The restaurant: Cardello’s

The back story: A fixture in northern Palm Beach County since 1992, Cardello’s is your classic old-school Italian-American restaurant — a “red-sauce joint,” if ever there was one. The restaurant was taken over by new ownership for a spell, before closing briefly last year. But original proprietor Dean Primavera is now back and determined to make a go of it.

The atmosphere: Cardello’s is a drab barn of a restaurant (the space was formerly home to a supermarket) that could use a little better lighting. But Primavera has cleaned it up to a great degree. And he still can take pride in the fact that Cardello’s huge wraparound bar (110 feet long!) is supposedly the largest in Palm Beach County.

The food: Given Cardello’s low prices, the food is a lot better than you’d expect. We’re not talking gourmet-level fare, but I still had a top-notch chicken parm ($16.99) one night — nicely breaded, cleanly fried and generously portioned (it easily made for a second meal the next day). And it was matched by a just-as-good veal Francese ($18.99), light and properly egg-y with just the right hint of lemon in the sauce. Pizzas ($8.99-$17.99) are satisfying New York-style affairs — not the frou-frou coal-oven pies that everyone is pushing of late. And keep in mind that entrées come with a salad bar (albeit run of the mill, except for two hearty house-made soups).

The service: We went on two not-very-busy nights, so the wait staff could easily afford to give us their full attention. Still, their professionalism was always evident.

The bottom line: Neighborhood Italian doesn’t get much better than this. We just wish the restaurant didn’t look quite so out-of-date. But we’ll likely be back, especially for the lunch buffet ($8.99 on weekdays, $9.99 on weekends, with discounts for children).

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Monday to Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday. Bar stays open nightly to 2 a.m.

The grades: B+, food, A-, service

The info: 1447 10th St., Lake Park; (561) 848-0123