TLDR
Montclair's dining scene punches well above its weight for a New Jersey suburb. Best date night: Fascino. Best casual: Mesob. Best brunch: Pig & Prince. Best pizza: Fascino or Nicola's.
Best Restaurants in Montclair NJ (2026 Local Guide)
Montclair has one of the most diverse and consistently excellent dining scenes in New Jersey. With Bloomfield Avenue running through the center of town, you can walk from Ethiopian to Italian to craft cocktail bars within a quarter mile. This guide covers the restaurants that locals actually recommend — not the ones with the most Yelp reviews.
Best Date Night Restaurants
Fascino
331 Bloomfield Ave · Italian
The most consistently excellent restaurant in Montclair. Chef Ryan DePersio's Italian-American menu is refined without being pretentious. The pasta is made in-house, the wine list is serious, and the service is warm. Make a reservation — this one fills up weeks out on weekends.
Must-get: The tagliatelle and any of the nightly pasta specials
Pig & Prince
71 Bloomfield Ave · American / Cocktail Bar
The most ambitious cocktail program in town paired with a creative American menu. The bar team is exceptional — they take the craft seriously. The space is beautiful without being stuffy. Great for a date or a group dinner.
Must-get: Old fashioned variations, the pork chop
Raymond's
28 Church St · American Bistro
A Montclair institution. Consistently excellent American bistro food in a comfortable, not-trying-too-hard setting. Their weekend brunch line wraps around the block for a reason.
Must-get: The eggs benedict, weekend brunch specials
Best Casual Restaurants
Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant
515 Bloomfield Ave · Ethiopian
The best Ethiopian food in New Jersey, full stop. Family-run and consistently excellent for over a decade. The injera is made fresh daily. Go with a group and order the combination platters — sharing is the point.
Must-get: Combination platter for the table, the tej (honey wine)
Samba Montclair
703 Bloomfield Ave · Latin/Caribbean
Consistently great Latin-Caribbean food with some of the best happy hour deals in town. Lively atmosphere, generous portions, solid cocktails. A local favorite for weeknight dinners.
Must-get: Plantains, any of the rice dishes
Ani Ramen
20 Lackawanna Pl · Japanese
Solid ramen in a well-designed space near the Montclair State train stop. Broth is rich and properly made. Gets crowded on cold nights for good reason.
Must-get: Tonkotsu, spicy miso
Best Brunch in Montclair
Best Italian in Montclair
This is North Jersey, so the Italian options are plentiful and generally excellent. Beyond Fascino (the clear fine dining winner), these are worth knowing:
- Nicola's — Old-school red sauce Italian on Bloomfield Ave. The kind of place that's been there forever for good reason.
- Primavera Ristorante — More formal Italian, good for business dinners or special occasions.
- Corso 98 — Casual Italian cafe, excellent for quick pastas and wine.
Best Sushi in Montclair
Montclair's sushi scene is decent but not exceptional by NYC-metro standards. The best options:
- Murasaki — The most reliable sushi in town. Fresh fish, consistent quality, good for omakase nights.
- Kimono — More casual, solid for takeout rolls and weeknight sushi.
Best Coffee Shops in Montclair
Bluestone Lane (Montclair)
The Australian chain's Montclair outpost brings proper flat whites and avocado toast to Upper Montclair. Reliable quality.
George & Martha's
The coziest neighborhood coffee shop in town. Good pastries, great regulars, no pretension.
Halcyon Montclair
Newer specialty coffee bar with serious espresso program and a quiet, work-friendly atmosphere.
Montclair Dining by Neighborhood
Montclair's dining is concentrated along three main corridors:
Bloomfield Ave (Lower)
The heart of Montclair dining. Ethiopian, Italian, bars, and brunch spots concentrated here.
Church Street
Quieter, more residential stretch with some of the town's best-kept-secret spots.
Upper Montclair / Bellevue Ave
More suburban feel, great for neighborhood cafes and family-friendly dining.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a reservation at Fascino or Pig & Prince?
For weekend dinners, yes — book at least two to three weeks out for Fascino and about a week out for Pig & Prince. Both take walk-ins on weeknights, though Pig & Prince's bar seating fills up fast even midweek. Raymond's is more flexible but still worth a call ahead on Friday or Saturday night.
Which Montclair restaurants are best for a large group?
Mesob handles groups well by design — the combination platters are meant to be shared family-style, and the space is set up for bigger tables. Samba is another solid group pick, with a lively atmosphere and menu built around sharing plates. For anything over eight people, call ahead regardless of restaurant; most Montclair spots are sized for couples and small groups first.
Is there good vegetarian or vegan food in Montclair?
Yes, and Mesob is the standout — Ethiopian cuisine is naturally vegetarian-friendly, with lentil, chickpea, and vegetable dishes that read as dishes in their own right, not an afterthought on the menu. Corso 98 and Primavera also handle vegetarian pasta well. Fully vegan fine dining is thinner on the ground than vegetarian-friendly options, so call ahead if you have strict dietary needs.
Where do you park near Bloomfield Avenue restaurants?
The municipal deck off South Park Street is the most reliable option on a busy weekend night, a short walk from most of the Bloomfield Avenue restaurants listed here. Metered street parking is free after 6 PM most evenings, but spots go fast once the dinner rush starts — plan to arrive fifteen minutes early if you're relying on street parking.
Do Montclair restaurants offer takeout or delivery?
Most do, though the fine-dining spots like Fascino are better experienced in person — a tasting-menu-caliber meal doesn't travel well in a to-go container. Ani Ramen, Samba, and the coffee shops are all set up well for takeout, and most restaurants on this list use standard third-party delivery apps if you'd rather stay home.
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