Get ready to love Cafe Moso – a new bistro in Montclair’s South End serving up elevated comfort food and incredible BBQ classics in a warm, welcoming setting with attentive service.
Cafe Moso (for Montclair South), located in the historic South End of Montclair on Orange Road, has created a casual, fine dining experience with an enticing and eclectic menu that’s got something for everyone.
Montclair native Michael Floyd and his wife Zina opened Cafe Moso, and partnered with executive chef David Ilmojahid, a Memphis-trained pit master.
Favorite appetizers on the night we visited: a perfectly grilled Spanish octopus ($16) with Israeli couscous, roasted pepper and niçoise olive emulsion; and a lightly battered and well-seasoned calamari ($13), paired with banana peppers, Manzanilla olives, chipotle aioli and tomato coulis.
It’s hard not to be tempted by the menu’s From the Pit section, so we tried both the brisket ($19) and the pulled pork ($17) and were rewarded with a heaping portion of expertly slow hickory and applewood smoked bbq, served with collard greens, baked beans, a tangy bbq sauce and excellent cornbread.
On the lighter side, a blacked king salmon ($22), served with pico de gallo and mango rice, and an avocado relish was a standout, with just the right amount of spice and heat. And if the special is catfish, be sure to order it — ours was crispy and delicious.
Desserts – a creme brulee and a blueberry cheesecake — were both lovely endings, but we are craving (and hoping for) something sweet and Southern-inspired next for dessert.
What we want to try next: the crabcake appetizer, the Goffle Farms crispy buttermilk chicken from the lunch menu and Sunday brunch.
Cafe Moso, 307 Orange Road, Montclair, (973) 860-7400. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday , Friday & Saturday 11am – 9:30pm. Sunday Brunch: 9am – 4:30.