Speed, price, and quality are all considered when students visit local restaurants

With the high school planted into the heart of Franklin Avenue, students have many options for lunch. In a 10-minute walk radius, there are over 25 restaurants to choose from, ranging from pizza, sandwiches, burgers, wings, and sushi. Ratings of the restaurants online can often tell a good story of where to eat; but, the opinion of 24 NHS students may differ.

The top three in a small poll, all with over four votes, are Bagelboy, Belle Paese, and Ralph’s. When the bell rings at 11:00, students flood the street looking for quick, satisfying, and affordable lunch, often heading to one of these three restaurants.

The most crowded during the initial lunch rush is usually Bagelboy; it wouldn't be a surprise to see over 20 students waiting in line to order or picking up a mobile order. The appeal is obvious: it's less than 100 steps away from the high school, students could receive their lunch very early and get back to school, and you could get lunch for less than $10. The bagels are often a hit or miss,  sometimes tasting quite fresh and other times tasting old. Because of this inconsistency the bagels end up being mediocre. Non-bagel food items are all normal deli foods with nothing immediately sticking out to customers beside prices. Although the convenience keeps the student population customers, the quality rarely stands out compared to other spots on Franklin Avenue.

Although Belle Paese doesn’t get as crowded as Bagelboy, you can still often see many students making the pilgrimage down Franklin Ave to the restaurant. It's only a 3-5 minute walk from the school; there's a large dining room in the back that could fit upwards of 25 students, the pizza is fresh, and the prices are great. The pizza that some students love is the penne vodka slice, a cheese slice with penne vodka laid on top that's baked in, and then more vodka sauce is put on top. Everything is priced well; lunch and a drink can cost less than $5. The workers could be a bit more welcoming at times; they’re not afraid to scold a student or the other workers, but the quick service and consistent pizza keeps them a loyal customer base in a town with more than a dozen pizzerias.

A bit of a farther walk down Franklin Ave is another popular destination for pizza: Ralph’s, which is popular with students and adults, receiving a 8.9 from Dave Portnoy and many other Best Pizza awards. They are well liked for the plain slice, but the margherita and specialty slice are also quite good. Ralph’s is more consistent than others on this list; the slice will always come out hot and with a crispy undercarriage. While there aren't as many lunch options as other pizzerias in Nutley, Ralph’s does pizza better than the others.

With so many delicious options surrounding Nutley High School, students are lucky to have a wide variety of choices for lunch. Whether it's Bagelboy’s quick convenience, the affordable and creative slices of Belle Paese, or Ralph's award-winning consistency, Franklin Ave offers something for everyone. Each spot has its strengths giving students all different reasons to make the walk down.  These three are staples on Franklin Ave and for NHS students.

Most popular item at the places students/google review: 

1. Bagelboy - Bagel with Butter - CC / Meat egg and cheese on a bagel
2. Belle Paese - Penne Vodka pizza slice/ Sicilian - Sub - Chicken Parm - Cheesesteak
3. Ralph’s - Plain Slice/ Plain - Margherita pies