One the best Spanish restaurants I have tried in the area; amazing food, Great Ambience and good service. Convenient location closer to public parking; parking sometime could be difficult in Montclair read more

We eat out weekly in Montclair area. This is the first time I have been motivated to write a negative review in over ten years. Service and food was terrible. We showed up at 7 pm and didn't get our food till 9 -9:15 pm and it was cold and soggy. We did not order anything that required extensive prep. The other couple who we were with were equally critical. Don't waste your time or money here. read more

Excellent service, delicious food from a menu with abundant choices, in a stylish but comfortable atmosphere. Highly recommended! We dined there a week ago with friends and definitely will return. read more

Sad to say the food was very poor though the bill will suggest otherwise! If you're looking for good tapas definitely go elsewhere.

Food was very mediocre. Lacked flavor and very over priced. The staff is great and very attentive. read more

Sayola Restaurant - Spanish Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

We had a great meal here on Friday night! We were a group of 7 people, so we ordered the fried calamari, chorizo, tuna/avocado stack, and shrimp in garlic sauce for appetizers. They were all good but the tuna/avocado stack appetizer special was my favorite. We ordered a second one because everyone loved it so much. For dinner, my husband and I shared the skirt steak with shrimp and the sea bass entrees. The skirt steak was just ok (kind of chewy) but the shrimp on it were great, and the sea bass was incredible. It was flaky and melted in my mouth and was served with 4 clams, fried spinach leaves which were tasty, and squid ink risotto which was very good too. The service was good, prices were reasonable, and BYOB was nice. I'd go back! read more

Sayola Restaurant - Amazing sea bass and clams - Spanish Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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I spent 3-4 long paragraphs talking about Sayola and I decided against it. I will keep it short. We also shared the branzino baked in salt and the seafood paella. The Branzino was delivered to the table covered in salt and then I sat patiently for a few minutes for someone to cut into the fish. Both the branzino and seafood paella were just ALRIGHT. Nothing special. And lacked flavor. Everything was seemingly bland. The rice in the paella was very undercooked. The service was not that great for how much everything was. We didn't get water when our glasses were empty for over 20mins. We waited 20mins after we were done eating for someone to clear our table. Then waited some more to get our check. All we did was wait here. read more

Spark notes review: came here for Father's Day. The food is decent - more to come on that. The service leaves something to be desired and it's overpriced. Meh. Came for Father's Day with a reservation. We were seated promptly and asked by a busser what type of water we'd like. It's BYO so bring your own and they'll open it for you. After about 5 mins, no one came to take our order. I politely flagged down the manager who said he'd send someone over. The waitress comes over and says - so you're ready? She was clearly overwhelmed; I said no and asked for specials which she obliged. She put in our order. Next Came the bread with an assortment of butters. It was warm and delicious and worth the carbs. Our appetizers came out relatively quickly (we did the gambas al ajillo y chorizitos, both of which I'd recommend). A new server came by and asked if things were good - which they were. We never saw him again. 45 min later our food came out, which is fine since one person in our party ordered paella. everything was seasoned well, even if my medium steak was served well done We waited another 5-10 mins after eating to order dessert and coffee. Again, waving someone down as our waitress was nowhere in sight. We ordered the flan - it was fine but nothing like my abuelas (creme brûlée looked good on other tables!) It then took ~ 20 mins to pay, flagging someone down to get our check, then flagging someone down again to pay our check. Having worked in the rest industry myself, I know how much holidays can suck. However, the best way to ruin a meal is having a table wait to leave. Price was also Manhattan-esque, even though we're in Montclair. 2 apps, 3 entrees, 1 dessert and coffee was 160$ pre tip. Not worth it. All in all - I won't be back and can't see this place here long until they figure out their pricing and service. read more

Had dinner tonight at this beautiful restaurant with convenient parking right across the street! My guest and I split a Caesar salad. And I had the Chilean Seabass over a black risotto which was delicious Portions are generous and it's BYOB The service was beyond excellent, I believe the name of the young server we had was Prasana There were many specials and so many great items on their menu and I'm looking forward to returning soon! read more

Ok decor is beautiful, service is good not fantastic. Quality of the food is very good but the preparation and overall taste was way below what I would expect. As far as the food overall it was rather tasteless or not prepared well. In specific: Paella was good but the chicken which was part of the mix was dry as can be. Chilean sea bass w/ black ink rice was tasteless but was prepared well. Ceviche was very good as an appetizer, octopus was terrible chewy and bland. The prices were way to high for this poor food preparation. We had just eaten at Costanera , sooo much better. read more

I went I went there for brunch, I had the mariscada They don't serve alcohol. They do business with a liquor down the street. We ordered the wine it was at our table in minutes. My dish had a delicious red sauce. My girlfriend and I had a great time there. read more

Clams in Green Sauce: amazing sauce, however overpriced for a 1/2 dozen of littlenecks - $18.95 Fresh Norwegian Grilled Salmon served with Shredded Vegetables: the shredded vegetables had a horrible fishy taste and the grilled salmon had no flavor. The salmon was bland as if they didn't even season with salt or pepper prior to putting it on the grill. $31.95 When I called the waiter over to explain he didn't apologize for the fishy shredded vegetables, he just offered another side. We ended up with (1) grilled potatoe cut in 4 pieces. Overpriced clams for the appetizer and horrible meal. Unfortunately, first and last time for me and my family read more

Took me a while to write this review because I was debating between giving them a one star or two star. My two star review is based solely on the service provided by the young waiter that served us and the decor.Some of my friends brought me here for my birthday dinner. My friend had bought me a cake and the waiter told her that there will be a $5 charge to Cut the Cake she said fine. No problem. Few minutes later the manager comes and says it's $5 per person. She explained that they had said it was $5 just for the cut and his reply was as the manager "I'm sorry you're probably not used to going to fancy restaurants for this time only I will charge you the one fee and not per person". And that's when everything started going downhill. The restaurant itself is beautiful. After waiting almost an hour we finally got our appetizers. We ordered the beef empanadas, garlic shrimp, fried calamari's and croquettes. The calamari and the Croquettes for good. The beef and enpanadas were a little too wet for my taste or anyone elses in the table and the garlic shrimp needed another minute or two on the stove. At this point I was ready to go but it was a Saturday night and I didn't want to risk leaving and not finding another restaurant to go to so we ordered dinner. Some of us order the seafood paella and one of my friends ordered a chicken dish. She specifically said she did not want mixed vegetables that she would prefer just broccoli and mashed potatoes.Another hour and 15 minutes later after ordering we got our dinner. My friend was served the chicken with mixed vegetables and no mashed potatoes. My paella was okay. I've been going to these Portuguese /Spanish restaurants my whole life and I personally did not enjoy their paella. It lacked flavor and was a bit dry. My friend takes a bite her chicken and then says that she doesn't want it because it tastes slimy. I go to taste it and as I cut a piece I see that the chicken is raw. I am not exaggerating when I say it's raw. It looks like someone had seared it on each side for 30 seconds to give it color. We sent it back and another hour later the owner came to the table and asked why we sent it back. We explained the entire situation and then he starts trying to blame it on the waiter, like the waiter is the one that's in the back cooking the food. He is also saying that he is going to speak to the waiter because it is his fault that it took so long for a food to come. We tried to explain to him that it was not the waiters fault and that the problem had to be kitchen. He comes back and tells us that indeed it is the kitchen that is behind and not the waiter. He offers us two free desserts and an apology. Within the apology he also states that we have been the only people that have complained since they opened making us feel like it's something wrong with us again. The fact that the manager spoke to my friend the way that he did in the beginning speaks volume of the business that they are running. I eat at restaurants like this on the regular so for him to insinuate that we basically have no class and we haven't been nowhere fancy before was completely rude and disrespectful. Also the owner apologizing but then at the same time stating that we have been the only people complaining was not a real apology. Personally I will not recommend this restaurant to anyone or visit them again. They left a very sour taste in my mouth. We all felt really bad for the waiter as he was really young and he did his best to provide us with a very enjoyable dinner even though the parts that were messed up had nothing to do with him. He was very pleasant and nice and I wish I would have gotten his name. The only good thing was the orange icicle desserts that they have. But a desert it's not worth the service they provided me with. read more

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Went here for Valentine's Day and had their speciality menu for this day. They provide bread with regular butter, some sort of flavored butter which was amazing and kind of garlicy, and then caviar I believe. We started with the squid as an appetizer which was pretty tasty! It was a boiled part rich with flavor but fairly small for $18. The meals were amazing. I got the paella which was huge, 2-3 people can eat from it. The salmon meal was also really good and decently portioned. The service was amazing, clean bathrooms, and overall great atmosphere. read more

Sayola Restaurant - Clean and nicely decorated bathrooms - Spanish Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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We had a great experience at Sayola for a family dinner. Walking into this restaurant on a Thursday night, we felt a festive, vibrant ambiance. Feels like you're in Spain, according to one of our party members The decor is gorgeous. On a practical note, considering how big the dishes are, they could do with bigger tables. The servers were quick to explain the menu and specials. (There are quite a few specials--it's a little hard to keep track!) Just about everything on the menu sounded delicious. There are two main sections: tapas and entrees. I'd recommend sticking with one or the other--ordering dishes from both sides was overkill! (They're quick to give you doggie bags, though.) The pricing is decent for a nice night out. We did the BYOB thing, and the servers were good with keeping our glasses full. The food was great, with the bold flavors you'd expect from Spanish cuisine. Highlights included the chorizo and octopus. And the olive tapenade for dipping the complimentary bread is a must-have! All of the entrees came with a scoop of mashed potatoes. Next time, I'd like to go for the paella! read more

I went here for sunday brunch and it was just straight up bad. First the waiter didn't give us menus and made us believe that the only option was the gross buffet they had so thats what we went with. The buffet brunch was awful. The paella was dry and overcooked. The bacon was super greasy. The pork was dry and overcooked. The deserts were frozen. The flan was just awful. The coffee was cold! I literally can not believe just how terrible everything was. So after all this our bill is 128 dollars for 3 people who had the worse meal ever! The place itself is cute but I will not be back here after what a bad experience. Just don't even waste your time. So here's an update.....my friend is now ill from the food we ate. Threw up twice already, praying that I don't get sick as well. Do not go here! The decor is just an illusion to mask how bad the rest of your experience will be. read more

We went for dinner last weekend and I meant to do a review immediately but got busy. Wanted to say that everything about the service and meal were excellent. The sangria was great but then the meal came and it was so delicious. Yes it is a little expensive but when you see how much food you get it isn't. We had enough for lunch for two days with leftovers. We will definitely return. read more

I am giving this place 2 stars only because the food was divine. The service however? Awful. Went with a group of 8 girls; 2 of which ordered the skirt steak special with the shrimp and garlic on top of it. Upon ordering, we clearly stated that we wanted the SKIRT STEAK and ended up getting the NY STRIP instead. When we received our meals and realized it was not what we ordered, the server proceeded to apologize and say "I must have misunderstood you. Is that okay though? Are you okay with what you have?" - almost trying to sweep the mistake under the rug. NOT EVEN OFFERING TO GET ME WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY ORDERED. At that point, I had no choice but to eat the steak that was given to me. My sweet friend, noticing how disappointed I was in the meal, mentioned something to the waiter AGAIN about how the skirt steak was what was really wanted. the waiter, again apologizing, saying now that a new steak would take 30 minutes or so to make. -- BASICALLY YOU HAVE NO CHOICE - YOU HAVE TO EAT THE STRIP STEAK THAT WAS GIVEN TO YOU. On top of all of this, he proceeded to charge us $32 in split meal fees (because we all decided to taste a little bit of everyone else's meal), charged us for 3 bottles of flat water that was not even asked (to the point where the one girl I sat next to had to stop him from opening a 4th bottle!) AND charged us a "cake cutting fee" for cutting a cake into 8 slices! TOTALLY ABSURD. Fast forward to getting the check - he charged us for EVERY. SINGLE. THING. we ordered - not even a complimentary dessert or coffee for the mistakes that were made. WHERE WAS MANAGEMENT? no one even came over to apologize for anything. Would go back because the food was awesome, but the service is what's going to keep me from not returning. read more

The service was excellent and the food is amazing! The skirt steak was on point with lots of flavor.

I read the reviews and agree the decor was a 5 star experience, however, I cannot say the same about the food. I ordered the Bronzino. It was well prepared and presented as it was encrusted in sea salt. The waiter chipped away the salt and filleted the fish at the table. Nice touch. Problem, the fish had no taste and presented none of the flavors common to Spanish cuisine. The fish was served with a bland small portion of mash potatoes. The cooked vegetables were tasteless. My son ordered the Paella Valenclana. The rice was too moist. Again, nothing special concerning taste. The lobster was over cooked. The chicken was poorly presented with skin. Very basic flavors and nothing to justify the $39 price tag. This was a very expensive disappointing meal. . read more

My wife and I have been customers of the Tenafly Sayola for a few years, but let me tell you that Sayola Montclair is a 5-star experience. Centrally located in the heart of Montclair, Sayola stands out from all of the other restaurants in town. Beautifully stunning decor, reminds of me of the top-notch places in NYC. Customer service reminds me of the Ritz Carlton. This truly is a best-in-class experience that one rarely (if ever) finds in suburbia. Grilled octopus appetizer was fantastic - huge portion and beautifully plated. The shrimp in garlic sauce appetizer was a taste of heaven. My wife and I shared the paella and it truly rivaled that of the one we had in Madrid. Huge portion, full of flavor and packed with seafood. Now, we were impressed to watch wait staff prepare table-side a branzino dish - saving that one for next time. Also, the table next to us ordered a seafood parrillada that looked out of this world. The manager, John was so friendly when he came around to the tables to check-in that he insisted that we try one of their desserts...on the house. That truly is a sign of an excellent business that wants their customers to leave happy and impressed. Need the restroom? The wait staff will walk you to the restrooms and open the door for you to enter - not just point you in that direction. The best part is that it is BYOB. Bring your own wine and they will make it a sangria for you with fresh fruit. Lastly, for a wonderfully elegant meal for two that took us into food coma......total $100. There is NO place that my wife and I can recall where we walked out feeling this satisfied and impressed at that price point. PLEASE do yourself a favor and get over to Sayola. read more

We stumbled into this place not know where to go or what to eat. It looked so pretty from outside that walked in and too a peek at the menu. We were pleasantly surprised especially since we both adore southern Spain. However, we were surprised that it was BYOB considering the beautiful display of bottles. Oh well, my love happened to have a nice red wine in his car. The food was lovely, the staff and service made you feel warm and welcomed. The care do to the pandemic was noticeable and greatly appreciated. They played the Gypsy King songs which added to our conversations. Yes we will be back. read more

Once walking into Sayola the decor was breathtaking! We were asked a total of 3 times if we had a reservation, which we did plus restaurant was empty! Once seated we were handed two enormous menus that we can barely grasp! The head waiter had no issues intimidating the young and new wait staff! He even yelled out girl pouring our water saying she was doing it incorrectly!! Our appetizers were tasteless and entrees even more tasteless!! The only good thing was the wine we brought from home! Over priced and so not worth it! I would have been more satisfied going to Chick-Fil-A read more

If you are looking for a small getaway, this is the place to go! The staff are extremely friendly, and the service they provide is definitely worth noting. We ordered the grilled seafood platter for two, and every single bite was fresh and delicious! I do wish the platter came with rice or side dish to share, but it wasn't needed. Great ambiance! Wine delivery available at reasonable prices. I will be back to try more! read more

Sayola Restaurant - Spanish Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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We had reservations at another restaurant whose air conditioning failed on one of September's hottest days which is how our foursome arrived at Sayola for what turned out to be an extraordinary lunch date. Although I'm one to say I can't eat ambiance, the quietly elegant interior design was lovely. But it was the food that stole the show! Outstanding! Thinking in terms of traditional tapas serving sizes, we probably over-ordered a bit but didn't regret it for a moment. Stellar selections included the grilled octopus, the paella, garlicky chicken, stuffed chicken and roasted potatoes. Absolutely delicious! The service matched the servings. Sayola's staff was gracious and acommodating. We're looking forward to returning! read more

We had a private event at Sayola in Montclair. John was beyond accommodating and the staff/service was amazing. Everyone raved about how delicious the food was. Highly recommend for dining and private events. read more

Beautiful decorations, great service, big portion entrees. Everything was very good but the food was a bit salty. read more

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The restaurant is beautifully and elegantly designed and makes you feel warm and comfortable. The owners were there to chat with us and make sure we were enjoying ourselves. The staff was attentive, the food delicious and the table festively set. read more

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We came in yesterday for a lunch with friends. The ambiance was lovely. Food was mediocre and service was good... however, portions were small size and prices were like in Manhattan. A big plus is convenient parking across the street and very nice music in the background. As were having dinner suddenly a customer on a wheelchair came, and the waiter didn't even bother to tell us, opened the door right where we were sitting without any consideration that we had children with us and it's cold outside. I would much appreciate if they would use the from entrance for that. read more

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My boyfriend took me here for my birthday dinner on a Friday night at 7pm. First impression, impressed as soon as I walked in! Greeted with a smile right away. Beautiful entrance way. It's on the corner of Bloomfield Ave and Valley with the sign lit up in red. There is a parking deck off of Valley to the right of the restaurant. The decor is wonderful. High wall of wine bottles. However for now they are still BYOB. The ambiance is in true Español fashion with dinner lighting. Light music. Impeccable service. Our waiter, Carlos, who has been there only 1 month, was knowledgeable of the menu, polite, respectful and helpful. They had the clean up of the table down to a science. The appetizer "combinación" was excellent; sauce with shrimp, meat and Chorizo. Savory and tasty! I ordered the branzino special; cooked in front of us. Fresh!! My BF got the lamb chops. He was not a fan of the green mint sauce. But they easily changed it to a brown sauce, which he liked. For dessert I had the tartufo, which I ate right up! Lol sooo gooood. I highly recommend this place. I'll be going back to try other things! read more

Sayola Restaurant - Spanish Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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What a wonderful addition to MONTCLAIR. The decor is beautiful and very inviting with unique chandeliers and ambient lighting. I always order a gazpacho and am Usually disappointed; not tonight. They're tradition gazpacho is a must to try as is the pulpo and shrimp. For entrees w had lamb which was wonderful and the sole with seafood. All wonderful coupled with a warm and inviting atmosphere with gypsy kings sometimes playing in the background. read more

Sayola Restaurant - Spanish Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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Even though this is a fairly new restaurant we were extremely disappointed by the quality of food and the service. Grilled octopus was a little bit rubbery and the ceviche had no flavor. Filet was very good but paella was the most disappointing meal of the day. No flavor, rice overcooked and just really bland. Service was very weird. For the first half of the meal we couldn't stop getting our water glass filled and the second half the meal we couldn't get anyone to give us our check. Plus it was really funny watching the head of the wait staff give dirty looks to all the waiters and make the entire floor uncomfortable... read more

Food was not great! "Spoiled seafood" I ordered the garlic shrimp as an appetizer. Im usually fond of tasting different cuisines but to start off my garlic shrimp had like a weird garlic slight mesquite spoiled seafood vibe going on! I could not finish my oxtail dinner i ordered for the main course! Not thinking much of it I continued with my evening out with my family, but was ready to go home! By the time I reached the house I realized I'm sick and not feeling well from the food i ate! Unfortunately I will not be returning to this restaurant God bless to those who may have had a great experience but mine did not go well at all! read more

We dined at Sayola the night of their soft opening 6 weeks ago and were treated as if we were royalty. Not only was the service impeccable, the food was delicious with a unique twist. We have since been twice, the last being Saturday evening. True, there were problems in the kitchen. Any new business needs time to get the kinks out, and Sayola is no different. They just had a bad night. Reading the previous review, and being a business owner, I was appalled at the lack of understanding and/or loyalty by those diners. Clearly they have never owned a business with unpredictable employees or been faced with unforeseeable issues. As for the decor, it is in keeping with the "Sayola" brand and is, therefore, thematically true. "Fake" wine bottles? This affects how food tastes? I'd give them them another chance to prove they deserve their first 5 star ratings. read more

After passing Sayola all throughout its construction, my handsome boyfriend and I finally saw that it was open. We decided to make it our Friday night date night and we were not disappointed one bit. From being warmly greeted by the manager to the phenomenal service (and comedic relief) of our wonderful waiter Fabio, the stage was already being set for a great experience. Fabio took us over to their buffet bar to show us their fresh fish, meats and lobster (which was still alive - talk about fresh). Next up was what to order. The worlds toughest decision based on all the delicious/variety of food choices they have to offer. We ordered the paella for two, along with two other appetizers. The food was AMAZING! We left extremely full, happy and eager to come back to try more. I can't rave about the food and fantastic service enough. This spot IS A MUST !!! read more

Sayola Restaurant - Spanish Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

My boyfriend and I just dined here for the first time tonight and the team at Sayola nailed the overall experience! I dine out quite a bit, and I've very rarely experienced such attentive service - it was impeccable. The food was skillfully done and worth the price. It seems they are still evolving (they just opened a few weeks ago) and I'm excited to see what's to come. Apparently there will be Argentinian dancers in the future. Definitely would recommend! I can't wait to go back and try more of their menu. read more

Sayola Restaurant - Spanish Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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I came here for New Years Eve dinner with no real plans afterwards and I noticed that there was a group of people staying longer than expected after finishing their meals, so I asked one of the servers if there was an event going on. The server told us that a few folks decided to reserve a couple tables for the night, and since me and my bf didn't have anything planned, we decided to make a night of it and stay. The manager was more than accommodating of us wanting to stay, and comped us for extra appetizers and desserts which was very generous. The night ended up being a more fun and memorable experience than expected as all of the guests started to get up and dance and enjoy the live DJ setting the mood for the new years countdown. I'm glad we decided to make a night of it because the food, the service, and the people were all worth it, and I'm looking forward to coming back and seeing this Flamenco dancing night that they kept mentioning happens on the 27th! read more

Me and my family had a party of 14. They gave us excellent service. Everyone was so nice and attentive. The service is really great . The food was delicious. They have great dishes. We all ordered different meals and they where all excellent. This will be our family restaurant for years to come. The decor is beautiful and inviting. They didn't mind the small children in our group. It was a delightful evening for us all . Thank You Sayola for the wonderful time. read more

Beautiful Restaurant. We went last night with another couple. 3 appetizers. Empanadas- best I've had. Salmon cake with a corn salsa on top- excellent. A dish of sausage, very tender beef( no knife needed) and shrimp. Delicious. I had Mahi Mahi . Great. One of the nicest decorated brink your own you will see. Looking forward to going back. read more

My family and I decided to eat at this restaurant for Father's Day. Francisco the manager was absolutely wonderful. We were greeted with a smile, the service was immaculate and the food was to die for. That being said the level of customer service we received was barnone. Our server Pruanny (Forgive me if I misspelled her name) as well as another young lady who assisted us were absolutely on point with everything. I would definitely recommend for everyone to at least try this place once. Thank you for making my father's day so special Francisco and staff!!!!. read more