Our Favorite French Food in Montclair, NJ

Montclair, New Jersey is something of a French hub—not only does L’Alliance New York’s Montclair Campus reside at its center, but the vibrant town (which is just an hour from New York City) also boasts a robust community of French expats and speakers. We introduced you to the area in our feature about L’Alliance’s new Montclair preschool, but we wanted to go a step further and curate a two-part French-centric eating and shopping guide to the culturally-rich town. First up: all the best spots to enjoy a meal en français, whether you’re craving takeout or looking to sit down and savor. Here are our picks for the best French food in Montclair, NJ.

Grab-and-Go Food

• Le French Dad
  • This boulangerie wins for most straightforward (and charming!) name—and it’s run by a native of France. The teeny family-owned shop churns out artisanal French favorites, including baguettes, croissants, and macarons that are the talk of the town.
• Jayce Baudry
  • If a traditional patisserie is what you seek, look no further—with a pastry chef who hails from Bordeaux and has worked with greats including Chef Daniel Boulud, you won’t find better sweets on this side of Paris. Tartes, petits fours, financiers, madeleines, meringues—you name it, this place has whatever your Francophile heart desires. 
• Paper Plane Coffee Co.
  • You’ll need a strong espresso drink to go with all those baked goods, and this coffee shop doesn’t just deliver in the specialty latte department (a shot of guava nectar, anyone?)—it’s also incredibly cool, with half the space designed like the inside of a plane. On any given day, you may just walk in to find a three-piece band playing in the corner. 

• Van Hook Cheese & Grocery
  • No French-inspired meal is complete without a well-appointed cheese plate for dessert, and this family-operated shop stocks incredible artisan-made fromages, along with all the fixings you’ll need to take your spread to the next level. Choose from a variety of almost 100 cheeses, including French brie, goat cheese, comte, roquefort, and more.

• La Fontaine Café
  • This well-appointed spot offers take-and-eat breakfast bites and lunch sandwiches, sweet and savory crêpes, and specialty coffee drinks. The Turkish-French menu includes items like Turkish round bread with eggs and four kinds of cheese, a Turkish sesame bagel with cannoli cream and Nutella, spinach and white cheese crêpes, and croissants. 

Restaurants

• Faubourg Montclair Restaurant and Bar
  • One of the newest French destinations in Montclair, this brasserie is great for special group gatherings. The sleek, multi-level space—complete with an upstairs cocktail lounge and greenery-flanked outdoor patio—has a decidedly upscale vibe, as do the modern French dishes. Think: tarte flambée, chickpea panisse, roasted chicken with ratatouille, and daily oyster specials.
• Bonjour Montclair
  • This no-frills family-owned crêperie has been serving up French food in Montclair since 2001, and their menu extends beyond a huge selection of sweet and savory options to include quiches, sandwiches, and salads. House favorites include the banana nutella crêpe, the steak sandwich, and the goat cheese and tomato crêpe.
• Le Salbuen
  • This French/Portuguese/Indian/Mediterranean restaurant has made multiple best-of lists, and the farm-to-table fusion menu includes ample vegetarian and vegan options. Dishes are beautifully-plated, but the vibe is unfussy—the locale’s unique lunch and dinner options include pulled duck tacos, a merguez lamb sausage sandwich, croissants with goat cheese, fig paste, and bacon, a pork bacon burger on a brioche bun, and braised short rib over frites.

• Uncle Momo
  • Swing by this chic spot for a melting pot of French-Lebanese flavors—you’ll immediately feel transported when you step inside the space, modeled after a traditional Parisian bistro. Try their lamb “pitza,” spinach pie, borak (a flaky dough with mixed cheese), baked pistachio-crusted salmon, or makenek, a Lebanese sausage sautéed with pomegranate molasses–served with frites, of course! 

Once you sample the eclectic array of French food in Montclair, it’s inevitable that you’ll fall in love with the town, so stay up to date on our various language class offerings and events at the Montclair campus so you have every excuse to return! Plus, when you become a member of L’Alliance New York, you’ll get special benefits and prices at both our Manhattan and Montclair campuses.