Had dinner here last night. Delicious, innovative menu. Try the crispy duck crostini, duck fat patatas bravado. Everything we had was great.And our server, Melissa, could not have been more helpful.Highly recommended (as are, reservations - this place is popular and gets busy).And, it’s BYOB!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jacqueline Stringer
This place was great. The service was excellent as well as the food. The appetizers and entree's were delicious. We all cleaned our plates. The waitress was wonderful and gave us little small spoons of delicious treats in between the appetizer and entrees. We felt special there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
RuthL
Food was a mixed bag. The appetizer (beet salad) was very good though the portion was very small. The main course (duck) was fair. The duck was accompanied by a mediocre “fruit salad” and was not well cooked (the skin was not crispy). Dessert - Thai tea tiramisu was tasty. There was one waitress covering the entire restaurant and while she was very friendly she was totally overwhelmed and the service was extremely slow.
East Ridgelawn Cemetery
Love this restaurant! The food NEVER disappoints.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cardamom Olive Oil Cake
DeanieC
We love this BYOB! The place is very cozy and displays local artists work. The food is made with love by Chef Beverly and is always so yummy! It is for foodies who are open to new flavors and dining experience.
fred tiencken
I was excited to try Walnut Street Kitchen, I have had excellent experiences at other local restaurants in the area. My wife and I always look forward to our date nights and the great food Montclair has to offer. Unfortunately, what followed was nothing short of a gastronomic disaster orchestrated by the inexperienced chef, Bev Lacsina, and a front of house staff sorely lacking in management, leadership, and basic training.Let's start with the wine service – a broken cork shoved unapologetically into the bottle, setting the tone for the evening's calamities. The appetizers, a mere prelude to the main act of disappointment, shall be mercifully spared from further critique.The main courses arrived on cold plates, a fittingly icy reception to the dismal fare that awaited. The mushroom risotto resembled a sad puddle of unseasoned rice, crowned with a solitary, overly salted mushroom. Meanwhile, the cauliflower gnocchi – a promising concept in theory – languished in a murky broth reminiscent of dishwater, accompanied by a paltry scattering of chickpeas.In a desperate attempt to salvage the sinking ship, the server offered misguided culinary advice, followed by unprofessional gossip about the chef's culinary mishaps. Replacement entrees were begrudgingly accepted, revealing nothing more than lackluster renditions of home-cooked classics – roasted chicken and beef bolognese, devoid of any culinary finesse or imagination.Just when I thought the ordeal was over, the check arrived, accompanied by a perplexing parting gift of a chocolate chip cookie and four stale bagels, an unexpected and unwelcome finale to an evening of culinary catastrophe.In conclusion, Walnut Street Kitchen and Chef Bev Lacsina have achieved the remarkable feat of delivering the worst dining experience I've endured in the past fifteen years. It's a shame to see such potential squandered amidst a sea of incompetence and mediocrity.
Natalie Fontana
My husband and I dined here for a day-after Valentine’s celebration. Our 7:00 reservation allowed us to be seated right away. The playlist was stellar. It was all the music I grew up listening to as a kid, and it made me feel at home.McKenzie was our server and she was incredibly professional, kind, and attentive. The menu has so many great choices, but the specials shouldn’t be slept on either!Here’s what we had:Appetizers:-Brussels sprouts salad with sliced apple, marinated feta, roasted squash, candied pecans, quinoa and tossed in a vinaigrette- Kabocha squash ravioli in a braised beef and peanut ragu, crispy eggplant and a peanut-green bean crumble.Entrées:-Flat iron steak in a mustard-sherry au poive sauce, carmelized onions, and potato churritos-Fresh cavatelli in an escargot sauce, shelled escargot, topped with a parsley butter crumb- Side of sautéed wild mushrooms with sage and citrusDessert:-Orange and cardamom olive oil cake, assorted coffee and tea.The food was stunning. Every bite was a hit and truly made with love. Such thoughtful flavor combinations and interesting applications, all the while cooked perfectly. We had the opportunity to speak with Beverly, and we learned so much about her passions for the industry and the pride she has for the products she creates. We will certainly be back again and again!Wheelchair accessibility: This is a single-level establishment.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cardamom Olive Oil Cake
Rebecca
Went last night for Valentine’s Day dinner. We were seated immediately and the ambiance and decor were adorable - making it super special and romantic for Valentine’s Day!We got a few different apps, an entree each, and 2 desserts and everything was phenomenal! Our favorites were the warm brussel sprout salad that was on the special menu, and the olive oil cardamom cake! Still dreaming about both the next day!!The service was great and the servers really kept things moving, despite a super busy night and some challenging and downright rude guests giving them a hard time.The chef even sent us home with some festive pink bagels for the next day. You can’t beat the care and ingenuity of Walnut Street!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cardamom Olive Oil Cake
MPPai
A wonderful BYO gem in upper Montclair. The food was inventive and delicious. Our waitress was lovely, though the dishes are a bit slow to come out. The only downside is a strange and high ‘service fee' that appeared on our bill, perhaps a holdover from COVID given it's a small operation.
NatalieF
My husband and I dined here for a day-after Valentine's celebration. Our 7:00 reservation allowed us to be seated right away. The playlist was stellar. It was all the music I grew up listening to as a kid, and it made me feel at home. McKenzie was our server and she was incredibly professional, kind, and attentive. The menu has so many great choices, but the specials shouldn't be slept on either! Here's what we had: Appetizers: -Brussels sprouts salad with sliced apple, marinated feta, roasted squash, candied pecans, quinoa and tossed in a vinaigrette - Kabocha squash ravioli in a braised beef and peanut ragu, crispy eggplant and a peanut-green bean crumble. Entrées: -Flat iron steak in a mustard-sherry au poive sauce, carmelized onions, and potato churritos -Fresh cavatelli in an escargot sauce, shelled escargot, topped with a parsley butter crumb - Side of sautéed wild mushrooms with sage and citrus Dessert: -Orange and cardamom olive oil cake, assorted coffee and tea. The food was stunning. Every bite was a hit and truly made with love. Such thoughtful flavor combinations and interesting applications, all the while cooked perfectly. We had the opportunity to speak with Beverly, and we learned so much about her passions for the industry and the pride she has for the products she creates. We will certainly be back again and again!
Overall, it was a disappointing dinner:A 45 min wait in spite of a reservation with no effort to make it up to us nor any apologies from management. Servers were trying their best, but they are severely overworked. Sure, it’s St. Valentine’s Day, but then, where is the previous planning to deal with the traffic? Management is either exploitative or supremely incompetent. Only reason for two stars is effort of the servers and the attempt at semi-decent food.Speaking of the food, while it had potential, it unfortunately ended up being confused and unbalanced, especially for a supposedly elegant place like this. Substitutions were made without a regard for how it would affect the whole dish. For instance, the saltiness of a cured egg yolks completely overpowered the risotto which was supposed to have a marinated egg instead. Directly covering the agnolotti in pink peppercorn instead of having it included as part of a meringue (as the menu says) threw off the balance completely.Again, such a disappointment for what was supposed to be a lovely night out. Do not go on special occasions unless the current hapless management changes.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
Ant
Management/ownership should be absolutely embarrassed. The biggest dining date in the country 2/14 and it was a joke from when we stepped inside.7:00 reservation, sat at 7:15, got menus at 7:25. Waitress asked us 3 times if we wanted a dessert menu after already asking for a check.Severely understaffed and managed.The ambiance was quiet, awkward. There was a time where not one table had something to eat. Very bizarre.Food was actually great, a style you don’t find often. Kudos to the chef and staff.I have 0 desire to ever come back.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Hazel V
Got to the restaurant @720pm for a 730pm reservation, got seated @8pm . We ordered food @810pm and finally got our plates 51 mins and 17 secs later as I timed it . Food was ok but not worth the time spent. Overall, I would not come go again . This seems to be common practice here as other waiting couples told us .
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Mikey Holiday
Will never go back again. 2/14/2024. There are no vegan dishes at this restaurant, unless a bowl. of carrots is suddenly an entree. Service was absolutely the worst. Stated of asking us what we wanted to drink we said water. 45 mins till we were given water. The pork i ordered was gamey, the octopus was alright. The servers although nice appear to be very forgetful. Glad i can check this one off my list.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Landrew
Why must we leave feeling hungry? A $36 Flat Iron Steak, very tasty, but 5 slices of steak and four shoe strings of potatoe. Really? Potatoes, string beans, squash are almost free at the supermarket. $175 bill for three people who go home hungry. You can do better.
Had dinner here last night. Delicious, innovative menu. Try the crispy duck crostini, duck fat patatas bravado. Everything we had was great.And our server, Melissa, could not have been more helpful.Highly recommended (as are, reservations - this place is popular and gets busy).And, it’s BYOB!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place was great. The service was excellent as well as the food. The appetizers and entree's were delicious. We all cleaned our plates. The waitress was wonderful and gave us little small spoons of delicious treats in between the appetizer and entrees. We felt special there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was a mixed bag. The appetizer (beet salad) was very good though the portion was very small. The main course (duck) was fair. The duck was accompanied by a mediocre “fruit salad” and was not well cooked (the skin was not crispy). Dessert - Thai tea tiramisu was tasty. There was one waitress covering the entire restaurant and while she was very friendly she was totally overwhelmed and the service was extremely slow.
Love this restaurant! The food NEVER disappoints.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cardamom Olive Oil Cake
We love this BYOB! The place is very cozy and displays local artists work. The food is made with love by Chef Beverly and is always so yummy! It is for foodies who are open to new flavors and dining experience.
I was excited to try Walnut Street Kitchen, I have had excellent experiences at other local restaurants in the area. My wife and I always look forward to our date nights and the great food Montclair has to offer. Unfortunately, what followed was nothing short of a gastronomic disaster orchestrated by the inexperienced chef, Bev Lacsina, and a front of house staff sorely lacking in management, leadership, and basic training.Let's start with the wine service – a broken cork shoved unapologetically into the bottle, setting the tone for the evening's calamities. The appetizers, a mere prelude to the main act of disappointment, shall be mercifully spared from further critique.The main courses arrived on cold plates, a fittingly icy reception to the dismal fare that awaited. The mushroom risotto resembled a sad puddle of unseasoned rice, crowned with a solitary, overly salted mushroom. Meanwhile, the cauliflower gnocchi – a promising concept in theory – languished in a murky broth reminiscent of dishwater, accompanied by a paltry scattering of chickpeas.In a desperate attempt to salvage the sinking ship, the server offered misguided culinary advice, followed by unprofessional gossip about the chef's culinary mishaps. Replacement entrees were begrudgingly accepted, revealing nothing more than lackluster renditions of home-cooked classics – roasted chicken and beef bolognese, devoid of any culinary finesse or imagination.Just when I thought the ordeal was over, the check arrived, accompanied by a perplexing parting gift of a chocolate chip cookie and four stale bagels, an unexpected and unwelcome finale to an evening of culinary catastrophe.In conclusion, Walnut Street Kitchen and Chef Bev Lacsina have achieved the remarkable feat of delivering the worst dining experience I've endured in the past fifteen years. It's a shame to see such potential squandered amidst a sea of incompetence and mediocrity.
My husband and I dined here for a day-after Valentine’s celebration. Our 7:00 reservation allowed us to be seated right away. The playlist was stellar. It was all the music I grew up listening to as a kid, and it made me feel at home.McKenzie was our server and she was incredibly professional, kind, and attentive. The menu has so many great choices, but the specials shouldn’t be slept on either!Here’s what we had:Appetizers:-Brussels sprouts salad with sliced apple, marinated feta, roasted squash, candied pecans, quinoa and tossed in a vinaigrette- Kabocha squash ravioli in a braised beef and peanut ragu, crispy eggplant and a peanut-green bean crumble.Entrées:-Flat iron steak in a mustard-sherry au poive sauce, carmelized onions, and potato churritos-Fresh cavatelli in an escargot sauce, shelled escargot, topped with a parsley butter crumb- Side of sautéed wild mushrooms with sage and citrusDessert:-Orange and cardamom olive oil cake, assorted coffee and tea.The food was stunning. Every bite was a hit and truly made with love. Such thoughtful flavor combinations and interesting applications, all the while cooked perfectly. We had the opportunity to speak with Beverly, and we learned so much about her passions for the industry and the pride she has for the products she creates. We will certainly be back again and again!Wheelchair accessibility: This is a single-level establishment.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cardamom Olive Oil Cake
Went last night for Valentine’s Day dinner. We were seated immediately and the ambiance and decor were adorable - making it super special and romantic for Valentine’s Day!We got a few different apps, an entree each, and 2 desserts and everything was phenomenal! Our favorites were the warm brussel sprout salad that was on the special menu, and the olive oil cardamom cake! Still dreaming about both the next day!!The service was great and the servers really kept things moving, despite a super busy night and some challenging and downright rude guests giving them a hard time.The chef even sent us home with some festive pink bagels for the next day. You can’t beat the care and ingenuity of Walnut Street!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cardamom Olive Oil Cake
A wonderful BYO gem in upper Montclair. The food was inventive and delicious. Our waitress was lovely, though the dishes are a bit slow to come out. The only downside is a strange and high ‘service fee' that appeared on our bill, perhaps a holdover from COVID given it's a small operation.
My husband and I dined here for a day-after Valentine's celebration. Our 7:00 reservation allowed us to be seated right away. The playlist was stellar. It was all the music I grew up listening to as a kid, and it made me feel at home. McKenzie was our server and she was incredibly professional, kind, and attentive. The menu has so many great choices, but the specials shouldn't be slept on either! Here's what we had: Appetizers: -Brussels sprouts salad with sliced apple, marinated feta, roasted squash, candied pecans, quinoa and tossed in a vinaigrette - Kabocha squash ravioli in a braised beef and peanut ragu, crispy eggplant and a peanut-green bean crumble. Entrées: -Flat iron steak in a mustard-sherry au poive sauce, carmelized onions, and potato churritos -Fresh cavatelli in an escargot sauce, shelled escargot, topped with a parsley butter crumb - Side of sautéed wild mushrooms with sage and citrus Dessert: -Orange and cardamom olive oil cake, assorted coffee and tea. The food was stunning. Every bite was a hit and truly made with love. Such thoughtful flavor combinations and interesting applications, all the while cooked perfectly. We had the opportunity to speak with Beverly, and we learned so much about her passions for the industry and the pride she has for the products she creates. We will certainly be back again and again!
Restaurantji Recommends
Overall, it was a disappointing dinner:A 45 min wait in spite of a reservation with no effort to make it up to us nor any apologies from management. Servers were trying their best, but they are severely overworked. Sure, it’s St. Valentine’s Day, but then, where is the previous planning to deal with the traffic? Management is either exploitative or supremely incompetent. Only reason for two stars is effort of the servers and the attempt at semi-decent food.Speaking of the food, while it had potential, it unfortunately ended up being confused and unbalanced, especially for a supposedly elegant place like this. Substitutions were made without a regard for how it would affect the whole dish. For instance, the saltiness of a cured egg yolks completely overpowered the risotto which was supposed to have a marinated egg instead. Directly covering the agnolotti in pink peppercorn instead of having it included as part of a meringue (as the menu says) threw off the balance completely.Again, such a disappointment for what was supposed to be a lovely night out. Do not go on special occasions unless the current hapless management changes.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
Management/ownership should be absolutely embarrassed. The biggest dining date in the country 2/14 and it was a joke from when we stepped inside.7:00 reservation, sat at 7:15, got menus at 7:25. Waitress asked us 3 times if we wanted a dessert menu after already asking for a check.Severely understaffed and managed.The ambiance was quiet, awkward. There was a time where not one table had something to eat. Very bizarre.Food was actually great, a style you don’t find often. Kudos to the chef and staff.I have 0 desire to ever come back.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Got to the restaurant @720pm for a 730pm reservation, got seated @8pm . We ordered food @810pm and finally got our plates 51 mins and 17 secs later as I timed it . Food was ok but not worth the time spent. Overall, I would not come go again . This seems to be common practice here as other waiting couples told us .
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Will never go back again. 2/14/2024. There are no vegan dishes at this restaurant, unless a bowl. of carrots is suddenly an entree. Service was absolutely the worst. Stated of asking us what we wanted to drink we said water. 45 mins till we were given water. The pork i ordered was gamey, the octopus was alright. The servers although nice appear to be very forgetful. Glad i can check this one off my list.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Why must we leave feeling hungry? A $36 Flat Iron Steak, very tasty, but 5 slices of steak and four shoe strings of potatoe. Really? Potatoes, string beans, squash are almost free at the supermarket. $175 bill for three people who go home hungry. You can do better.