If you want to eat outside in Montclair this summer, the options are better than most people realize, and more varied than any single neighborhood can explain. The best outdoor dining in Montclair, N.J., is organized less by geography than by what kind of night you’re having. Here’s how to match the two.
a Skyline View
The Splendid is Montclair’s only rooftop bar, and it earns the distinction. Perched on the ninth floor of the MC Hotel at 690 Bloomfield Ave., the space has a clear sightline to the New York City skyline. On a clear summer evening, the view alone justifies the trip. Check out Farnoosh and Mike’s visit to The Splendid where they chatted with server Alani Coni. Fridays and Saturdays are especially lively, she said. “You’ll see jerseys during the day, and by 10 or 11, this area turns into a dance floor,” said Coni. “We’ve got the DJs, the games, everything going at once.” The menu runs cocktails, wine and cold bites: sliders, flatbreads and a mezze platter. This is a drinks-first destination, not a dinner spot, though the food handles a light meal. Reservations are encouraged on weekends; walk in on a weeknight and you will usually find a seat.
a Proper Outdoor Room
Faubourg at 544 Bloomfield Ave. has a retractable roof over its outdoor patio, which means the space works in light rain and stays open when other patios close. String lights, greenery and a bar accessible from outside make the patio feel like the destination, not overflow seating.
The restaurant is a French brasserie run by NYC hospitality veterans Dominique Paulin and chef Olivier Muller. The food earns the setting: oysters, seasonal fish and a ribeye that shows up in reviews consistently enough to trust. This is the right call for a birthday dinner, a long Saturday lunch or you want to impress friends from out of town.
the Less Obvious Choice
Turtle and the Wolf at 622 Valley Road has a backyard patio that offers. The menu is refined-rustic American, seasonally inspired, with French and Italian influence. The fried chicken has a devoted following led by team captain Mike Schreiber.
When You Want to Stay for a Few Hours
De Novo European Pub at 275 Bellevue Ave. occupies a renovated Upper Montclair train station building, which gives it a character that standard sidewalk seating doesn’t have. Heated outdoor seating, a broad beer list and a menu that handles everything from a quick bite to a full meal. It works later into the season than most patios in town.
A short drive toward downtown, Egan and Sons on Walnut Street anchors the Church Street corridor with one of the larger outdoor setups in Montclair. Burgers, wings and a deep beer list: the place you go when you want to stay for three hours without feeling out of place.
When You Want to People Watch
Bar Franco on Church Street is a cocktail lounge and Italian tapas spot with outdoor seating that has the energy of a Manhattan bar on a Montclair side street. The tables here are for lingering over a negroni, not rushing through a meal. Just note: It’s limited seating outdoors. For more outdoor tables, a full menu and drinks, try next door, its sibling Italian restaurant Fresco de Franco. Around the corner on South Park Street, Zeugma Mediterranean Grill has a summer-only patio that’s first-come, first-served. The lamb and the grilled halloumi are the things to order. BYOB.
