Reviews for da Pepo in Montclair, NJ
Location has its charm, it?s part of a bookstore. The fried cheese asparagus was delicious. The pasta however were undercooked a... bit. Meals were served a bit too hot. Read more
I Went with my family for my birthday and I?m speechless!! Food was delicious and the place is beautiful! Definitely we?re... coming back Read more
Yesterday was my first time visiting Da Pepo. I loved dining in a book store. It was a cool experience. The service was... fantastic. The food was good - I enjoyed the appetizer which was a spring roll with a fried zucchini. My entree was okay- Iordered spaghetti with shrimp (forgot the name). It wasn?t the best Italian dish I?ve had eating out, hence the the 4star, butit did the job. The dessert was awesome though - ice cream over a doughnut filled with Nutella - highly recommend. Read more
Awesome cozy vibe, great for BYOB. World class chef. Every dish was elegant and portions were plentiful!
Located next to and physically part of a bookstore, one would think it just has light snack food, but in reality an upscale... restaurant with a unique take on traditional dinner selections. Food is really good. Nice place, but on the expensive side. Great place for a dinner date, with both indoor and outdoor seating. Read more
I LOVE this place! It has so much charm with the shared space of a bookstore and petite seating area. Its cozy nature keeps... things intimate and it doesn't feel like a cafeteria where people are all talking over each other. The food is DIVINE, I wasshocked to discover this place wasn't banking solely on its library-esque appeal! The portion sizes are generous without leavingyou feeling stuffed. I tried the Arugula Pear Salad-- the arugula was perfectly lightly seasoned, the poached pears had adelectable sweetness and combination of textures that made it almost melt in your mouth but still had enough body to not feelmushy. The cheese was sweet and not overpowering, A+. Then the sausage soup was perfectly balanced, delivering a homey comfortfood feel, with 5 star flavor. The entree was slow braised pork shoulder that fell apart with juicy tenderness with freshhomemade paccheri pasta cooked to the most amazing texture, leaving that sought after mouth feel-- still chewy, not mushy,impossible not to inhale in one bite. Even though I REALLY shouldn't have, I made room for a beautifully presented slice ofberry layered cake with caramel drizzle and an espresso that brought me back home Portugal. As if this weren't enough, the staffis what really makes this place shine. Ella, Emma and Lindsey have a seamless system of rotation without the pettiness ofterritory and best real estate. Their focus is on the customers and their satisfaction. They work hard and they take servingtheir guests seriously, while still delivering your meal with warmth and a friendly smile. I felt welcome as if I was havingdinner at a friend's family's house. They bring your dishes swiftly and work together like a well oiled machine. They check onyou without making you feel rushed, and even at their busiest-- they take a moment to engage with their guests and make thatspecial connection that makes you feel like you belong there. I'm happy I was introduced to this place and I can't wait to se Read more
Excellent service and atmosphere. This little restaurant is a hidden gem tucked inside of a book store. Only seats 16 people so... definitely make a reservation. The food is the best part. Everyone was loving their dinner. Everything tasted fresh and lookedhand made. It's BYOB so bring some wine! Will be back again. Read more
Annoyed that the hostess screwed up our reservations by an hour and half! Initially, I called 4:40pm on Saturday, Nov 12 but the... phone gives a busy signal. So I called again at 5pm when they open to book reservations for 2 people for 6pm. She put me onhold, came back 30 seconds later and said 7:30pm? I asked my boyfriend if 7:30 was good. He said yes, I told the hostess yes,7:30 is good. That?s twice I said 7:30, which she should?ve corrected me. We arrived 7:20pm, I mentioned my name and the time ofour reservations and the hostess said ?Oh, that was for 6pm. We don?t book 7:30 reservations because we?.? I cut her off, toldher forget it and walked out and went to the Italian restaurant down the block and had a fabulous dinner with exceptionalservice! This was our 2nd attempt at da Pepo. Two months prior we tried to get a table but with no reservations. We stood by thedoor for 10 minutes with no acknowledgment from any of the servers. Place was packed inside and out. So we left. Pretty rude notto greet and let us know the wait time. Read more