It's been a while since we had Ethiopian food but this place was legit. Love that it is BYOB. The staff was incredibly friendly and hospitable from the moment we entered the restaurant to the moment we left. We ordered the appetizer and meat sampler. Some of the best dishes were the sides. Next time we want to try the vegetarian dishes. Highly recommend if you enjoy Thai, Indian and are looking for a new restaurant in the area. read more

While the food was amazing, I must say, the service was a bit off. We waited about 20 min just to receive and pay for our check. Then on top of that, we noticed that the owner/manager was quick to check on her white customers, but didn't even think to come by our table (we are Black) to ask us how we were doing--these small lapses matter and it had a cumulative effect on the total service effect for me and my party today! Owners shouldn't take any of their customers for granted, treat everyone the same. Otherwise, the food was good! read more

One of the best places on earth to eat, just in case you're from a different planet and haven't heard of Mesob in Montclair, NJ. The aroma when you enter this restaurant is out of this world, and, it smells so good and its so intimate that you'll be glad to meet your spiritual goals as well by eating here. Wait there's more: It's so clean, so elite and exquisite in its food and dining category that we guarantee that you'll not visit there once, or twice; but you'll be a regular customer here. Let's talk about the mood: just right, it is mellow with serenely dimmed lights even in the daytime, it feels like home. Feels like someone wholehearted cooked and invited you to dine. See when you go to a restaurant and you see families happily enjoying their meals, it tells one a lot about the etiquette the dining facility exemplifies. Mesob is not just culturally enlightening with vibrant African Art, but welcomes people from all cultures and walks of life. We are glad we finally made it here. This restaurant is awesssssssssome. read more

Service is SLOW. Made a reservation for 7:15 pm. Got there at 7:10 but Didn't get seated until 7:40 and the waitress didn't take our orders until 8pm. I could see why folks may like this place as it seems to be extremely unique and authentic. That said, the food was definitely not worth the price. Considering the wait and okay food, I will not be going back. read more

It was definitely interesting and appears to be trendy. About the food, it's tasty and spicy for sure but portions are small, especially for meat. It appears that eating with your hands is the way there along with the sourdough unleavened bread but that did bother me. Halfway through our meal I am told that you can ask for utensils which given the small portions, you'd be done in half the time. We tried as much of everything they had and overall was good but the bread will fill you up before the food does. Lots of carbs from that so just be careful. Like that it's byob. Free parking can be found if you don't mind a 5-10 minute walk. As for desert, was just ok. I was told the baklava was lackluster. The coffee is not good in my opinion and that of others in our party. To reiterate, it's interesting but a bit pricey for the portion sizes. I read about people knocking the service but we had no problem. read more

Disappointed overall. 1st, didn't care for the injera bread. It is a sour spongy flatbread (like lemon level sour). Ordered the meat sample for 3. The quantity of food, was not a lot. Most of the vegetables dishes that came with the order were plain, nothing special. The meat dishes were well seasoned, just served cold. Not sure if this was on purpose, but cold lamb it's just not tasty. Service, was below avg. I went in for lunch, the restaurant had only 3 tables with patrons and there were 4 waitresses on the floor. With those proportions, you would think they would be very attentive. Nope!! Had to wave my hands to get their attention. They hardly ever came to check up on us. Will definitely not return. read more

The food was okay, not the best Ethiopian food I've had. However, the staff is pleasant and the ambiance is sweet. Portion sizes are way too small for the price. read more

Meat Sampler. Small portions but plenty of food. Very friendly staff. Food was a bit soggy and cold towards the end (serve the food hotter). also a bit pricey and the online site is priced lower than the actual menu. read more

Heard great things years and have been wanting to come! Happy to say our first Ethiopian experience did not disappoint. We ordered the meat sampler to try a bit of everything and were impressed. I would liken most closely to Indian food but also very different. Enjoyed the experience eating with our hands with warm injera that was consistently delivered to the table. Nice and friendly staff. Glad we had a reservation bc the place filled up after 6pm on a Sunday! read more

Excellent Ethiopian food. Great atmosphere, service, menu.. great all around. I don't live in Montclair but I have family there so whenever I'm in town I try to order Mesob at least once! Love everything I've tried on the menu -- the fitfit salad, all of the vegetarian sides (or main dishes if you like), and the kitfo and tibs wet were all fantastic. read more

Yum! Definately an experience for the adventurous tastebud. I love teff bread, and the endless variety of condiments to wrap into it. The fruit shakes are addictive too. Really fun eating experience and I concur- the staff there are as friendly and welcoming as they get. read more

I was so happy to introduce my husband to Ethiopian food here. The dishes were extremely tasty and interesting and the space is open and fragrant. We will definitely go again! read more

I had the great pleasure of getting my first Ethiopian cuisine experience from Mesob, and what an absolute delight! Four of us split the vegetarian sampler, and I'm still left dreaming about it. The spices and flavors were so amazing and extremely fresh. I can't wait to go back! read more

The food is excellent and authentic! I had the vegetarian platter and the coffee (must try!). They brought the freshly roasted beans to the table and I could smell them for minutes after they left to grind and brew the beans. The service was excellent and the atmosphere is great. read more

I LOVE this place! The culture is wonderful - the food is SO unique and tastes amazing - and the staff is ultra friendly! A great place to go with friends - close friends though because you will eat with your hands :) Also - if you have a gluten allergy you can call them up a few days in advance and ask for them to make you some gluten free bread - perfect! read more

Delish! Always had a pleasant experience there. Food is tasty, atmosphere, decor, wait staff is just right. I managed to turn on the pickiest of eaters to Ethiopian cuisine. There is something for everyone. read more

Mesob is delicious! The best Ethiopian food I have ever had! I have been dining here since 2007, and the food and service are still amazing. It's a really lovely atmosphere to compliment such wonderful, tasty dinners. read more

Overall a good restaurant. Pros - BYOB or Wine, they give you the glasses Tasty food, there is not much room to go wrong. Good ambiance Helpful staff Cons - Entrees are expensive (could cost you $30 along with a non-alcoholic beverage) Meat Platters - you cannot substitute one of the sampler with something else, you can only double or triple the ones listed. If you share an entree or single sampler then there extra $7 charge for other person. Suggestion for the restaurant - It would be good to pictures of the dishes on the menu, to get some idea of how the dish might look. Might help to have slightly brighter lighting, it was hard to see the food properly. Other If you like Thai, Indian, Mexican spicy then order spicy option, as their spicy is not too spicy relatively. read more

Great food. Will definitely go back. The staff is friendly. Its a busy place so we waited for the food a little longer. Portions are good.

My wife, a friend from out of town and I had dinner there on a Friday night, six pack of Rolling Rock and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc in tow. We had a 9:00 reservation on Friday night and were seated promptly after arriving a few minutes late. Service was nice and attentive but in no way overbearing. Food was delicious. We asked for our dishes to be spicy, which more often than not doesn't end up actually being spicy. Seems like most ethnic restaurants downgrade the heat to suit our unaccustomed Western palates. No such dumbing down here though - the heat was legit! We had the Ingudia Tibs (marinated potobellos) to start and they were very tasty and HOT! My wife still dreams about them. May have been a bit too spicy for my taste though, and I'm usually game for some heat. I was sweatin'! I'm honestly blanking on what we had for our entrees, but they were all delicious. I know there was a lamb dish and several veggies. We love the the family style meal around the one giant plate with the injera. We don't typically default to Ethiopian for dinner, but we may start. Great experience overall. read more

This is my favorite Ethiopian restaurant in the area... I've also been to Queen of Sheba in NYC and Makeda in New Brunswick, NJ. Mesob takes the cake!!! The wait staff is so friendly and they make awesome suggestions on what to order. I always get the Taste of Mesob since I can never decide on just one dish! The food is delish! I'm looking forward to going there in 2 weeks for my birthday! read more

Mesobrestaurant.Com - Taste of Mesob - Ethiopian Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

We decided to come here for date night and had a great time! The service was friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was relaxing and romantic. Now the food, oh my goodness, the food was amazing! I had never had Ethiopian cuisine before tonight, so many delicious flavors! Being gluten free and dairy free here was not a problem. They even made us special gluten free bread that was full of flavor! We had the Buticha for an appetizer, it was perfect and zesty! we shared lega tibs and doro tibs for our entree with cabbage, lentils, carrots and green beans. Everything had it own distinct flavor, I loved it all!!!! read more

My hubby's favourite place always go there on his birthday and get the meat injera platter with mixed stuff, very flavorful and filling and cosy, peaceful ambience. read more

Due to a weak stomach, I was a bit apprehensive to try this restaurant. With that being said, I have to say that the food was delicious and I can't wait to go back! The waiters were nice and patient. They were willing to explain the menu and make amazing suggestion!!! The decor was spacious and calming and provided a nice dinner ambiance. If you're in Montclair, NJ please stop by this amazing location. read more

Really solid Ethiopian food in Montclair. Great dining room. Top notch service. It's BYO so bring your own bottle if you so desire. The meat sampler was very good - the only item I was not wowed by was the ground beef. The mushrooms were the best I ever had. Highly recommend this place. read more

Mesob is Ethiopian food that's as good as you can expect to get this far north. I've lived in Philadelphia and eaten Ethiopian food in DC - two cities with excellent Ethiopian food on the east coast. Mesob stands up in terms of a lot of the coffee drinks and smaller dishes. Though the quality of some of the curries is a bit lacking, it's not due to flavor. Some of the hot dishes come out colder than they should, but still taste excellent. The injera is fresh as any other and very flavorful. Excellent friendly staff and great coffee round out the menu. The place walks the line between casual and fancy and has a great family atmosphere - you can see Ethiopian family gatherings in the back at quiet times, always a good sign. Lots of gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options, good for group gatherings, bring your alcohol own establishment. If you're considering going, call ahead because you might need a reservation to be seated. read more

Obsessed with this restaurant! Each time I came here, the food order would disappear in minutes! Friendly staff, and ambient atmosphere. You will have dreams about that sourdough bread. read more

If I had to only eat at one restaurant for the rest of my life it would be Mesob. Seriously. I love this place. I'm a vegetarian and get the vegetarian sampler. So does my meat-eating fiancé. He swears he could be a vegan if I could cook like this. It's amazing. Our favorites are buticha and gomen (a chick pea dish and collard greens, respectively). BYOB, which is great, friendly service. read more

Delicious food and an amazing environment. Very polite and helpful waiters. I really enjoyed my time here. It's a very fun experience for someone new to the cuisine. I loved it and I can't wait to go back read more

I don't usually like to write reviews. But Mesob is one of the best restaurants I have been to. The food is great, the service is sweet and nice and the ambience is ecstatic. I have taken so many of my friends here and they don't regret it! read more

The food and service is amazing! I have been going for years and never have been disappointed. My daughter just got diagnosed with Celiac and they are able to make the food gluten free if you call in advance. My daughter loves the food. read more

I love this restaurant. The ambience is great and the food was good. Just know you eat with your hands. That was cool and added to the experience. I would definitely recommend this to friends. read more

I've always had a wonderful experience here. The staff is very friendly. It's BYOB which I like. And the food is great.

We have been to nearly all the Ethiopian restaurants in NJ and Mesob is by far the best. My son can't get enough of the kik aletcha (a mild, yellow split pea dish ). I always order the fasting platter (vegetarian platter) and must get the butch (a ground chickpea dish) it is served cold and is a wonderful contrast to all the warm wats (stews). The injera is terrific and keeps on coming. It is BYOB, which is no big deal, and has the best iced tea I have ever had! I am big one for ambiance, I have even gone back to restuarants with mediocre food just for the feel of the place. I love the ambiance of Mesob- dimly lit with traditional Ethiopian garments and paintings on display. We have not had any problems with the service and we tend to dine at a relaxed pace- as relaxed as you can get with a two and a half year old! Hands down, Mesob is worth it every time! read more

I can't speak to the quality of their meat dishes, but from a vegetarian's point of view this place is wonderful. Get the vegetarian combo, it is at least three full meals for one person. read more

Ate here very recently and enjoyed my meal. My wife and I were able to walk in off the street and get a table for two (luckily) within 30 minutes...they really went above and beyond to accommodate us. The food is a bit on the spicey side, which my wife loved...I have a bit less tolerance, so wasn't as enthused, but if you go in expecting interesting, unique, and food spiced as advertised, you will be happy. We ordered the sampler platter (had beef, chicken, lamb, and vegetable dishes)...I was expecting to be focused on the lamb, but was pleasantly surprised to find I took to the vegetable dishes. read more

Hat an a great experience, fantastic food and great atmosphere. We went there 3 times in the last month and was never disappointed.

If you've never had Ethiopian food, please try Mesob. My wife first went with friends and told me how good Mesob was, I was like, Ethiopian? Really? Meh I dont know. But I said what the heck and went with her some time after that, and wow, it was great! We've now been coming here for years! Wait staff is always so friendly, and the food is always delicious. read more

Have been going here for the past 7 years. The quality and service is always consistent. Miser Wat and Ingutai Tibs are my favorites.

Wow the food here was excellent. May not have been a tremendous value on the meats platter for 2, but certainly wasn't a really bad deal. The food that was on the platter though was top notch. I also told the waitress I was pressed for time and she certainly came thru with quick service, a job well done! read more