📍 MC Hotel, 690 Bloomfield Ave, Montclair
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You’d never know it from Bloomfield Avenue, but high above the MC Hotel, far above the traffic and storefronts, there’s a hidden rooftop escape called The Splendid. Montclair’s only rooftop bar has quietly reopened under new management, with a new chef, new energy, and sweeping skyline views that make you forget you’re still in town.
On a recent evening, we went up for our latest Farnoosh and Mike Eat Food in NJ adventure, sponsored by Twocents, the app that lets locals share private feedback directly with businesses all over New Jersey.
The Vibe
Several stories high, The Splendid feels like a getaway perched above town. It’s part sports bar, part skyline lounge. Inside, you’ll find plush velvet seating, walls lined with flat screens, and a view that stretches all the way to Manhattan. It’s the kind of place that works for both a casual after-work drink and a weekend date night.
Fridays and Saturdays are especially lively. “You’ll see jerseys during the day, and by 10 or 11, this area turns into a dance floor,” says Alana Coni, our server that night. “We’ve got the DJs, the games, everything going at once.”
The rooftop’s relaunch is part of a broader reboot for the MC Hotel, which also brought in a new head chef and management team.
What We Ordered
We started with cocktails.
“That’s a big pineapple,” Farnoosh said, eyeing Mike’s drink, a smoky, citrusy concoction that turned out to be a custom riff on an Oaxaca Old Fashioned.
“I like it,” Mike said. “I’m gonna have to find out exactly what’s in it, but it’s like a mezcal, I think, ’cause it’s a little bit smoky. With some sour or lime juice, maybe a little pineapple juice, but definitely some pineapple.”
At The Splendid, the cocktail menu is just a suggestion. “Just tell me your liquor of choice and the vibe you want…and I’ll whip up something perfect,” the bartender told us.
We took her up on it.
The Food
The Splendid’s chef also runs the kitchen at Allegory, the hotel’s restaurant downstairs, and it shows. The food here is polished, inventive, and a notch above what you’d expect from a place with sports playing on the big screens.
Even the details are impressive. “The pepperoni that goes on our pizza is ground and cured for six months in-house,” Conti told us. “The dough’s made in-house. Even the fruit garnishes on your drinks. We cut and dehydrate them in the basement.”
The Dessert
And then there’s dessert—singular. The menu features just one: a Guinness Stout Gelato Cake with bourbon caramel, marshmallow fluff, and spiced cake.
“This dessert sounded a lot more aggressive than it looks,” Mike said. “It’s not like shots of booze in here, it’s like they made the caramel with a little rum, they made the gelato with a little bit of Guinness… Oh yeah. That is delicious.”
Farnoosh added her own review: “It’s not sweet at all. Like, it’s a little sweet. This is like a perfect fall dish. Tastes like fall. My two cents? Add more dessert to the menu. One dessert? You’re killing me.”
Our Two Cents
Our Two Cents: more desserts, heavier paper menus (invest, the menu’s great!), and keep the cocktails coming.
The Splendid manages to pull off something rare. It’s a bar with skyline views, sports on TV, and A-plus food. “Here’s what this is,” Farnoosh said. “It’s a sports bar on the fifth floor of your Upper East Side townhouse.”
You forget you’re in Montclair, in the best possible way.
