Four of us had brunch and got a queso fundido to share. It came with 3 tortillas and were 4 people, so I order extra tortillas. They charged us 6 dollars for 3 oily tortillas. I think 6 dollars was excessive. The brunch chilaquiles were good.
Hayley Baldwin Bryant
Came here for my birthday dinner with my husband. We’re Montclair locals so we were excited to finally try this out. We heard they had a rocky start hence the wait to try. I have to say, the food was fantastic but a few things stuck out that would make me hesitate in coming back. For reference, our reservation was for 7 PM and we ordered pretty promptly— appetizers and entrées. Our appetizers came about 15 minutes later which was great, we were starving, but the entrées came maybe five minutes after our appetizers were served. Our table was then very full and we felt super rushed and also were not hungry for the entrées yet. For dessert, as it was my birthday, they brought out a sparkler with a tres leches cake. The sparkler went out as our server was putting it down. We laughed, and my husband asked for another as the whole point of a sparkler is to get a picture with it. (Don’t you want us to post on Instagram? Free marketing!) This server thought we were kidding and didn’t bring another and no birthday pic, how sad! I have to say the lighting was also extremely bright for night time and could use some dimming for much better ambience.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 3
Emily Johnston
Oso Felipe is an unassuming looking building, but is so nice inside. We went on a chilly night and it was cozy and welcoming. We sat at the bar, had a drink and some delicious, fresh guacamole and perfectly salted chips. The bartenders were friendly, service was great and the menu was very appealing. We had salmon with mole and pork chops served with a pickled cherry sauce for dinner. All was fresh and delicious! We will definitely go back to try more of the menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
John “John Bates” Bates
Food was great! You can tell they really take pride in what they serve. We have the steak, nachos, beef fajitas, beef tacos, and dessert. All of it was super yummy!! I would say the flavor was on point meeting. It was flavorful, but not too spicy or too, sweet etc..
Our server was exceptionally personable, ready to provide recommendations, but only after she asked what we liked! Her recommendations across-the-board were perfect!! we will definitely be there again
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jim. Schleifer
Great restaurant which provided a fantastic experience for friends getting together.
First plenty of parking right behind the restaurant! This was a nice surprise.
The cocktails are authentic and well mixed. Strongly recommend all the drinks in the menu. Yes we tried them.
The food and service are excellent and all of the courses came out appropriately timed. The quality was delicious and portions filling. Our waiter was outstanding throughout our dining experience
Finally the ambience is amazing very premium with a Mexican vibe
Looking forward to our next meal
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brian B
The drinks and service were top notch. Cocktails were perfectly crafted, and the bartender was incredible. The interior design is perfection. beautiful and a wonderful showcase of Mexican culture.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Les Matheson
Everything was excellent. Could use some greenery in the patio for atmosphere. We're returning again this weekend!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dave L
2 out of 3 of us were sick after our meal here. We all ate pretty much the same food except for the black beans. The two of us that had the black beans were sick with diarrhea the next morning. There seem to be some other reviews with similar concerns about food safety.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Amalia McEvoy
Really loved the food! Service was speedy and excellent on a Saturday morning for brunch. I hope to come back again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Max S
Pretty disappointed with our experience here.
We started with two margaritas which were not good. They tasted sort of pre-mixed and were visually unappealing, a sort of muddy orange color. My wife ordered a Paloma next which was flavorless.
For a snack we had the chips and queso. The chips were lacking salt and the queso lacked flavor entirely. Also, the fabric chip baskets were a bit gross because the waxed paper the chips are served on are too small to cover the fabric baskets completely.
It was meh. We went for my birthday, and it didn’t live up to the hype.
Ambiance: Restaurant is beautifully designed in terms of aesthetics, but it is VERY loud in there because of all of the hard surfaces. So if you’re looking to have a conversation or a date night to talk, it is not the place. Acoustics were not considered in their design. I’ve been to a NYC restaurant on a Saturday night and have been unbothered by noise. It’s annoyingly loud because there is an acoustic issue of everyone’s voices bouncing off hard surfaces creating a cacophony.
Service: it was shakey when we sat down, no one came to our table for a bit, and there are no water glasses. Our appetizer came before our drinks. Some small issues there but nothing catastrophic. The server and staff in the front of the house were all very nice and attentive after the hiccup.
We love Mexican food, we eat A LOT of Mexican food. I want businesses to succeed, but I felt I needed to write this in the spirit of constructive criticism because it’s such a nice spot, but the food falls flat, at least what we had did.
Stacked Nachos: I appreciate a new take on things but they were smothered, soggy, and they were not nachos, they were 5 stacked tostadas that were impersonating nachos. Maybe more like a tostado lasagna? You have to eat them with a fork and knife because you can’t pick them up. They were more a Tex-mex flavor. Very spicy, kind of overwhelmingly so and unbalanced, which killed all the other components. Heat level here should have been specified on the menu. I expected heat (which I like) but not heart burn level heat. It was not topped with enough of the things that cool down nachos that make it that delicious treat we all crave and love.
Oaxaca rib eye steak is absolutely not a $63 dish. There is nothing ground breaking about it. Skip it.
Chicken fajitas: Chicken was flavorful and tender, the portion was smaller than your average fajitas. I wouldn’t be complaining about the portion if it delivered elsewhere. Where they went wrong: the peppers and onions were cut in a way that makes it hard to eat and they were essentially steamed, the veggies were tough and not caramelized at all. Some were raw, some were over cooked. Legitimately I could count the number of peppers on my plate, there were like 5 sad slivers of peppers. I had multiple pieces of the skin of the onion paper, which was half of the onion on my plate. I don’t want to work to cut my own food… it’s a fajita. I got flour tortillas (I should have tried the corn instead but that wouldn’t have saved the dish), they were greasy and tough. Maybe the worst tortilla I’ve ever had. Sorry to be harsh, but it’s in the spirit of being constructive.
Drinks were fine. They felt a little thin.
I wanted to love it but it was a miss. Not the best birthday meal, and honestly a bit let down. Womp womp. It just felt like mediocre food in a nicely designed restaurant. I’d rather good food over all else. We didn’t complain or send anything back, we had our meal, paid and left. There was nothing to make right here, it was just a mediocre meal with a high ticket price. We had 2 drinks, 1 app, and 2 entrees for $160 + tip.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Carmen Warren
Updated Review- July 2025 This is an update to my review from May. You can read the original text below, followed by the owner's response. I appreciated the accountability taken in the response. What you don't see is that there was also a phone before that response was posted. At the time, I didn't want to engage as I was trying to enjoy the rest of the day. However, about three days later, Alex, the manager, reached out once again to apologize and ask that we please come and allow them to make it up to us. This level of outreach impressed me. They could have let it rest, but instead followed up in a way that demonstrated genuine care. We went in June and had a wonderful evening. Highlights below.
The food was incredibly fresh and flavorful. We started with appetizers for the table, guac, queso fundido and the spicy seafood coctel. All were delicious, but the standout was the seafood coctel—an incredible balance of light, crisp flavors and just the right level of heat. The round of margaritas was the perfect pairing, and the tamarindo flavor was my favorite. The other standout is the chips; they were addictive. For the entrée, I had the heritage pork, which was outstanding. We got esquites for the table, and they did not disappoint. My family got the tacos, enchiladas, and quesadillas, and they loved them. Finally, we couldn't leave without trying the tasty churros. The vibe and service were great, and I highly recommend it.
Original Review: This place ruined our Mother’s Day. I made a reservation 2 weeks in advance for 6pm. This was after reading reviews and checking out their website. I received a confirmation for my 6pm reservation the Friday before. On Sunday I received a call at 4:30 informing me the kitchen was closing at 5pm and could we come in earlier. I explained we were an hour away (left a family gathering to make this dinner) and wouldn’t make it earlier. After some back and forth they said they would hold the kitchen open but we needed to be there exactly at six because they were closing . We didn’t want to be rushed and declined. Of course finding an alternate restaurant on Mother’s Day was nearly impossible. How they think it was ok to do this is beyond me. They claimed they were only doing brunch but nowhere did it say that on their site. Even if that was the case how did they not reach out anytime in that 2 week period? Complete incompetence.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kimberly Maldonado
Visited Oso Felipe for a date night with my husband and couldn’t be happier that we chose this spot. The food was absolutely delicious, especially the guac and queso, which were both standouts. What really made the experience, though, was the staff. Everyone was so warm and welcoming, and our server was truly wonderful. We felt so well taken care of. We’ll definitely be back soon. Can’t wait to try their brunch!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stephen White
Went for taco Tuesday, had a 7pm reservation. By 7:40, no one came by, not even to bring water or a menu. We just got up and left. No one even noticed.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Keen
I really enjoyed Oso Felipe. The food was surprisingly good. They have a full bar, which is very rare in Montclair. Our waiter was very knowledgeable. I'll definitely be going back to try some of the other options. It's not cheap. We were three people and we spent over $170.
Four of us had brunch and got a queso fundido to share. It came with 3 tortillas and were 4 people, so I order extra tortillas. They charged us 6 dollars for 3 oily tortillas. I think 6 dollars was excessive. The brunch chilaquiles were good.
Came here for my birthday dinner with my husband. We’re Montclair locals so we were excited to finally try this out. We heard they had a rocky start hence the wait to try. I have to say, the food was fantastic but a few things stuck out that would make me hesitate in coming back. For reference, our reservation was for 7 PM and we ordered pretty promptly— appetizers and entrées. Our appetizers came about 15 minutes later which was great, we were starving, but the entrées came maybe five minutes after our appetizers were served. Our table was then very full and we felt super rushed and also were not hungry for the entrées yet. For dessert, as it was my birthday, they brought out a sparkler with a tres leches cake. The sparkler went out as our server was putting it down. We laughed, and my husband asked for another as the whole point of a sparkler is to get a picture with it. (Don’t you want us to post on Instagram? Free marketing!) This server thought we were kidding and didn’t bring another and no birthday pic, how sad! I have to say the lighting was also extremely bright for night time and could use some dimming for much better ambience.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 3
Oso Felipe is an unassuming looking building, but is so nice inside. We went on a chilly night and it was cozy and welcoming. We sat at the bar, had a drink and some delicious, fresh guacamole and perfectly salted chips. The bartenders were friendly, service was great and the menu was very appealing. We had salmon with mole and pork chops served with a pickled cherry sauce for dinner. All was fresh and delicious! We will definitely go back to try more of the menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was great! You can tell they really take pride in what they serve. We have the steak, nachos, beef fajitas, beef tacos, and dessert. All of it was super yummy!! I would say the flavor was on point meeting. It was flavorful, but not too spicy or too, sweet etc..
Our server was exceptionally personable, ready to provide recommendations, but only after she asked what we liked! Her recommendations across-the-board were perfect!! we will definitely be there again
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great restaurant which provided a fantastic experience for friends getting together.
First plenty of parking right behind the restaurant! This was a nice surprise.
The cocktails are authentic and well mixed. Strongly recommend all the drinks in the menu. Yes we tried them.
The food and service are excellent and all of the courses came out appropriately timed. The quality was delicious and portions filling. Our waiter was outstanding throughout our dining experience
Finally the ambience is amazing very premium with a Mexican vibe
Looking forward to our next meal
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The drinks and service were top notch. Cocktails were perfectly crafted, and the bartender was incredible. The interior design is perfection. beautiful and a wonderful showcase of Mexican culture.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Everything was excellent. Could use some greenery in the patio for atmosphere. We're returning again this weekend!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
2 out of 3 of us were sick after our meal here. We all ate pretty much the same food except for the black beans. The two of us that had the black beans were sick with diarrhea the next morning. There seem to be some other reviews with similar concerns about food safety.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Really loved the food! Service was speedy and excellent on a Saturday morning for brunch. I hope to come back again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pretty disappointed with our experience here.
We started with two margaritas which were not good. They tasted sort of pre-mixed and were visually unappealing, a sort of muddy orange color. My wife ordered a Paloma next which was flavorless.
For a snack we had the chips and queso. The chips were lacking salt and the queso lacked flavor entirely. Also, the fabric chip baskets were a bit gross because the waxed paper the chips are served on are too small to cover the fabric baskets completely.
Restaurantji Recommends
It was meh. We went for my birthday, and it didn’t live up to the hype.
Ambiance: Restaurant is beautifully designed in terms of aesthetics, but it is VERY loud in there because of all of the hard surfaces. So if you’re looking to have a conversation or a date night to talk, it is not the place. Acoustics were not considered in their design. I’ve been to a NYC restaurant on a Saturday night and have been unbothered by noise. It’s annoyingly loud because there is an acoustic issue of everyone’s voices bouncing off hard surfaces creating a cacophony.
Service: it was shakey when we sat down, no one came to our table for a bit, and there are no water glasses. Our appetizer came before our drinks. Some small issues there but nothing catastrophic. The server and staff in the front of the house were all very nice and attentive after the hiccup.
We love Mexican food, we eat A LOT of Mexican food. I want businesses to succeed, but I felt I needed to write this in the spirit of constructive criticism because it’s such a nice spot, but the food falls flat, at least what we had did.
Stacked Nachos: I appreciate a new take on things but they were smothered, soggy, and they were not nachos, they were 5 stacked tostadas that were impersonating nachos. Maybe more like a tostado lasagna? You have to eat them with a fork and knife because you can’t pick them up. They were more a Tex-mex flavor. Very spicy, kind of overwhelmingly so and unbalanced, which killed all the other components. Heat level here should have been specified on the menu. I expected heat (which I like) but not heart burn level heat. It was not topped with enough of the things that cool down nachos that make it that delicious treat we all crave and love.
Oaxaca rib eye steak is absolutely not a $63 dish. There is nothing ground breaking about it. Skip it.
Chicken fajitas: Chicken was flavorful and tender, the portion was smaller than your average fajitas. I wouldn’t be complaining about the portion if it delivered elsewhere. Where they went wrong: the peppers and onions were cut in a way that makes it hard to eat and they were essentially steamed, the veggies were tough and not caramelized at all. Some were raw, some were over cooked. Legitimately I could count the number of peppers on my plate, there were like 5 sad slivers of peppers. I had multiple pieces of the skin of the onion paper, which was half of the onion on my plate. I don’t want to work to cut my own food… it’s a fajita. I got flour tortillas (I should have tried the corn instead but that wouldn’t have saved the dish), they were greasy and tough. Maybe the worst tortilla I’ve ever had. Sorry to be harsh, but it’s in the spirit of being constructive.
Drinks were fine. They felt a little thin.
I wanted to love it but it was a miss. Not the best birthday meal, and honestly a bit let down. Womp womp. It just felt like mediocre food in a nicely designed restaurant. I’d rather good food over all else. We didn’t complain or send anything back, we had our meal, paid and left. There was nothing to make right here, it was just a mediocre meal with a high ticket price. We had 2 drinks, 1 app, and 2 entrees for $160 + tip.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Updated Review- July 2025
This is an update to my review from May. You can read the original text below, followed by the owner's response. I appreciated the accountability taken in the response. What you don't see is that there was also a phone before that response was posted. At the time, I didn't want to engage as I was trying to enjoy the rest of the day. However, about three days later, Alex, the manager, reached out once again to apologize and ask that we please come and allow them to make it up to us. This level of outreach impressed me. They could have let it rest, but instead followed up in a way that demonstrated genuine care. We went in June and had a wonderful evening. Highlights below.
The food was incredibly fresh and flavorful. We started with appetizers for the table, guac, queso fundido and the spicy seafood coctel. All were delicious, but the standout was the seafood coctel—an incredible balance of light, crisp flavors and just the right level of heat. The round of margaritas was the perfect pairing, and the tamarindo flavor was my favorite. The other standout is the chips; they were addictive. For the entrée, I had the heritage pork, which was outstanding. We got esquites for the table, and they did not disappoint. My family got the tacos, enchiladas, and quesadillas, and they loved them. Finally, we couldn't leave without trying the tasty churros. The vibe and service were great, and I highly recommend it.
Original Review:
This place ruined our Mother’s Day. I made a reservation 2 weeks in advance for 6pm. This was after reading reviews and checking out their website. I received a confirmation for my 6pm reservation the Friday before. On Sunday I received a call at 4:30 informing me the kitchen was closing at 5pm and could we come in earlier. I explained we were an hour away (left a family gathering to make this dinner) and wouldn’t make it earlier. After some back and forth they said they would hold the kitchen open but we needed to be there exactly at six because they were closing . We didn’t want to be rushed and declined. Of course finding an alternate restaurant on Mother’s Day was nearly impossible. How they think it was ok to do this is beyond me. They claimed they were only doing brunch but nowhere did it say that on their site. Even if that was the case how did they not reach out anytime in that 2 week period? Complete incompetence.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Visited Oso Felipe for a date night with my husband and couldn’t be happier that we chose this spot. The food was absolutely delicious, especially the guac and queso, which were both standouts. What really made the experience, though, was the staff. Everyone was so warm and welcoming, and our server was truly wonderful. We felt so well taken care of. We’ll definitely be back soon. Can’t wait to try their brunch!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went for taco Tuesday, had a 7pm reservation. By 7:40, no one came by, not even to bring water or a menu. We just got up and left. No one even noticed.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
I really enjoyed Oso Felipe. The food was surprisingly good. They have a full bar, which is very rare in Montclair. Our waiter was very knowledgeable. I'll definitely be going back to try some of the other options. It's not cheap. We were three people and we spent over $170.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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