Had dinner here with a group of friends last night. Service was super although we were the first party to arrive so we had no competition. Nonetheless we were a large group and everyone's food arrived in a timely way. We all raved about the food. It was spicy but that suited everyone in our group. Portions were goodly sized but not overwhelming. Most of us finished what was on our plates. Main course came with soup and salad. I highly recommend the chicken with coconut sauce. read more

I give this place a very big thumbs up. Service was excellent. They know the menu very well and know what to recommend (and it's not just the most expensive thing). Small but cozy. We had Nadine who is more of a hostess but pays very close attention to all of the tables. Overall a fantastic experience. read more

An excellent small boutique style restaurant food was excellent service was exceptional I will most certainly return to this little treasure. Ideal for date night in my opinion believe me you can't order wrong on the menu everything is TO DIE FOR read more

It was the most comfortable and relaxing environment. Great food ,Good portion of size of food....worth your money. Great service #Great music #Great entertainment read more

Chicken and shrimp creole over pasta was amazing, had good spice. Montego Bay was also excellent. Entrees come with soup and salad. Liked the gumbo but wasn't quite hot. Okra and spinach soup was ok. read more

Saveur Creole - Chicken & shrimp creole over pasta - amazing - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

Food was extraordinary! Enjoyed the gumbo soup and griot. Great atmosphere and hospitality. Will definitely recommend

great food great service Haitian food with a haute couture twist will continue being a regular

We had dinner there last night, for the fourth time, second time with our two sons, aged 14 and 16. In a way, that about says it all, doesn't it? But to add to that, our 16 year old asked today when we could go back. To be a little more specific, the food is awesome, with very good value for the money considering that entrees come with soup and salad. Service can be a little bit iffy for a restaurant of this quality, but they make up for it with their earnestness and desire to please. But at the end of the day it's the food that makes this place great, and the food is really sophisticated island cookingmmm, flavorful, spicy without pulling punches when that's appropriate, subtle when that's called for, varied, with something for everyone. A great little place. read more

My wife and I were looking for a new place in Montclair and we tried this based on the great Yelp reviews. What a find! Terrific food that is not exactly like anything else in the area, combined with great service and ambiance. We will be heading back often. A note for vegetarians and vegans, the menu offers a wide variety of choices. The spinach empanadas are worth repeat visits all by themselves. read more

We really enjoyed our meal here, great atmosphere. The gumbo was a perfect 10. The owner came over and chatted a few times. The pickliz (sp?) a Haitian slaw, is fireball hot. eat with caution. We enjoyed the Haitian caviar app. my wife got the fried pork, it was very good. Liquor store next door is nice. The path to the bathroom goes through the kitchen. . .literally through the kitchen. Its a trip to walk right past the chefs and prep tables The only thing preventing 5 stars was the stewed goat, great flavor but mine was mostly bones. we'll go back for sure. read more

What a great entry in the Montclair dining scene. Tucked away within the Grove street shops, it offers delicious Hatian Cajun, Creole food served in a charming space with warm and welcoming wait staff. Your meal comes with a choice of to-die-for soups and a salad and the food is consistently flavorful. So get your taste buds ready for something different, something wild! read more

Hidden gem on Grove St in Montclair. It's a BYOB and is conveniently located right next to a liquor store! The staff was very friendly and attentive, although it was not a busy night. The food was delicious and I really enjoyed their petite empanadas ($3 each). They serve you soup and salad with your entree which was a pleasant surprise. I ordered the chicken creole as my meal and I was very pleased with it. The atmosphere in the restaurant was nice and they played some cool Caribbean music throughout the nice. I would definitely return. 5 Stars. read more

What a special experience ...! From appetizer to dessert everything was on point the details t, the ambiance the food and the attention by the staff is next to none. The place has a family feel. Nothing is left to chance. What a dining experience ....! read more

Three of us ate dinner there, and we were all blown away by the variety and quality of the food. The Saveur Creole sampler may have had the most delicious variety of appetizers I have ever encountered. The soups were a vegetable soup and a seafood soup - both fantastic. I believe the vinaigrette du jour for us was passion fruit - whatever it was, it was lovely - subtle but perfect. For main dishes we had the Conch Creole, a shrimp and salmon special, and the Haitiana (with shrimp). They all represented different Creole seasonings, and were jaw-droppingly delicious. I don't think any of the three of us had a bite of food that wasn't amazing. The service was exceedingly attentive and informative. Ron, the owner, spent a lot of time explaining the food and gave very specific recommendations as to which rice dishes would work best with which main dishes. I will go back again and again! read more

My husband and I had dinner there on Friday night and it was as good as I remember, maybe even better. The food was sublime. We started with a wonderful veggie and potato soup, which my husband loves and tried to get every time he is feeling under the weather. Then we had a nice, but small salad with goat cheese and capers. I have to say everything is so well seasoned, its perfections. Then, since we are fish people we of course had to have the Tilapia Roule (sp?) and this time they also had a whole snapper for the bargain price of $27 (including soup and salad). The tilapia didnt disappoint. A huge portion, but it was so good, I wanted to eat every bite. The snapper was perhaps the best snapper I have ever had. It was perfectly cooked, tender and flavorful. Since we are veggies who only eat fish, we know how a fish should be cooked. All in all, we had a wonderful night and meal. The owner was very attentive. The service was a little slow, but a meal that good is worth the wait and besides, isnt dinner suppose to be a relaxed affair, slow down and relax. Finally, we didnt sample the desserts, too full from dinner, but I would highly recommond the limeade. Again, another favorite of my husband. Also, we love the white rice with the white bean sauce. Its not on the menu right now, but you can ask for it. All and all, this place is a little gem in Montclair. And if you love fresh cooked fish, its one of the best places to go. read more

I'd like to try it again... We had dinner on a slow Sunday eve. during the Super Bowl. We really enjoyed the empanada appetizers - we ordered crab and spinach - which are in light, flaky filo dough. We liked the soup (had Bouillon Creole), small salad, plus fried sweet plantains and cabbage pickle that come with the entrees. My husband enjoyed his Trini chicken in coconut milk, but the tilapia roule in a Creole sauce seemed fishy that night. The atmosphere and service were nice. I'd like to try the place again, but my husband is not so sure. read more

This place is fantastic. Genuine Caribbean/Haitian Cuisine and a great staff and a very authentic feel from the staff describing the food to the chefs in the kitchen. An incredible culinary experience and from someone not living in the Montclair area, worth the drive and the money in every way. read more

I can tell the food is probably very good and authentic but we never got to try anything more than an empanada appetizer. After waiting over an hour and a half and not being served our food we couldn't wait any longer and had to go. The restaurant was full and looking around there were others experiencing the same problems as us. If you're going to try this restaurant come with lots of time on your hands, lots of patience and something already in your stomach to tide you over. read more

We went here to avoid the common deuschebagerie associated with the trendy places, did not dissapoint. I had freid Goat, she had Chicken Ettouffe, they were both perfect. They both came with soup and salad. I had conch, she had veg, both were amazing. Salad was normal, but it was easy to see someone took care in plating it. We had a traditional dessert, Papate? It was really good, like crumb topping almost. I would absolutley highly reccomend this place. read more

We were a dinner party of 6. The staff was extremely accommodating during the reservation process ( we increased the size of our party from 3 to 6). Regrettably, that was the only positive aspect of our dining experience. When the opening course was brought out to half of our party, we were informed that they had run out of the jambalaya (a staple dish) and that the half of our party who was not served would need to wait another 15 or so minutes until more could be cooked. In order to keep the dinner moving and not having half of our group waiting while the other half ate, the unserved changed their order to something that was ready. Bear in mind this was at 7:30 pm which was quite early for Saveur Creole to run out of an appetizer. This was a tip off of the horrendous service that was to follow. When the main courses were brought out, one person was not served. After waiting 15-20 minutes without any explanation from the staff, when we could finally get the attention of our waiter to ask where the missing course was, we really didn't get an answer. Several minutes later, the last member of our party finally was served. Of the 6 entrees served, 5 were served cold. Only one entree was served properly warm...you guessed it, that was the entree for the person who had to wait 20-25 minutes after everyone else at the table was served. To add insult to injury, when the bill arrived, we were amazed to see that a 20% gratuity had been added to our bill. When we questioned the manager and relayed our experience to her, she ungraciously offered to reduce the bill and chastised us for not bringing the problems to her attention sooner. I guess in her estimation, a manager is not supposed to keep an eye on the efficiency of the service and the well being of her customers. We declined her insincere offer, paid the full bill, including the ridiculous 20% gratuity. It is really a shame that the service and experience rated a 1 on a 5 point scale because the food, once you got past the fact that it was served cold, was quite tasty. read more

Wonderful service, we felt like we were in a friend's living room. They treated us like family from the moment we walked in. This was my first experience with Haitian food and I have to say that it was simply amazing. The spice was heavy, but nothing that my husband and I couldn't handle. I hope to go back soon! read more

So I was visiting friends in NY and NJ and one of them suggested we go to Jersey to this restaurant (the one who lives in Jersey). The two city people were not please but we all sucked it up and took the oath train and then transferred to meet our friend at the Newark station to drive into monte Claire. It was well worth the trip. The food was excellent. The staff was courteous. The atmosphere was great. I had the legume with goat and it was crazy good and flavorful. Even the side salad that came with the meal was delicious and memorable. I told the waitress I was trying to figure out how/when I would be able to come again it was so good. My mom ate my leftovers the next days and I was seriously disappointed not to be able to enjoy the flavors again. read more

Bit over-priced AND over-charged All the dinner plates are $30-40. I think that price is just bit over priced but had fun experiencing all those cutural foods. Here comes the part. If you consider visit here, CHECK your bill before you pay!!! They added $7.00 of sharing fee (which we ordered 3 different plates for 3 ppl) and the $15 of dessert that we never demanded (we thought that it was some kind of event (for free). it was my friend's birthday and nobody told the waitress to get prepared for it) We could have paid $22 more without a reason. One last thing, the waitress could not even know how to split the total amount, added few more to each of the bills. That eventually made us upset and led me to leave this review. Please be considerate to visit this place if you planned! read more

Firstly, the restaurant is very small, and poorly managed. We had a reservation for Mother's day and got there on time. The owner greeted us and seated us right away. There were two servers, but just one with very little customer service training. It took 15-20mins before someone came over to take our orders. I asked for passion fruit juice and this came out "powdered version" we ordered two separate appetizers and this took another 2omins to come out. The other server just stood around cleaning glasses while the other server ran around.f HK No one mentioned that soup and salad wasn't a part of the entree, both came out. My husband refused and his salad was taken back, the appetizers came out on the same plate unbeknownst to either of us. And my husband was eating my empanadas. I'm sitting there waiting, he asked "where's my wife order. That when we realized. To make a very long story short...... DON'T EAT HERE. read more

I'm very surprised to see the high rating for this restaurant. Please let me set something straight. First of all, this restaurant is very expensive. We spent close to $100 for two people with no drinks and the tip. The food was not that good. The best thing on the menu was the Creole, but that was served in a very small portion in a very small bowl. The rest of the food was unexceptional. Much of it was fried. The service was very good. However, one waitress barely spoke English and had trouble communicating when we asked questions about the menu. I have traveled all over the world, and have no problem understanding many languages, but there was definitely a language barrier here. The atmosphere is quaint. However, I would not go back. read more

Been there 3 or 4 times. It's tight but the food is excellent & the staff is very accommodating. My mother is haitian and she approves!

I had dinner with my family, and we became extremely ill and were all treated for food poisoning following our meal. The waitress was rude, often offering side glares. I would not recommend this establishment. read more

From decor to service this truly is the spot to go!!! A quaint little restaurant and an atmosphere that makes you forget you are even Montclair as you step inside. A favorite to say the least as the first time we dined here we became regulars ever since!!! The chicken etoufe, creole beef, and sea bass ((creole style)) are truly 3 dishes you won't want to miss out on!!! Though if not feeling any of those Ron is sure to accommodate your tastebuds!!!! read more

Amazing food and cooked to perfection. We will definitely be back. Ron the owner was extremely friendly, attentive and accommodating. We held a dinner party on Friday and all of our guest left very satisfied!! read more

Our friend made a reservation for NYE and I could not think of a better way for us to celebrate a fresh start to a challenging year. We were greeted by a very friendly staff who apologized for the wait and explained that they were understaffed and would accommodate as soon as possible. Since we were not in any hurry, it wasn't a problem. Once seated, we were offered a choice of gumbo or traditional Haitian New Year squash soup. I chose the squash and it was amazing. Though the soup may have appeared simple, the flavor and texture was very complex. It was a broth based soup with just the right amount of spice with a medley of starchy vegetables like squash and potato. Next we ordered a sampler of empanadas and haitian caviar and ceviche. Though I do not eat seafood, I cannot comment personally but my sea loving friends were more than excited for what was presented to them. The empanadas were, well.... Good Lord. Delicious. Our entrees included seafood etoufee, goat, and chicken with black rice. I can tell you honestly that there was little left on any of our plates. I chose the chicken with onions and herbs since I cannot tolerate too much heat and I did not feel comfortable requesting that the chef alter what he or she has worked so hard to create. My dish was accompanied with black mushroom rice which could not have been any tastier. The owner had such an engaging personality and answered all of of questions with honesty, gratitude and respect. We were honored to hear some history of traditional Haitian dishes while celebrating is an all encompassing cultural gathering spot. Our waiter was polite and as sweet as can be. As my husband mentioned, he didn't have a favorite dish. Each plate had its own personality and story. And those stories are not those that can be taught in a test kitchen or in a class. They are dishes that are created through love and history and pride. I feel honored to have been part of the experience. read more

go with a bunch of friends. bring a bunch of wine. hang for a bunch of hours. eat a bunch of empanadas. order a bunch of red snappers, griot mi casas and crab etoufees. shit's dope. read more

Although I must say the food is excellent, the customer service I received when I was there last Friday was the worst ever!! On Friday, 1/29/16, my wife, daughter and I came to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. We were really excited to go because we had not been there in a while. To make a long story short, we ended up leaving after about 30 minutes due to the horrible customer service. We waited over 20 minutes for a glass of apple juice for my 2.5 year old daughter which is unacceptable. When I first brought it to the waiters attention. He told me to give him a few minutes. Then I noticed that instead of trying to get the juice that we had requested over 15 minutes ago, he was more interested in taking on new patrons, even before they walked through the door. He went back and forth from the kitchen to the front but still no apple juice. So at that point I told him we were going to leave because we were unhappy with his decision to ignore the fact that we had been waiting so long for a beverage for our child. Our soups came out, we were drinking wine, and she still had nothing to drink. He shrugged his shoulders and said okay. So as we proceeded to gathering our belongings to leave, that is when the owner decides to explain that they do not serve apple juice and that they were going to go get it. THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE!!! If they didn't have apple juice, they should have told us so that we could have had the option to select another beverage for our child, and not have her sitting there waiting. Then they even had the nerve to charge us $12 for 2 cups of soup that originally comes with a meal. Good food but not worth the treatment we received on a day that was supposed to be a special celebration for us. read more

Outstanding gem of a restaurant. Excellent food and service in a beautifully maintained facility. Only thing missing is detailed descriptions of items not familiar to those of us of a non-Caribbean heritage. read more

Ate here this week for the second time and was unimpressed and actually annoyed. Their prices are outrageous. This is not NYC. The restaurant was empty and they were very courteous however that's where it ended. My husband enjoyed his food. I ordered something and apparently the staff decided I wasn't worthy of them making that dish so they brought me a random unordered appetizer instead. What I did have was ok BUT not what I ordered. On the bill, they charged me for all of the items and then when I stated that I didn't get the entree item I ordered she was visibly annoyed and took off 1 dollar! Literally 1 dollar. At this point I was so aggravated I stepped out. As my husband paid the bill, they took 10 min to bring him change (we assume they wanted to keep it bc it was more than deserved) and then only gave him big bills (also assumed to be on purpose). I will not return....bad service for me ruins the meal. read more

Used t LOVE this place, we have been going there for so long. A few months back we went and it was the WORST expeience ever. The waitior who was lovely that was waiting on us was being harrassed by the hostess. I beleive her name was Nadj. She completely set a poor tone for the staff. She was abrasive and jus a bad host. In the middle of our dinner, the waitor we loved came to tlel us he will no longer be waiting of us as he was just fired. We were HORRIFIED. We contacted the owner, Ron. Surprisingly he never replied. We used to go once every few wks for a few years, now we just don't go as there is no respect for the staff or custmoers. read more

We went here last night for my birthday dinner and were delighted with the decision. The decor was light and airy, service on point and food delicious. Dinner comes with a choice of two soups du jour and a "palate cleansing" salad so we opted for no app (a shame because they looked really good). The portions, I thought, were more than generous. We'll definitely be back. read more

OK, this is going to be a long one, so prepare! Had a reservation for Saturday night, which I made directly with the owner AND online using their reservation system. Turns out I had to call back on Saturday and cancel, and the girl had no record of our reservation. Red flag #1. Ignoring the little voice in my head, we decided to go Sunday night. Given its reviews on Yelp, the seemingly interesting menu, and our $25 restaurant.com certificate, I figured it was a fairly safe bet. We get there and, granted, it was a Sunday nite, but there was only one other table occupied. Hmm... OK. We go to order & I ask the waitress if the sampler platter has the same amount of the specified items as you'd get if you ordered those items separately (I was trying to decide which way to go) & she was completely perplexed....couldn't even understand what I was asking. Then I asked her how many empanadas you get (another appetizer) & she didn't know. Um, OK. So, we receive the apps (sampler platter & another order of chicken empanadas) & the sampler, which was supposed to have spinach empanadas, had chicken empanadas (which we ordered as a separate item...not in lieu of spinach). I address this with the waitress, who has no idea what I'm saying...as if I were speaking another language, and in fact, my English is quite good! Finally I guess she understood, and a few minutes later the other waitress came to tell us our other appetizer was on its way. (PS: When I asked our waitress what was what on the sampler platter, she could not tell us...again, sort of looked at me like I had 3 heads.) The apps were pretty good, but not earthshattering. I should mention that the entrees also came with small soups and salad (and I do mean small)...nothing particularly special there, but I wanted to mention it to be fair. I ordered arroz con pollo & my BF had some kind of "goat stew" thing. OK, well, his came wrapped up kind of in a plantain skin, almost like a tamale that you "unwrap." Didn't seem to be "stewlike" at all to me My chicken & rice came in a tiny covered bowl/pot (kind of like a porridge bowl or something..). Both were decent, but really too spicey for my liking (even though we requested them to be mild (PS: BF asked for rice & beans as a side & got black rice). Then we ask what they have for dessert. Response: "Bread pudding." OK, so they only have one dessert? Fine. We get the bill & it seems high to me...the price of everything was listed (Oh...I might add that BF's goat entree w/a little rice on the side was like $28!) except the dessert. I asked her how much the dessert was b/c the bill didn't make sense & she tells me $10! WHAT? It was a tiny piece of cake with a small glob of ice cream. OK, so at this point, the bill, including tax, is $78 (yeah, right?) Then I give her the $25 rest.com certificate. She comes back w/the revised bill & it's $73 (PS: Yes, they're entitled to add 20% gratuity to the pre-discounted, pretax amount). So, I'm like, "Um, excuse me....How did you get from $78 to $98 (from which they deducted the $25, leaving a bill of $73)?" She tells me it includes gratuity. I say, "$20 gratuity on a $70+ bill?" She goes back, recalculates, and it goes down to like $68. Well, this time she included the tax when calculating gratuity. WRONG! Finally, the owner comes over & I explain that you're not supposed to include the tax when calculating tip & he tells me I'm absolutely correct. He disappears for about 10 minutes & I hear him & the waitress agonizing over this complex math problem. Finally he comes back, tells me they had already ran my credit card & proceeded to give me a dollar and change back, which evidently is what I was overcharged for the tip on the tax. OMG..I left the dollar and change & we got outta there. To add insult to injury, I woke up w/a terrible stomach ache the next morning. Needless to say, we will NOT be returning! I will say that the owner seems like a very nice man, but that's about where it ends. He really needs to get his staff properly trained and NOT pull punches with regard to pricing and overall charging (PS: I checked the website and all items list prices EXCEPT dessert). read more

The waiter who we found out was the restaurant owner was extremely rude and I won't be going back again. Why? Well, the wait time was ridiculous, we literally waited almost 3 hours before getting our entrees, there were mixups on the orders and specifics that were ignored. When it came time to pay, one of of our party was explaining she didn't understand why she had to pay the gratuity since service wasn't up to par, but then he accuses her of not wanting to pay since that's what "we" do and that why didn't we go to McDonalds. Never again. The food itself isn't bad, portions could be bigger. Don't go with a party more than 5 honestly. Even that is pushing what they can properly cater to. read more

As a 5 time patron, I am shocked by the experience that I had last night . I even recommended this establishment to my friend for her birthday and we had a group of about 20 show up. It started off well. But half way through the meal the owner began to get rude and snippy with all of the guests. I was so confused because every other time I've been around Ron has been nothing but kind. Even after messing up some people's order (twice) this man has the nerve to add a 20% tip and this random tax, that seemed as if it was calculated by a 5 year old. The bill was just made up because It made absolutely no sense. And when we questioned our totals he thought It appropriate to attack our character saying "that's the kind of people we are" and saying that we should have never came. I truly believe that the food was decent but if you're going to put prices on the menu It would be appreciated that the bill is representative of the listed menu price not higher just because you can not handle a large party. I will never recommend this establishment again. read more

I can't believe I never came across this place in it's 5 years of business! Had dinner there Friday night with my hubby and although I was a bit skeptical of how empty it was, I was pleasantly surprised and blown away in so many ways. Ron, the owner and our server was so friendly and very knowledgeable of the food and its region and provided the best service I've had yet from a restaurant in Montclair. And of course, the main reason I would return there over and over...THE FOOD! wow! My vegetable soup (BOUILLON CRÉOLE) was so comforting, had the perfect amount of spice, and the dumplings in it reminded me of how my mother used to make them. The snapper was out of this world..perfectly cooked, fresh, healthy...and delicious! My husband thorougly enjoyed the Montego Bay Beef ( I barely got a taste). We would most definitely dine here again. I'm already thinking of going there with a group of friends, as I'm sure everyone would love it! The service, amongst all, was impeccable. Thank you Ron! read more