By Anne Levin

For retailers and restaurateurs, post-Valentine’s Day is a traditionally quiet time of year. What better time, the creators of Princeton Restaurant Week thought four years ago, to jump-start the local culinary scene with seven days of special menus and reduced prices?

The first Princeton Restaurant Week debuted in 2020 with a few participating eateries. Then the pandemic hit, putting the concept on a two-year hiatus. The event returned last year under the aegis of Experience Princeton, the nonprofit formed in 2022 as the Princeton Business Partnership, a Special Improvement District (SID) dedicated to promoting and marketing the town. Some 40 restaurants signed on.

As of early this week, 44 eateries are on board for Princeton Restaurant Week 2024, March 2-8. Isaac Kremer, director of Experience Princeton, is not surprised at the growth.

“I think the most innovative towns are defined by a vibrant culinary scene, and we have that in Princeton today,” he said.” Last year’s Restaurant Week was one of the big initial projects for

Experience Princeton. We were really pleased with the response from customers. We sold 6,196 meals that generated $174,381 of sales. And that’s something we shouldn’t take for granted. We know that over 83 percent of our customers come from out of town. In addition to being an arts and cultural destination, we are a culinary destination now, too.”

Kremer is particularly pleased that the town has become home to restaurants offering cuisines from all over the world. He loves Aspendos, at 182 Nassau Street. “It’s like they dropped it down from L.A. into Princeton,” he said. “It is high concept design on the inside, but with traditional Turkish food. We’re not talking shopping mall Mediterranean. It’s what Turkish people eat. They opened last year, and they have been an incredible addition.”

Also on Kremer’s list is Ficus, at 235 Nassau Street. “It has a really interesting story,” he said of the four-year-old restaurant. “The owner is a Columbia-trained arts educator. There is art all over the walls. It is a café and a gallery. And they have a unique take on bubble tea. It really is a treat.”

Princeton Shopping Center is home to the recently opened Pastiamo Pasta Bar and Café, and Princeton Pizza Star, formerly known as Nino’s Pizza Star. “I’m seeing the needle moving to really innovative entrepreneurs bringing new concepts to Princeton,” Kremer said. “The owner here had a tech company that he sold. He’s now taking his idea [for the restaurant] to multiple locations. It brings a new take to things.”

Arlee’s Raw Blends at
14 ½ Witherspoon Street has “a real passion for what they do, and it comes across in their food,” Kremer said. He has similar praise for Tipple & Rose, at 210 Nassau Street. “They came up from Atlanta and set up during the pandemic. The story people don’t know is how they’ve been scoring record sales with their customers, and that their business is booming. I’m excited about what they’re offering.”

Each participating restaurant has its own special menus and deals. Bonus cards are also available. Check experienceprinceton.org for details.

“The reason you do a Restaurant Week is to attract new customers who will come back again and again after having a good experience,” said Kremer. “That is what we are hoping for. We hope more meals will be sold and more cash registers will ring. The diverse culinary experiences we have made a big difference last year, and my expectation is that we’ll see more of the same.”