Conte's Pizza - Princeton, NJ - NEPA Pizza Review

Conte’s Pizza Princeton has been making their signature thin crust pizza since 1950. According to many, it’s an institution for great pizza. Conte’s is popular joint for locals, but also a destination for pizza snobs who travel great distances. I stopped by with my family to review the pizza recently and enjoyed the whole experience. Shout out to The Pizza Hulk who made the recommendation of this pizzeria!

Even though you can enter through the front door, we parked in the rear and walk in the back door. I spotted a pretty cool shirt hanging on the wall that appeared to be rules for locals. Rule #1 was “You know to come in through the back door.” It was dumb luck, but it seems we got it right on the first try!

We ordered a large pizza (New Jersey bar pie style) and a gluten free pizza. The service was fast and friendly. During our brief wait for the pizza, we observed some other foodies at the next table over snapping pictures of their pizza with wide eyed wonder! Conte’s definitely is a pizza destination!

Jersey Bar Pie Vibes

A look at the undercarriage on the bar pie at Conte’s Pizza.

When the bar pie arrived it was steaming hot and fresh. The crust reminded me of Sally’s Apizza in New Haven, CT (minus the charring). It was a low hydration dough that was dense and bready. The crust cracked and broke a bit when I picked up a slice. It was chewy, not particularly crispy except on the outer crust. The crust also seemed to have some excess flour coating it. Overall, it was a solid base.

My favorite component of the was the sauce. It appeared to be made from Italian tomatoes with some tang, acidity, and punchy taste. It was smooth and lightly seasoned and it really didn’t need any seasonings because the tomatoes were terrific. The cheese seemed to be a quality mozzarella that showed some caramelization which created some wonderful flavor. Overall, this was a solid pie that I’m glad I had the chance to try.

Checking Out the Gluten Free Pizza

We also tried a gluten free version of the pizza which was pretty similar to the regular pie described above. It appeared to utilize the same sauce and cheese with the cheese being much more deeply caramelized. There was a considerable exposed crust which was super crunchy and pleasant. It was similar to, but slightly thicker than a tortilla. It was crispier and crunchier than the bar pie and satisfying enough for a GF pizza. Overall, it got the job done but would have liked to see a bit more cheese particularly near the outer crust.

There’s so much to like about Conte’s Pizza. It has a very cool old school vibe and provides great service. Definitely park in the back and use the back door like regulars do. You’ll feel like a local anyway because the staff is wonderful there. Have you tried Conte’s yet? Let me know about your experience in the comments!