Palato Caffe & Cucina

Montclair Center is so lucky to have yet one more uniquely divine restaurant in our neighborhood! Palato Caffe & Cucina 377 Bloomfield Ave. is here and they are simply AMAZING. Meet co-owners Massimo Apicella Owner (originally from Puglia now Bloomfield) and Stefano Bosetti Chef (from Trento now Montclair) who have combined northern and southern Italian cuisines to perfection in a simple, authentic and highly delicious way.

Massimo and Stefano were working together in Hell’s Kitchen before COVID and as the NYC restaurant where they worked and their mode of transportation into the city shut down, they decided to build something together near their own neighborhoods. They chose Montclair Center because of its great vibes as an up and coming area and because of its wonderful community.

When you come in (no reservations, but Massimo will do his best to accommodate everyone! Bar and outdoor bistro seating available while you wait), take a peek at the decor.

Massimo loves to work with wood and everything was designed and made by him. They cut through wall layers and saw a history of all of the previous businesses who had been in that space AND they gained two feet of space and discovered an original door that had been hidden (now turned into a cured meats display case, see pics).

NOW for the FOOD:

“Palato” means taste/palate, so of course, there is an emphasis on the culinary experience and flavors.

This team has created a menu of “taglieri” which are high quality, thinly cut meats and cheese boards and you won’t find anything else like this in North Jersey! Fresh pastas, focaccia Barese and a menu of Panzerotti (in dialect “Panza” means puffed belly), a street food of thin, fried dough with stuffed savory fillings are also unique to Palato.

Don’t forget to try their desserts and of course their very special gelato – authentic, gluten free, organic made by a special vendor from Ferata, with homemade whipped cream on a warm brioche or a cone cup paired with an espresso coffee Miscela D’oro from Messina, Sicily.

Palato Caffe and Cucina is closed on Mondays, but open for lunch and dinner Tues-Sun and opens 11am.

Come for lunch or dinner or take out anything on the menu or just come just for dessert!

LOCATION

377 Bloomfield Ave.
Montclair, NJ 07042

Mon closed
Tue & Wed 11am to 10pm
Thu-Fri-Sat 11am to 10:30pm / Sun 11am to 9pm