Laboratorio Kitchen

I went back again this week. Food was excellent! I got pecan pie dessert this time around and it was divine! Service and staff is great as always.

We ate dinner with friends at Laboratorio Saturday night and it was wonderful. The service was excellent and unobtrusive; the décor, lovely and calming. The noise level was low, probably because we weren’t packed in there like sardines. Most important, dinner was delicious. My scallops with red pepper sauce were cooked to perfection and my husband’s said his steak au poivre was among the best he’s had. Our friends were happy with their choices too – a local mushroom risotto and an organic chicken dish. The owner/​chef was more than hospitable, spending quite a bit of time chatting with us on our way out about his experiences as a restaurateur in Montclair. Just a lovely experience. Look forward to returning.

My girlfriend and I were turned away tonight because the chef was unable to accommodate a garlic allergy. According to the host, the chef was in a bad mood and so was unapproachable. Mind you they claim to use «fresh» ingredients. They even had salads, which were apparently also unavailable. You have got to be kidding me. Any decent restaurant should be able to offer something. Glad we didn’t wind up wasting our time or money.

Amazingly, I felt love in the food. It’s flavor explosion!!! I couldn’t believe the quality of food that I could get outside of Manhattan. It’s almost like a Michelin rated restaurant in Montclair.

Had a terrific meal here. The buratta appetizer was fresh and fantastic. I had the sea bass on a cauliflower purée. It was perfectly cooked and beautiful to look at. This is definitely the best food I’ve had in Montclair.

This place did not disappoint, and has earned each of these 5 stars. The tasting plates we loved were the Creole Shrimp — delicate, layered and nuanced, and the mussels — a generous portion in a rich and delicious garlic cream broth. Just divine. For entrees, we had the Steak au Poivre and the Chilean Sea Bass. Both were perfectly executed and absolutely delicous. Finished with the Pecan pie, which was small (perfectly portioned IMO) — just the perfect amount of sweet, salty, nutty and creamy.
If I were to raise a downside — it’s that I am not a fan of cool /​white lighting. While it does add a modern touch, I think warmer lights would create a more initmate ambience for dinner. Also, there were just a few tables occupied on a Tuesday night, and while service was prompt and very friendly, it could be more attentive. As a suggestion, I think this place could be fantastic if they trained staff more carefully (Filling an empty wine glass, not interrupting conversation to clear away a dish etc.) Overall, a great place, and we hope to return with friends.

We went for date night and really enjoyed ourselves. The menu was fresh, there was good service and it felt like a romantic local spot. We went to the liquor store on the corner since its byob, and we were given a discount because we were eating there which was a nice bonus. We will definitely be going back.

We were a party of four out to enjoy dinner and friendship.
We tried Laboratorio Kitchen for the first time this restaurant is a great new addition to Montclair. The ambiance is chic and yet understated. The wait staff is courteous and knowledgeable.
Our table had: Mussels in butter broth, House made Burrata Cheese Salad, Day Boat Scallops on butternut squash purée, Chilean Sea Bass on cauliflower purée, Steak Au Poivre– prime NY strip, peppercorn cognac cream. Each dish was well prepared and presented. The chef uses the purees to enhance the flavor of the entre without overpowering it.
Dessert, so we all had lava cake with whip cream on top. Sweet Dreams!
This chef is young and creative and so I am looking forward to our next dinner at Laboratorio kitchen.
BYOB

We held a party for 24 here today, and had booked it before ever dining here. After reading reviews, and walking in to look at the menu and speak with the chef about a month ago, we didn’t need convincing. The chef is young, and is quite the up and comer. He was gracious when we met with him, and the party that we had was done to perfection. We had (3) family style appetizers — spicy chorizo, shrimp and a fig crostini. Salad service (organic greens) and we kept the main course options minimal for this crew — Dry rubbed Filet Mignon, organic chicken and Dover sole. Each dish was prepared with such attention and this was not treated as a typical party as i have seen at many other restaurants where they all come out at once and often times not done with care. There was nothing that we could complain about, and we plan on making the effort to come back often to Montclair specifically for this restaurant.
The chef has created a wonderful tasting menu so that you have an opportunity to come in and not have to spend money on a dinner, but still be able to get a taste of this little gem, and even better yet, this is a BYOB.
If you have a chance to get in here, i would suggest you do it sooner than later because i don’t expect that within the next year, you will be able to get in unannounced. Prepare to be on a waiting list, or plan on booking in advance. This place is a hot spot. So glad we found it.

This was my first time dining here and it was great. The food was so delicious and cooked perfectly. The service was excellent (we had reservations at 9:30pm so we were the only customers in the restaurant) regardless, the service was great. The ambience is trendy and chic. I will definitely return to try more of their dishes!

Went here for my birthday celebration last night based on all the reviews. I have to write my own review. Dinner was delicious! I ordered the scallops that melted in my mouth and came with a yummy squash purée. My hubby ordered the Chilean sea bass that I think he swallowed whole! And my son had the organic chicken what was also delicious. The food isn’t in large portions so if you’re hungry like we were, definiely order some apps & a sald to start with. They are decent portions, but don’t think you’ll be taking any leftover food home. I topped my birthday celebration with the tres leches dessert that was also yummy (this was a big portion!).
Service was great, even when my son spilled a glass of water. The waiter was totally chilled about it. The place is small, but comfortable enough where even if you’re sitting next to someone you still feel like you have your space. I have lived in the area for years and never really think of going to all the great restaurants near me. This one is truly worth the trip. It’s BYOB as noted in all the reviews.
I’m giving this place 5 stars, because everything about the night was perfect.

This place is amazing.
Went there for the second time last night. First, they have some of the best bread. The garlic dressing on the heart of romaine salad was delicious. We ordered the shrimp and the mussels for appetizers. Let me tell you — I’m not a seafood guy at all, but these dishes were fantastic, and the sauces are to die for (make sure you dip the bread in the sauces). For entrees, we got the strip steak and the filet mignon, both of which were incredible. The filet just melts in your mouth. Finally for dessert, we got the pecan pie. The butter cream topping actually tastes like ice cream — so good.
Overall, highly highly recommended. Definitely won’t be my last time here.
And FYI, Chef James used to work under Emeril Lagasse.

Who knew that small plates could pack a punch of so much flavour?
We visited on a Wednesday night, to many occupied tables, so I advise making a reservation. They are listed on open table, if you have an account.
We were greeted and seated by the wonderful maître d’. Giggles, smooth conversation, mood lighting and classy lounge music just coursed through the restaurant. This allowed for cross table conversations between patrons, we even conversed with a couple on their dessert choices:)
Tuesday to Thursday is small plates night, 1 for $ 8 or 3 for $ 20, so guess what we did? We got 6 small plates.
It’s changes with the seasons, so if you like what I’ve listed below, I suggest you run there right now.
1. Burrata cheese — if you have just one thing when you visit, please treat yourself to this. The cheese sat like a jewel on a bed of baby tomato bruschetta, which was seasoned to perfection.
2. Lemon thyme chicken on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes.
3. Chorizo– sautéed with capers. Delicious!
4. Puréed cauliflower with a crispy smoky bacon.
5. Creole shrimp– tender shrimp in a delicately spiced tomato gravy, I recommend using their house made bread to sop up all that delicious gravy.
6. Arugula salad with a piece of grilled watermelon.
I told you that we had six plates! We honestly packed the chicken and the shrimp after sampling a piece or two. The plate sizes were perfect, and well worth it.
The cherry on top was dessert, we had the tres leche. Airy sponge cake just loaded with milky sweet flavour, the serving was outlined with a salty caramel sauce.
Laboritorio kitchen gave us the quintessential dining experience: ambience, music, food and friendly attentive staff.
I am just aching to go back and try more items from the menu. Soon… maybe this week :)

A huge fan of this restaurant and was thrilled to find out they do private parties. So we had my mother’s 70^th surprise birthday party here and my family couldn’t have been happier with Chef James, Max and the rest of the staff. They were so accommodating and the food selection couldn’t have been any better. Chef James suggested family style for our 30 guests and it was perfect. It was a taste of everything and the food was cooked to perfection. Some of our favorites were the filet which melted in our mouths and the shrimp arrabiata. We thank you all so much for helping us make this a very special day for mom.
Looking forward to coming back real soon with some of the guests from the party. It seems you have won over some more people with your fabulous cuisine.

Had dinner over the weekend and it was a great experience. We started with an entrée special that we ordered as an appetizer to split — homemade gnocchi in a phenomenal meat sauce. We also had the fig & gorgonzola crostini which one person thought had a bit too much glaze drizzled on, the other two of us thought that they were excellent.
For entrees, one person had lamb chops which were deemed delicious and subsequently devoured. The other two of us had the salmon with watermelon. The very first bite of the salmon with the charred watermelon we both agreed was a unique combination different than anything we had had before. Frankly, a little weird but in a good way. From the second bite on, it was amazing. I would order this 27 more times. It was wonderful!
For dessert we had a chocolate lave cake and a sea salt/​burnt caramel pecan tart like thing. The lave cake was excellent, but a lot of places serve a chocolate lava cake. The chef is so creative and talented, I hope he expands his chocolate dessert offerings. Nonetheless, it was well-​prepared and I would quite happily have it again. The sea salt caramel pecan thing was beyond words incredible. We had agreed to share desserts and i really wish I had ordered my very own one of these.
Service was relaxed but a little slow at times, though no complaints. I am very impressed with the way the chef demonstrates that he seems to really care about the satisfaction of his customers. This was my second time there and I will definitely go back.

We liked our visit, but had to wait 20 minutes to be greeted by a waiter. Thankfully, we brought in a bottle of wine that was already open, and we were immediately greeted by a basket of bread by the busers. We were well on our way to buzztown before the waiter came for the first time. Could be because there were two large (+10 people) parties there the night we made our reservation.
The food is very reminiscient of Houston’s in Bergen County, and in a good way. The chef’s bio states he worked at Highlawn Pavilion before and it shows in the taste and quality of the food.
The ambiance is hip but noisy. Not a place to have a quiet and private dinner. Reservations definitely recommended for the weekends — and make sure you plan enough time to scout out a parking spot!
It is a very nice restaurant with entrees in a price range that is more affordable than return trips to Highlawn.

We came here for a pre-​Passover meal. At first, we were nervous because we had the entire restaurant to ourselves for a 7:00 pm reservation (and wondered why a reservation was needed at all). It gradually became busier after 7:30 and we saw why.
Both appetizers were delicious. I had a black garlic shrimp special that was yummy; he had a buffalo mozzarella that was good. The entrees were delicious as well. I had scallops that were nicely seared; he had the filet which was tender and served with really good potatoes.
The waiter was charming and communicated my various food allergies to the kitchen. Like most places we have visited in Montclair, it is BYOB and there is minimal parking but the ambience is nice. We will probably return.

What a pleasant surprise! We came in for our 7pm reservation on a Friday and were immediately a bit worried as the restaurant was empty. We thought being the only guests was a sign that the restaurant was not good. We couldn’t have been more wrong!
We started with the burrata special appetizer, which was delicious but a very small portion. I also felt the truffle was a bit overwhelming, and this is coming from someone who loves truffle. The lamb chops were cooked to perfection, juicy and flavorful with a nice side of mashed potatoes and green beans. The ribeye was huge but also cooked perfectly, with a well seasoned, crispy crust. Not sure how they executed this as it was not burnt at all. Culinary skill at its finest. Even the fries with were seasoned well and perfectly crispy. We ended with the pecan pie, which was amazing. Not too sweet, and served warm.
I also want to mention the salt dusted butter they brought out with our bread basket. Nice touch!
To clarify, the place filled up as we dined, and we’ve previously been unable to score reservations as they were all booked up! This place is worth the chase! We’ll be back!

Loud!
Young staff… lack sophistication. Simple things go a long ways.
Wasn’t blown away although presentation was good
Going to be a test if they can maintain in the Montclair market

We came here with another couple after their reservations with family fell through and they asked us to join them. This turned out to be a fortuitous circumstance otherwise we never would have discovered this fine restaurant which I must have driven past 50 times in the past 6 months.
The décor and ambiance are very warm and welcoming. The furniture is well appointed and the lighting is subdued without being too dim. The walls are a bit minimalist with the occasional Marilyn Monroe painting hung on the walls.
Since it was BYOB the waiter immediately greeted us with menus and opened our wine and beer. The stemware is all high end and he was considerate enough to switch the guy’s wine glasses for beer glasses (and even changed them when we switched beers-​nice move). He then brought out some freshly warmed bread and a hunk of sea-​salted butter which was very delicious.
The menu is small but filled with many solid options. There were a couple of appetizer and entrée specials and both sounded amazing to me. As an appetizer I opted for the torchon of foie gras with crisped morrels, micro greens and a reduction. The terrine was outstanding and very rich, the unctuousness however was cut with the sweetness and acidity of the reduction and it was a very harmonious first course.
The wife had the chorizo appetizer which I stole a few bites of and which was served in a mildly spicy tomato and white wine sauce that tasted amazing. It was good fodder for the warm bread to soak up the remaining sauce.
For my entrée I went with the half roasted duck, pommes frites and haricot verts. The duck was perfectly cooked and served over an herb jous. The skin was crispy and the duck tender and moist on the inside. The pommes were tender and well seasoned and the vegetables, which often get over looked, were crispy and a fresh green color which showed they were done with exactitude.
For dessert the table split a chocolate lava cake and a slice of apple pie. Both were quite delicious with the lava cake being baked to my liking; toothsome but with a still liquid center.
As a former chef I think the highest compliment I can pay is to say a meal was cooked with flawless execution and technique, this would be one of them.
I am sure we will be back to sample more of the wonderful cuisine.