Samba Montclair

Outstanding! The service was excellent, It is a small venue so tables are a little cramped, but the food is worth the tight quarters. The combination of ingredients used in their main courses is unique and differently delicious. Portions are fairly large so we were able to enjoy our take outs for lunch the next day. Will definitely add this to one of our Friday night rotations.

The food and service was amazing. Its byob, theres a liquor store right next door I believe. Although its a tight space, it well worthy of trying it. you wont regret it.

Stumbled upon this cute little Brazilian restaurant after searching in the area for something kind of fun and casual. The décor was very cozy and cute however the tables were Very tight and too small to sit comfortably.
The food was excellent! We ordered a bunch of different dishes to share and try and none of them disappointed.
The servers however need to have better communication. They came over quite frequently to ask if we need anything because I don’t think they were on the same page. To the point that they even brought us our check and then 2 minutes later someone else came over to bring us a check lol.
Overall a great restaurant and would definitely come back!

Good food/​service. Nice ambiance.

This restaurant is very small however when you walk in it is decorated so nicely you forget its size. The bread they give you on the table is so good and fresh. I tried the shrimp in garlic sauce and the yucca beef croquettes. For my main course I had the vegetarian platter. The food was excellent I would definitely recommend to everyone.

I live near by and visit samba with my husband at least once a month. The food is some of the best I have ever had. For appetizers the Yucca and sausage are delightful. The squash with the shrimp is one of the best appetizers I have ever had. The chicken stroganoff is delectable. For dessert the passion fruit mouse is simply wonderful. The staff and atmosphere are truly welcoming bringing this combined experience to an A plus.

I had looked at the restaurant on Unilocal before coming and everything looked amazing. I was excited to try the special dish that comes in the squash but unfortunately they didn’t have specials that night. My boyfriend and I typically like to try 2 – 3 appetizers and split one entrée in order to try a variety, however they charge you a fee for splitting entrees which I thought was bizarre. Overall the food we ordered was really good but the fee isn’t worth going back when there’s so many delicious places near by that don’t have that.

Samba has been on my to-​do list for quite some time now. I finally got around to checking it out tonight and found myself wishing I’d come here much sooner.
First off, if the food doesn’t win you over, the décor will. The place is quaint, charming, and very inviting. It definitely has a cozy feel that is worthy of an intimate date night. BYOB is also a plus, and there’s a liquor store conveniently located right around the corner on Bloomfield ave.
The fried yucca/​butternut squash/​dried beef appetizer was wonderful. It exceeded my expectations of a typical fried yucca appetizer, and the green dipping sauce was also tasty; definitely recommend. For my main course I had the mahi mahi and shrimp in a coconut broth with tomatoes which came with beans and rice. It was delicious and if I hadn’t filled up on bread beforehand I probably would have licked my plate clean. Dessert was Brazilian chocolate cake with coconut ice cream. It was a no-​go, because the cake was dry and rubbery and tasted microwaved. The ice cream was good but I wouldn’t recommend getting the cake.
I would return to try some of their other appealing menu items. The service was also wonderfully attentive so that is always a plus.

Excellent.
1) The service was excellent.
2) Food is great. Got the feijoada, it is excellent. They serve it on Fridays and Saturdays.
3) Ambiance is excellent.

My girlfriend and I tried Samba as part of Restaurant Week in Montclair. They were offering a special $ 28 pre fixe per person for an app, entrée, and dessert. Samba pays close attention to the details from the atmosphere to the food. They have a collection of pans hanging on the wall. There were little leaves painted subtly on the wall too. I especially enjoyed the wooden cutting boards that the menus are presented on. The service was spot on.
App: We ordered one of the salads with mango but they brought another salad accidentally. I had eaten half of it before I realized so I didn’t make a fuss! It was still good! We also got the Salgadinhos Soritdos which were fried pastries filled with meat. They were delicious!
Entrees: After asking for a recommendation I ordered the Bobo de Camarao which was shrimp in a yucca purée. It was served in a deep skillet which had a banana leaf acting as the bottom of the bowl. The shrimp was in a cilantro and coconut milk broth. The coconut milk made it smooth and creamy where the cilantro added a little texture and leafy zest. My girlfriend ordered the Salmao ao molho de maracuja, which was salmon with passion fruit glaze. The passion fruit gave a citrusy tang that paired nicely with the fish.
Dessert: For dessert I went with the passion fruit mousse. It was a little bit too tart and citrusy to eat a lot of. I would have been fine with a smaller portion or a cookie to eat with it. I ordered it since it was different than a typical dessert that you could get anywhere. My girlfriend got the chocolate carrot cake which was more of a carrot muffin with chocolate sauce drizzled.
Overall, I would recommend Samba to anyone who wants to be adventurous and try different types of food.

I really wish there was a 3 ½ star option because Samba was more than good and just short of exceptional. The interior is warm and intimate and the service, while not overly engaging, was attentive.
We took our time with the Mandioca frita appetizer, admittedly, and I very much appreciate the spacing by our server, but our main courses were luke warm once the app was cleared. I worked in restaurants for many years so I know how difficult it is to coordinate with the kitchen, but there were only three tables at the time.
The Brazilian sausage was wonderful and their strip steak was very good, but overall it’s such an impressive space and warrants another visit. I recommend visiting Samba and I hope to try more of the menu soon.

The staff at Samba are very polite and inviting. Floor space was limited, and tables were a bit cramped, but the atmosphere didn’t seem to be hindered by it. Service, on the other hand, was excellent. We were waited on by multiple servers through the course of the night, but we didn’t fee overly bothered or unattended.
My wife ordered the steak which ended up being rather chewy, while my Brazilian clam/​mussel/​scallop/​shrimp seafood concoction was tasty, but left a little to be desired at $ 36.
Prices were fair, and we rather appreciated B.Y.O.B. Cool atmosphere, great staff, decent food, fair prices… I like it, overall. 3 stars.

I ordered an appetizer which was pastries consisting of 1 beef 1 chicken and 1 cheese. It was a little salty in my opinion and they all tasted the same. Aside from that I also ordered the salmon. The presentation was marvelous and it was in a delicious raspberry vinaigrette reduction. I would definitely get that again. Also it was cooked to perfection and the staff here was super attentative! would recommend this place. I will be returning shortly for more!

Came here for my sisters birthday. My family is very picky when it comes to trying new restaurants, and this place passed the test for my picky Portuguese parents. BYOB is always a plus. We brought our own sangria. They honored our reservations right on time. The place is intimate with cute décor. They had some outdoor seating too.
For apps we had the cheesy breadlike balls they put on the table. Very good!
We also got the acorn squashed that was filled with shrimp and cheese and heaven. That was the best part of the entire night. Definitely try that! You wont be disappointed.
For dinner, I got the salmon which was good with a sweet sauce that was quite interesting. Everyone at the table enjoyed their meals.
The menu is quite small but they work with fresh ingredients which is a plus!

Came here to celebrate my best friend Kim’s birthday Friday night at this small little restaurant equip with really cool décor and dim lighting. This was my first time trying out Brazilian food and left extremely pleased and stuffed with a full on watermelon stomach.
We sat at a long table down the middle of the restaurant and started to pop open our bottles of wine, beer etc. and get the liquor flowing as we looked over the menu. This restaurant is BYOB and I believe there is a liquor store rite next door if I’m not mistaken. The wait staff here is very attentive and answered all my questions about the different menu items with no hesitation also lending a hand when it came to picking between different entrees. Thanks for the help!
We started with fresh bread being brought out to the table along with these amazing little cheese breads that I could much on all day long. We decided to order a bunch of appetizers for the table so we got salgadinhos sortidos which comes with cheese, chicken and beef and is kind of like an empanada with a twist, the cheese one was my personal favorite. Up next we got the camarão ao alho e oleo which are garlic shrimp and are very very good. The cod fish croquettes were really good here and I’m a big fan of them in general so I was happy to find another place to get my fix with these. mandioca frita com linguica calabresa e cebola aka sausage bits with fried yucca and onions were off the hook and everyone kept coming back for more. The frango a passarinho tasted like a chicken version of chicharones and I was not mad at that at all, they were delicious and crisp.
For dinner I ended up ordering the Bife ac cavala, a steak served with two fried eggs, two pieces of breaded fried banana, collard greens and rice and beans. I wasn’t crazy about my meal but it was good overall. My absolute favorite thing I ate that night was my dessert. My friend Kristina and I decided on splitting the flourless yuca and coconut cake with dulce de leche & passion fruit sauce. I would travel to Montclair just for the dulce de leche alone!
All in all a great BYOB restaurant to have dinner I can’t wait to come back and try some other entrees with friends!

I came here on Mother’s Day for dinner with my boyfriend. We ate outside. The service was very nice. They had a special menu.
I loved the doughy tiny rolls that came out. So doughy and delicious. The Arugula salad with Mango was definitely NOT worth the $ 13 price tag. It was alright, a little boring. My boyfriend ordered the steak entrée. Really not good… it was not done rare as asked and it was so boring tasting. Normally $ 30 for a steak would be okay in my book, but damn it’s annoying when you have to pay that for a mediocre one.
I ordered the Branzino. I loved the sauteed brussels sprouts underneath and the pink creamy sauce. The fish was cooked well and had a fresh flavor. The fish came with a side of rice and beans — very boring flavor to them…
Overall I wasn’t too impressed, but would like to come here again and try something different.

Came here with a group of 6 on a Saturday night. I highly recommend a reservation especially with a large group as this is a tiny restaurant and the largest table only fits 6.
Servers were friendly and attentive. Everyone at our table ended up getting either the 12. Bobo de camarao or the 18. Bife acebolado. I had the Bobo de canarao, portion was on the small size but flavor was good. However I left satisfied thanks to the rice and beans that are served family style. The Bife acebolado on the hand was a huge portion which people had trouble finishing. I snuck a few fries from my fiances plate and was dissipated as they were still cold in the middle.
All in all the place has a great atmosphere and fun/​interesting food section. Its BYOB which is a plus.
FYI they have a maximum of 2 credit cards per table.

A very cute establishment with delicious food and very attentive/​friendly staff!
Also, it’s BYOB!
First off, probably my favorite part of the dinner was the complimentary bread! It came with the usual regular bread and this really good cheesy bread. It was so tasty!
Now on to the food, it was pretty good. The waiter recommended the acorn squash with shrimp appetizer and it was delicious! So glad we ordered it. For the entrée, my boyfriend and I had the steak #17 — Picanha ao alho e oleo (Brazilian prime cut steak served with white rise, mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables). You also get the rice and black beans for the table. I rarely order steak but since I was dining at a Brazilian restaurant I just had to! That being said, I really enjoyed it! I love that Montclair offers a variety of restaurants. I feel like I’m eating around the world haha. Samba Montclair definitely offers a delicious Brazilian dinner experience in Montclair!
Also, although the place is really small, the décor is lovely! It provides the perfect intimate setting. I’d say it’s a perfect place for a dinner date with your significant other.
Tip:
Make a reservation! When I was there a few people were denied entry because they didn’t have a reservation.

Cute, rustic restaurant. The wait staff was phenomenal, but the food was another story.
I had the thin grilled steak with onions medium/​rare and it came rare with hardly any sear on the outside. The rice and beans were cold, but the french fries were good.
My daughter’s salmon was not to her liking. Her vegetables were hard and the salmon was sauced with the skin on, so the skin was soggy and fishy.
The winner of the meal was the dessert. The flan was outstanding. Very smooth and velvety.

3.5 stars
Samba offers very enjoyable food but falls short of an exceptional overall experience. The small, cozy eatery is ill-​equipped to handle groups. Our party of five was initially refused seating when the restaurant was half empty, a head-​scratcher if there ever was one. Pushing two tables together solved this problem though it made for somewhat snug accommodations.
Following that misstep, servers proved to be polite and knowledgeable. Food arrived from the kitchen relatively promptly, a relief given our appetites. Our group had a chance to try everything from steak to seafood to chicken, and nary a dish struck out. A garlic shrimp appetizer was bursting with flavor and an order of mussels came liberally bathed in tasty tomato. My entrée of choice included a steak topped with a fried egg paired with collards and a fried banana. The steak was cooked well, the collards thankfully lacked bitterness, and the banana provided a sweet, crunchy bite. Portions were quite generous and were made larger by rice and beans for the table, which, admittedly, could have used more flavor.
Given both the quality and the quantity of the food, Samba’s prices are not altogether unreasonable. But with entrees starting in the high teens, be prepared to spend.
With handsome dark wood that recalls an old tavern, Samba offers an inviting ambiance for couples seeking a special meal. For larger groups, however, the limited space seriously undermines the appeal. The food is satisfying in either scenario, but the tradeoff inherent in the latter keeps this from being an automatic «Sim!»

Muito bom! Comida brasileira autentica, serviço de primeira! Adorei!