conte’s. There were two individuals in our group who had recently been diagnosed with Celiac’s and therefore couldn’t have pizza. Knowing that our manager didn’t think about that when scheduling the party there I called ahead by a couple of days, explained the situation, and asked if I could make some gluten free pizza dough for them to roll out in their kitchen on a cleaned surface. They said I could! On the day of I arrived with enough dough for two gluten free pizzas and everybody was happily eating pizza that day, even those who thought they weren’t going to be able to.
So Conte’s is alright in my book but it’s not cause of their pizza it’s cause of their hearts.

Good pizza has to be able to stand on its own.
With that ideological prologue, I have to say that the pizza at Conte’s is not good. That’s not to say one can’t get an enjoyable pie, nor that you should stay away from this old Princeton classic.
Mostly, the problem is with the crust. I’m fine with a cracker thin crust. That’s part of the glory of DeLorenzo’s. But Conte’s crust is bland. It actually tastes like flour and water. My guess is that it needs salt, and maybe a bit more time fermenting to develop flavor. I don’t know the solution, but the problem is clear as day.
The work around is to load that pizza up with toppings. Normally, I despise pepperoni. I consider it to be vile industrially produced garbage and see putting it on a pizza as an act of blasphemy.
Not so at Conte’s.
It was clear from my first visit. Looking around at the other tables, there was a disproportionate number of eaters enjoying pizzas loaded up with little round discs of meat. This was not the usual Hormel pepperoni. This was something different. Small, bite sized, thicker cut, and darker in color. And I loved the way they curled up to contain their intensely flavorful fats.
So get a pie with sausage and pepperoni. The sausage is great too. Grab a large Peroni to wash it all down. And marvel at the fact that such a place continues to exist in such a fancy schmancy town.
If Princeton lost its soul, most likely it’s hiding somewhere in a dark corner of Conte’s.