On Aug. 18, Nassau Street lost one of its landmark restaurants: Proof Pizza, where students could use dining points to order a variety of specialty pies, including a truffle and garlic white pizza, an eggplant-burrata pizza, and a breakfast pizza. Other options for high-quality pizza exist in Princeton, such as Nomad — but this establishment is located far from campus at the Princeton Shopping Center. Now that Proof is gone, where can a student easily get unique, specialty pizza right on Nassau?
D’Angelo Italian Market
A dessert pizza from D’Angelo Market. The pizza is covered in Nutella, strawberries, and bananas.
Lulu Pettit / The Daily Princetonian
The first specialty pizza I tried was a dessert pizza from D’Angelo Italian Market, a lesser-known but nonetheless lovely market and deli on the corner of Spring Street and South Tulane Street, just a few doors down from the Princeton Record Exchange. Inside, D’Angelo is a quintessential New Jersey Italian restaurant — with made-to-order hot food, specialty snacks, and pre-prepared salads. Homemade cannolis and Italian rainbow cake sit just down the counter from a butcher offering fresh-cut smoked meats.
I was interested, however, in the pizza, and what better way to start my Princeton pizza journey than with a dessert pie — Chocolate Nutella. Proof also used to have a Nutella dessert pie, but theirs included ricotta and marshmallows, and cost three dollars less. At D’Angelo, for $14, you can get a six-slice pizza topped with Nutella, as well as your choice of strawberries and/or bananas — the same price and about the same size as the Nutella pie at Nomad. The main difference between the two lies in the crust. Nomad is well-known for their soft, fluffy, floury crust. The D’Angelo pizza has a much denser crust. The thick lathering of Nutella is topped with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and freshly sliced fruit. Additionally, D’Angelo is extremely generous with the fruit, covering every square inch of the pizza. For anyone with a small group looking for dessert on Nassau, I highly recommend this treat (even if Proof’s dessert pizza had more toppings for less money).
Jules Thin Crust
Jules Pizza, a small regional chain, offers a variety of specialty flatbread pizzas. Now that Proof is gone, they are the only off-campus pizza place that accepts dining points. I previously reviewed their Mediterranean pizza, which features a Greek salad on top of a slice of cheese flatbread pizza. Proof also had a salad pizza, but instead made it a white pizza, featuring far fewer vegetables and a balsamic drizzle on top.
Jules was tasty and certainly unique, especially the flatbread crust, but it didn’t have the texture of a traditional pizza that I craved, especially when compared to the crispy, crusty pizza that Proof used to offer.
If you’re in the mood for something boldly different, Jules is a great option, but if you’re specifically looking for a classic New York style pizza, I recommend turning your attention to one of the other places on this list.
Saturn Pizza
A chicken BBQ ranch pizza.
The Daily Princetonian / Lulu Pettit
Located inside the Ivy Inn — closer to campus than Nomad and even Conte’s, another pizza place — Saturn Pizza offers classic bar and grill food like burgers, fries, nachos, and, of course, pizza. They pride themselves on “cracker crust” slices that are extra thin and well-done. Saturn Pizza also has a gluten-free alternative available. Each specialty pie is named after a different planet, so I went with their Pluto Pie, which has chicken, BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, and colby jack cheese. This option costs $16 for a small serving. Proof didn’t have a comparable option; all of their non-white pizzas used regular tomato sauce over something like BBQ.
Saturn got the closest to a classic slice of New Jersey pizza with a thin, chewy crust. I enjoyed the pizza, but I wasn’t blown away by it. After having so many over-the-top pizzas, I wanted Saturn to commit a little more to their toppings and flavors, which I felt were slightly lacking in depth. Saturn is great for a classic slice, but not as special as some of the other options in town.
Pizza Den
Just a few doors down from Saturn Pizza, Pizza Den serves some unique pies, all of which have the option of gluten free crust and vegan cheese. The restaurant has a modern vibe and offers little else — just a few appetizers and salads — other than pizza. Although all of their pizzas sounded enticing, I felt as though this list wouldn’t be complete without the Northeast signature pizza dish: a tomato pie. Proof also offered a tomato pie, which they topped with tomato sauce, garlic, and oregano. Pizza Den’s pie had a slightly different tomato sauce, garlic, olive oil, and basil. As evident in the ingredients, tomato pie is naturally a vegan pie. Pizza Den does offer vegan cheese though, so you can also order a vegan version of any of their specialty pizzas.
Teresa’s Pizza & Wine Bar
A breakfast pizza from Teresa’s Pizza & Wine Bar
Lulu Pettit / The Daily Princetonian
For my final pizza, I wanted something that resembled breakfast. I had dessert, lunch, and dinner pizzas, but I hadn’t found any kind of replacement for Proof’s breakfast pizza, which featured sweet sausage, bacon, pork rolls, and three eggs. I decided to go to a more upscale place for this one and try Teresa’s Pizza & Wine Bar brunch menu, which is only available on weekend mornings. The restaurant, located on Palmer Square, has a cozy interior and an airy outdoor patio that makes you feel like you’re in a warm Italian café. Unlike the other places on this list, brunch features far more than pizza, with a wide range of appetizers and entrées.
The brunch menu offers a savory breakfast pizza called pizza all’huovo, which has pancetta, fior di latte, egg, and rosemary. Like a true Italian café, Teresa’s brings out a whole personal pie for each order; there’s no option for ordering by-the-slice. The crust was similar to Nomad’s crust: light, fluffy, and floury. It had a very nice chew and was probably my favorite out of all of the crusts that I tried. I thoroughly enjoyed the runny eggs on the pizza, though the richness of the egg yolk combined with the deep, salty flavor of the pancetta and creamy cheese felt a bit too heavy for me. I would not recommend eating this on any ordinary busy day, but for a higher-end pizza on a special meal out, Teresa’s is a great choice.
While campus may have just lost a long-running, easily-accessible pizza place, there are certainly plenty of other specialty options. If you have a car or bike, you can even visit further-off pizza places like Conte’s, Nomad, or Pizza Star. No matter where you choose to go, the Princeton area can provide any type of pizza you’re in the mood for.
Lulu Pettit is a member of the Class of 2027 and a staff writer for The Prospect from the suburbs of Philadelphia. She can be reached at lp3153[at]princeton.edu or her Instagram [at]itslulupettit.
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