Mediterra Restaurant in Palmer Square.

Thanks but I definitely want to stay away from the college. I want to keep around Rt. 1 and the MarketFair area

Then you're kinda stuck with the chains.

Agree with this. There really isn’t much “local” and “good” around there.

True, that part of US-1 / around the shopping centers are full of chains, and nowadays it’s hard pressed to see an independent restaurant inside a mall due to the competition/expensive leases/high cost of running business. Probably Seasons 52 would be the “best” option available in that area if I had a similar choice in the area if you had to avoid downtown Princeton or the University as parking street side or in a garage could be an inconvenience.

Princeton Junction (West Windsor) near the train station has a few options too, like PJ’s Pancake House, Terakawa Ramen, Asian Bistro, or Shanghai Bun, then again, a lot of them maybe are just casual for people who live in the area and/or commuting to/from Princeton, Amtrak or NJ Transit.

Penang has pretty good Malaysian and Thai. They are behind the Home Depot in the Nassau Park Mall.

Only other non-chain place around there that I’ve tried is More than Q BBQ. Got some takeout that was so disappointing we threw it in the trash.

Roots (next to Whole Foods)

If you like Thai/Malaysian, there’s Penang not too far from Market Fair (Nassau Park Blvd)

My suggestion as well. Roots