It’s Saturday night and Bobcat Alley is crawling with them. No, not co-eds stumbling back from a night at Toad’s, but a swarm of delivery men carrying the red bags that make every Quinnipiac student foam at the mouth. The sight alone sends hundreds grasping for their cell phones. The numbers are already saved to their contact lists under “Primo,” “Tonino’s,” “Villa” and “Domino’s.”

Pizza is the staple food of late night college snackers, and Hamden pizza parlors are making it easy for the hungry students by accepting QCards and offering extended
delivery hours during the fall and spring semesters.

The first stop on the tour of cheese and grease down Whitney Avenue is Primo Pizza. Located at 3000 Whitney Avenue, pies are always half price upon pickup ranging from $6.49 for a small pie to $10.99 for a large pie. Free sodas are offered with each purchase and pints of ice cream are available for $2.49 per pint. Primo is open until 2 a.m. on Thursdays and 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

“It’s open until 3 a.m. That’s a big deal! Everyone gets home on the weekend and wants Primo,” said junior pizza lover Deana Forlenza.

When it comes to taste at Primo, junior Anne Marie Del Guercio reasons that “sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s horrible.”

Domino’s, located at 2545 Whitney Avenue allows you to choose your favorite crust, topping, and supplement your order with Cinna Stix. Medium pies are $8.49, and large are $10.49. Breadsticks can be added to an order for $2.99. Domino’s is now open until 4 a.m. every day of the week.

“I like Domino’s here and at home. I just never order it.
Everyone just thinks to order Primo,” DelGuercio said.

Pizza is ready for delivery until 1 a.m. on Thursdays and 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Villa Pizza boasts the title “Best of the Best” on its menu. Pies are $7.00 for a small, and $9.50 for a large. Wentworth’s Homemade Ice Cream is also available.

“The crust at Villa is thinner than Primo. It’s pretty good,” Forlenza said.

Villa stays open until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Tonino’s, across from campus at 3280 Whitney Avenue, has the cheapest pies. Small pizzas are available for $6.25, while a large pie costs $10.40. Tonino’s only stays open until 11 p.m. and even with its proximity to campus it doesn’t have the notoriety as many other places.

“I’ve never heard of [Tonino’s] or had it,” DelGuercio says.

“It’s not as greasy,” Forlenza said, taking a bite.

“The sauce actually has taste. It’s fresher than Primo.”

For non-pizza lovers, Primo, Tonino’s and Villa each offer pasta, strombolies, calzones, appetizers, salads, subs,and wraps.

There are numerous other pizza places in the Hamden area, each with a unique pizza and taste.