James Alefantis and Carole Greenwood’s post-punk pizza parlor is one of those rare places that appeals to children without resorting to grilled-cheese sandwiches or cheesy mascots. Kids at Comet can groove on tomato-and-cheese pies, ice cream, and, of course, ping-pong. Grownups can build their own pies from a short list of fussy ingredients—or just rip into Greenwood’s sophisticated riff on New Haven clam pizza—and then wash it all down with a Victory Pils or sunny Provençal red. Just as important, the high-concept, post-industrial interior is kid-proof, and the ambient noise masks all but the most insistent tantrum.

—Heather Shorter