Happy hour is cool. Great atmosphere upscale and trendy. Lots of good people. Menu is decent and drinks are good. Great place to stop by on your way home from work. read more

I get it. It's New Years and everyone is out spending a million dollars on food that would otherwise be a lot cheaper however me and my girlfriend only had a taste for dessert after we were left with a bad experience at suze q's. Walked in this place and no one attempted to seat us so we walked further into the restaurant and spoke with a staff member to see if dessert was available. Unfortunately he didn't have a clue and when he asked someone else they said that they only have a package for $150. Honestly I get the up sale attempt but if someone is in search of something particular that really should be the focus of the conversation. I'm not sure how they are on a regular but after walking in and not being addressed and the unorganized staff, I could live with never finding out. read more

Best Mac and cheese you've ever had! Amazing small plates, and fab soul food. Their martini list is long and so creative, and the crowd and ambiance are really sophisticated. Skip training into NYC and spend a night a Papillion! Their live music on the wknds is my favorite. read more

Overall very nice ambience live band on Thursday's mixologist Marvin is a very good bartender. He makes me this special have no idea what's in it but it's good! Some of the menu items lack seasoning in my opinion. Very nice bar area but small so if it's crowded you may or may not get a seat right away. Parking is limited but on the street. read more

I went there on a Friday night with friends. The ambience was nice and I enjoyed the food. I had ribs with mac-n-cheese and collard greens. The staff there is friendly. read more

Been here a few times and I lovvvvvve their cocktails and the food ain't bad either make sure you tip your bartender early to get the full hook up wink wink! read more

This is such a wonderful restaurant, from the food to the service. When entering this place I felt welcomed. I had two of my close girlfriends with me for a nice dinner around 8 pm. We were greeted by the wonderful hostess and were seated at the booth in the corner. Served by a nice young lady that was very professional. She recommended the jerk ménage for starters along with the corn and crab. I had the lamb and I have to say it was so good!!! The drinks were strong and the service was great, we will be back again! read more

Great drinks. Nice cocktails and drink menus. The setting is very nice and good to visit after work.

Nice environment great food but the drinks are very pricey. Recently I purchased a bottle of Heineken after midnite at the bar and they charged me $8 technically every where in nj even fancy restaurant cost $5. I think Papillon 25 over rated. read more

The food here is Great & the drinks are even better! A nice place to kick back and pass time, especially with friends.

Just had their whole red snapper. Grilled whole to perfection and smothered with a white sauce that is divine. The sauce was delicious and heavy on the garlic the way god if she wanted to eat whole fish would want it served. I washed down this fucking delicious culinary work of art with several LBPAs which complemented the rich food nicely. Seriously, this was one of those meals that is so good it gets seared into your brain and it makes you want to bring your whole family back here to try. read more

Great option for lunch. I work in the area and find the prices, selection, and quality of the lunch menu make it a great option. My personal favorites are the BBQ chicken with sweet potato fries for $8 along with their homemade iced tea which is available by the glass or pitcher. read more

I've been to the martini bar twice and I have to say the menu is fairly big with a lot to choose from. Not to mention they have every martini you can think of. I tried the calamari, coconut shrimp w/ Hennessey marmalade (the sauce was really good) and as an entree I had the whole red snapper w/ coconut basmati rice and asparagus OMG!!! Banging. Oh and the mango sangria was awesome. I'm definitely will be going here a lot more often. And they have a live jazz band every Thursday night. read more

Cool neighborhood spot. Definitely a loyal recurring crowd. So much so, new comers may find it cliqy. Gets cramped on Fri nights. Small lounge area at front doesn't really allow for lounging. Restaurant seated area in back more roomy. Decent drinks, cool staff. Try the jerk salmon. Trust me its so effin good w/ the black rice. If you're not a fan of spicy, make sure you mention to lighten the spices. The music can get deafeningly loud giving the impression of a club. Still, an okay weekend spot. Worth checking out read more

The service is excellent, had their speciality drink "Lawrence", I must say it was very good, as was their appetizers....however the dinner wasn't that great. If you want to have drinks and appetizers this is the place to go! read more

I do not like their food. Period. I tried it a couple times and I give up. Nice place but they need new cooks.

So my friend and I go here based on his recommendation ( although he visited a long time ago). Well, he didn't tell me anything except..."they have great martinis!" He was right. I had a good peach Bellini martini and one too strong French martini, so the three stars are for the drinks only. Now on to the service: the dark skinned balled guy with glasses seemed just cavalier about the entire service. Almost with a slight rude under tone. At first, I thought maybe I'm mistaken. Bartenders are usually the nicest of the servers. NOT! My friend summoned him for a 2nd round of drinks, he sighed, looked irritated and kept walking only to return a little later and ask what we wanted. Huh? Would not a "be right with you" with a smile suffice? Then the other African American bartender with curly Mohawk, did the same! We called him to pay the tab, he looked, kept walking and after he finished what he was doing, he just took the payment off the counter. Guys, you don't like dealing with a busy bar, do something else but don't punish good paying customers! read more

We went to Papillion 25 for a birthday dinner last night. The restaurant has an ambitious menu and lively atmosphere. Unfortunately neither the food nor service match the vibe. read more

Excellent food, awesome decor, great drinks, superb service and the live band on Thursday nights is always good!

The best attribute of this place is the family-like environment. The happy hour specials are almost unbelievably reasonable. The staff, particularly the bartenders, are very personable and make you feel at home. Be sure to bring a DD because the good tasting drinks and happy hour specials make it impossible to leave after one drink. read more

We my wife and me made reservations for dinner and dancing for new years,at the cost of eighty dollars ($80.00) per person which by NYC standards isn't really too bad (Yes, new to NJ) the food was okay, service the same, we ordered three (3) drinks and two (2) bottles of water (Never attending a new years bash where we were extra for drinks and water) The cost for drinks and water came to forty ($40) reasonable however, when the final bill came and after trying to explain the ridiculousness of paying two hundred and sixty three dollars ($263) we had had it. The night dinner and dancing was billed $160 and was paid for and extras at $40 total $200. I, we fully understand the adjustment process however, we will never visit this place again and fellow new implants stay away. read more

Nothing bad to say at all about this place service was wonderful. Food was beautiful and service was amazing now this is how you welcome someone to south orange whooo hooo !!!!! read more

The food and service here are top-notch! Probably the best fried calamari I've ever tasted. The menu is very unique but everything I tried was delicious. The martini selection is mind-blowing, too. It can get a little loud after 8:30 so go early if you're not a fan of live music in a small dining space. read more

I went to Papillion 25 for the first time. I had the Catfish Nuggets. They were amazing. The flavor actually danced in my mouth on the way home. My entree was the Stuffed Red Snapper on a bed of collard greens and plantain. It was so good. I can't wait to go back there. The server was was attentive. Really enjoyed my experience. read more

I can't even find the words to describe how much I love this place! Absolutely amazing. The drink selection is superb and the food is phenomenal. Alfred is an amazing server and mixologist. You won't be disappointed read more

If I could give Zero stars i would. The bar tender asked me for my license and credit card to order drinks. When i went to close my tab, i got back my card and no license. She gave it to another black girl whose name is not even close mine. I guess we all look alike. When i decided to wait until close for my card they treated me as if i did something wrong when all i did was sit in my seat and wait for them to look for my license. The owner tried to give me $20 to leave (meanwhile they already charged my card) how does one drive home without their license? I'm still sitting here. They called a police officer over but after he heard what happened he told the owner she was in the wrong and left. I'm still here at 1:22 am waiting for a solution. I will never ever come back to this place. The bar tender is so busy flirting for tips that she isn't paying attention and is more than unapologetic. I'm pissed read more

For South Orange, Papillion 25 is an option and one of the better options! It is very quaint and has a cute little bar that seats about 10-15 people. It can get crowded on weekends, making it impossible to sit at the bar. You can always get a table if you have a party for drinks or sit in their "lounge" which is very stuffy, gloomy and feels like a basement. You are better off sitting by the bar (nicely lit interior) or in the back (dining area) at a table. A plus is they have live jazz on Thursdays, which I never been to. The best part are their Mango-politan's! Although it costs $12+ for a cocktail, which is not worth it since it's not Manhattan. However, I will pay for an overpriced Mangopolitan. Definitely not hip or happening or a place to dance or meet new ppl. People tend not to socialize here. Crowd is mostly 30 yr + over and African-American. Not that it matters, just giving you an overall idea. Great customer service. Update: Been back on several occasions because friends of mines invited me to Happy Hour which are $5 on select cocktails & $6.95 on select appetizers. To my satisfaction, I noticed the Mangopolitan on the list:) Many cool points for that, as this is the only reason I would step foot in this place. Plus, you can't beat those prices at all. Happy hour is from 3-7pm, which is also fantastic! I was there with a friend around 8 or 9 and the bald bartender there is an idiot! He does not know how to make any drinks properly. Not even a simple vodka & cranberry. How do you mess that up? He sent our party rounds to drink which we thought was really nice but quickly sent them back bc they were not ours. Then when the check came-it was added on the bill. We did not order them!!!! Then a girl at a table near us started complaining about how her table never got drinks and I asked her if they ordered the round this clown gave us and she said yes. He clearly made a mistake and tried to charge us for it! I quickly corrected him and told him that it was his mistake on the string of mistakes he made all night and we were not paying for that round. He then got really irate and started arguing with us. No tip was given to this fool. Clearly, he was flustered bc he was the only bartender working that night. I have found only two bartenders to be very polite and professional. On another occasion, the bartender refused to serve my friend who is friends with the owner. Apparently, the policy has changed. The no longer take cash bc ghetto ppl that were there would order a drink and bail. Recently, they made it mandatory to open a tab after 7pm. My friend did not know of this change and was going to pay with cash when the bartender refused to serve her and ripped her head off. Clearly, the bartender was messing with the wrong one bc my friend reported her, she got no tip and I haven't seen her since. I have noticed that it is ideal to arrive early at this place. The later you go, the worse the service, the crowd, and the food get. Your best bet is to come during the day before 5pm. Remember this place is not diverse in the least. Keep an eye on the bartender and your tab. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR RECEIPT! Also, don't order food there unless you are really hungry! A few times, we had issues with cold food being served to us and having to be sent back to be re-heated. You are better off going into Manhattan unless you are lazy, on a budget and are free for happy hour. If you need to be local check out Coda in Maplewood, now that is sheek, diverse & has great ambiance. read more

Hadn't been to Papillon 25 in a while, so decided to give it another shot and made reservations. Showed up and it was closed for a private party. Made my reservation within a week of dining, and never bothered to notify me that a party was going on, or that one was subsequently scheduled. read more

I came here two weeks ago on a Saturday night to support and watch a friend of mines who had a gig from 830pm until. myself and 4 friends started the night at the bar where we ordered drinks and watched the band peform. I closed out the tab which was just under $70 and we decided we also wanted to eat. we got a set closer to the band in the dinning area, one of us order entres, the rest salad and appetizers. the owner then came out and said we would have to leave our seats if everyone didn't order an entrepreneur or at least 2 appetizers each. I informed her we only wanted a light meal and drinks since it was 11pm she said that was not allowed. This will be the last time I attempt to patronage this place, as a black business owner myself I try to support but this is the 2nd time I experienced terrible customer service with the owner here. The first time I found a toothpick and my pasta, they try to say it was a raw spaghetti noodle and I had to visually show them the item splintered in my mouth. No apology or willingness to waive the cost. Terrible! read more

I dined in this restaurant and I was not impressed. We were told the specials and when I ordered one of the salad specials I was informed that a key component of this wasn't available. I ordered the grilled snapper and wasn't impressed. I found the fish underseasoned. The rice that accompanied the dish was suppose to be coconut basmati rice which I couldn't wait to try however there was no coconut to taste. The food was presented in an ok manner, it could have been better. I can say however that I had the Peach mango martini which was very good. I'd go back only for drinks as the food is below par. The owner also needs to work on her customer service skills as she seem to have a hard time connecting to her guests. Go for drinks read more

I would have given this place 4 stars but, the service was lacking for sure. The food is great, Crab and Corn Croquettes are fabulous. The drinks are wonderful. The waiters both times that I've been there were young and distracted. I could literally see the young man who was supposed to be putting my ticket in getting his flirt on with the lovely young waitress who was in shadow waiting to service her table. THEN, after getting our food we see the owner/ Chef Yanick Ranieri come out out to the dining room. She goes over to the table to our left and greets the diners, she walks past us and is stopped by the diner there who tells her how delicious all the food is, and she nods. The hall was pretty much empty and she never stopped to greet her other customers. I am a stickler for such things! Fine dining right? I expect my chef. manager to greet all of us in the hall! I mean really? They do that at Appleby's! Step up your service Paillion, not just when you know critics are in the house. That is all. read more

Went there for Valentine's Day. Service was slooooow. When we entered, the gentleman at the front didn't seem to want to look up. I had to get his attention to tell him we had a reservation. The food was alright but nothing that would make me go there again. And, did I mention how slow the service was? We spent 15-20 minutes waiting for our change after we paid the bill. Also, we were supposed to receive a complimentary champagne cocktail with our dinner and it never arrived. We waited more than 20 minutes for it and decided to go. Also, food presentation was not ready for primetime. read more

Horrible experience will not be returning.... Went in on a Thursday for the open mic night. First and foremost waiter let me know that you had to have either 2 apps or an entree to which I was not interested in. I became sick the next whole day for the chicken satay this dish was terrible. The flavor consisted of throwing together every spice in the kitchen. Overpriced terrible service, waited for a half hour just for water glasses to be refilled, got charged gratuity for 3 people. When orders where place after over a half hour to be told hey sorry the printer at the bar was jammed and they didn't get you're order totally not my fault. read more

This was my 3rd time here..We were in for singles night we were a party of two.. The service was slow never got the water we ask for. The wings were under seasoned as others has said about other food items. When we got the bill a 20% grat had been added. The service we got did not add up to a 20% tip.. I'm sure there will not be a 4th visit for me.. read more

I finally got a chance to go in the place about 4 days ago, and it was so cute. The environment was like an after work crowd. The music is a mix between island , Spanish, and Kazakhstan. I ordered a small Cesar salad and the jerk shrimp appetizer . It was great , the food was great, and the bartenders were friendly . I will definitely be returning again. read more

Great ambiance.. Went for a late night drink & the bartender made the best martini ever. He didn't hold back with the Grey Goose. :) I couldn't finish my drink..which is rare. read more

This place is EXCELLENT! I have been a regular here for a few years and this place always satisfies and impresses me. The food is excellent, the atmosphere is formal yet comfortable, and the drinks are amazing. The bartender Tim is really, really impresive with his conversation, speed, and exceptional talent at making perfect martinis. The other bartenders are pleasant, but not as efficient, skilled or likeable. I only let Tim make my drinks, and I'm not afraid to say so to another bartender. I usually meet people there after work for drinks, and I've had a few parties thrown there. The owner Yanick(sp?) is a doll and very accomadating, She is also the head cook so you have her to thank for the incredible food. I recommend the duck dish, the snapper dish, or the catfish. Enjoy! read more

Live jazz on Thursday with some of the well known locals from South Orange, Montclair stopping by. Friendly service even if not having a full dinner. Great food, atmosphere, decor. An exceptional place to go. read more

Extremely slow service... Half the menu was sold out, on a Monday. The place was empty and it still took 30min to even get water. Took another 30min to get drinks. Another hour plus to get food. Food wasn't cooked how we requested either. What a bad experience. read more

On this night, 8/14/2013, wonderful, accommodating service and attention to our large crowd, excellent singer and band and great atmosphere. Yummy deserts!! read more