Allegory

Server approached us to offer two different seating options for our party of 7, which was very thoughtful & we appreciated because one of the 7 was a toddler. The food was delicious & service was with a smile! We dined for brunch.

Food was not worth the money. It was low quality food masquerading as high-end food. Ambiance was nice and drinks were good. Service was great. Food was the main issue.

Went for dinner on a Tuesday night. There was a live jazz band. The dining room was so empty that we actually chose to eat by the bar instead. Menu is limited, which is OK, but definitely check ahead if you're picky. I had the salmon entree and it came out room temp. My friend had the steak, which looked good, but also room temp. Portions are on the smaller side, so we did end up having to go grab another bite after. Overall, not bad, but I won't be back on a weeknight.

We had Thanksgiving dinner at the buffet,and it was very well attended to by staff. We thought the food was very good, and service nearly impeccable.

food was beautifully presented excellent choices

Very cool ambiance-our waiter was very good knowledgeable. Appetizers really good. My steak cooked to my liking. Wine list not great. Want to go back and sit at the bar.

The food was fine, nothing special. Tiny menu, very bland ambiance and continuous loop of not pleasant background music. A hotel restaurant and nothing more.

Many people wrote about slow service. Kevin, our sever, was excellent! Great recommendations and timing was not an issue.
It was a Sunday night and it was fairly empty.
Portions are really small but tasty! And, as others have written, alcohol prices are over the top!!

When a new restaurant opens it is usually chaos for the first month or so so we usually wait and hope they work the kinks out. It seems to have paid off at Allegory as our first visit was just great. It was a Monday so it was fairly slow. Kevin was our waiter and he was very friendly and courteous. We shared the eggplant to start and then had the potato crusted cod and the Bolognese for our mains. All of the food was very good. Instead of dessert we headed up to the rooftop bar and it did not disappoint. We sat outside and the views are spectacular. Advice if you want to sit outside - dress warmly because the heaters while quite nice to look at provide little heat. We enjoyed everything about our experience at Allegory and will certainly return.

Food was definitely good. Service needs some improvement. Not as slow as some previous diners’ experience, but still not a well oiled, polished experience. Think there are some major disconnects between bar, kitchen and dining room service. Not sure what kind of management and rather training exists. But, the place was not full, saw several staff lurking in corners at times and borderline hiding and our main courses came out cold.
Very open space. But, needs some warmth or continuity. Bar was full. but pretty vibeless. No regrets. But one and done.

The experience was marred by the surprise cost of the cocktails. When we ordered a simple margarita we did not expect a price of $19 when their craft cocktails advertised on the menu are lower.

I LOVED dining at Allegory . The ambiance was so lovely and interesting. Beautiful decor A NY kind of restaurant in NJ
The food is light and delicious and healthy I had a fluffy soufflé /the salad was so fresh with a delightfully light dressing
Had a tough time choosing since I liked a lot of the choices on the menu We had a party of ten and everyone was pleased
The service was also superb and valet parking is a wonderful amenity
I think it will be a new favorite of mine Highly recommend!

The food and service was amazing. This place became my favorite restaurant in town. Definitely will be back.

Lovely bright space in the MC Hotel. Had brunch. Food was fresh, light and well prepared. Service was great. The space is beautiful. Have to try the lounge on the top floor! They even validate parking so don’t have the Montclair parking headache. Would definitely go back and try dinner.

Worst service I’ve experienced. Waited 2 hours for our entrees.

This was an extremely unpleasant experience. Although we enjoyed our time with friends, we didn’t get any food for 2 hours, had to BEG for water refills, could not get our waitress to come to our table, and the noise level was outrageous. The bathrooms were FILTHY - as in highway rest stop filthy. The food was terrible. Needless to say, we will NOT be returning.

Very nice. Restaurant is very new. I hope people discover it soon. Montclair needed a place like this.

The restaurant looks very nice. There was a large party that was having a great time, and you could hear it from across the restaurant. The service was good but not extraordinary. Waitstaff looks a bit inexperienced. The food was good portions were small for the price. I’ll be back in a few months. Will defend hit the bar again sooner.

The food was not that flavorful and overpriced

We were seated right away with our reservation time. They did not have grey goose vodka, nor did they have pineapple juice as a standard mixer. Cocktails were very strong, especially considering it was Sunday at 1pm. Waiter was slow and seem unfamiliar with fare on menu. My cousin's hot pasta dish came to the table cold and had to be reheated. With that said, my crab salad was divine, my sister's lobster dish was also highly rated and delicious. I like that the menu was small, because the food was quality. My coffee was warm not hot. They need some work, but I think I will give a second try in another month or so to see if things improve.

The service was a bit slow and the food was only so so. I had the porchetta with charred marinated lettuce--both were very oily. My husband wasn't overwhelming impressed with his strip steak dish. We're looking forward to visiting the rooftop which was not open when we visited.

The food was delicious and it was not expensive for what we got. However, the space is so big and impersonal and—because there's no buzz yet, or because it's a bit out of the way—there were not many other people there. Overall, the lights were a little too bright and it was a little too quiet.

Great addition to Montclair. Good room, vibe and service. Food waa amazing.

Great ambiance! Feels like being in a NYC hotel. A piece of city life in Montclair.

This was our first experience at Allegory. We were seated early for our reservation, which we appreciated and the table/booth was very comfortable. We weren't starving so we decided to just order two pastas as our entrees. The waitress tried to get us to order an app (on her), but we declined. It took over 40 minutes for our pastas to arrive and when they did, they were served in over-sized tall bowls that really did not fit the dish. The pasta was fine (bolognese and spatzle) but nothing special. They both needed salt. The manager came over to apologize and asked if we wanted wine (again, on them), but we declined.

Very disappointed in the service and food. Yes, they are new and probably working out the kinks but the restaurant wasn't that crowded and it should not have taken 40 minutes to cook pasta.

Service was non existent. You could see the chaos on the floor with staff with headphones doing nothing.
Bread was served after asking waiter and then calling over house manager. It was was finally served without plates, butter or oil.
The level of frustration was high.
They need to get their act together.

Had dinner here before going to a concert for a friend’s birthday celebration. The service was fantastic and the food delicious!! Especially being a vegetarian there were many great choices...had a difficult time deciding. Will definitely come back.

The service was top notch but the food- though pretty- was sparse and very slow to come out. I hope they work out the kinks and I look forward to trying the roof bar in October.

Really disappointed in the food.

Fabulous food and so reasonably priced. We had the fries with the dipping sauce, delicious. The beef tartar was seasoned perfectly, the yellow fin crude was fresh and a wonderful burst of flavors. The chef knows what he is doing. Portion size was perfect. There was four of us and we ate 3 different entrees, Spaghetti, Grilled Octopus and The Porchetta. We loved every dish. This is a must dining experience. And what is shocking it is in a hotel. We will be back soon

We had a terrific brunch at Allegory, and I'm happy to report that there were some excellent dishes at not-unreasonable prices. The mezze platter -- and especially the labneh yogurt -- was quite good as a shared appetizer. The lobster salad sandwich was fresh and tasty, and the MC burger packed a good flavor. The MC chipwich was also very good, though not everyone in our party loved the mint ice cream. Still, we're looking forward to returning, and sampling more dishes.

Welcome addition to the new wave of mega hip restaurants popping up in Montclair, however not "ready for prime time"!!
While the staff clearly has been trained to please, the kitchen cannot keep up! Waited over an hour for apps. After waiting another 45 minutes for the mains I asked for the check. It was just ridiculous!
Manager comped our last round of drinks and apologized.
Other than that, the place boasts a beautiful bar and lounge area with TV's everywhere. They could figure out a better door to the kitchen so you don't have to see the line up of staff waiting for their orders to come out.
Will definitely return in a year when the get the "kinks" out.

It was extremely noisy, extremely slow service, very overpriced given the quality of food: some dishes were mediocre, some just plainly not edible. There was nothing enjoyable about our experience.
The restroom space is limited - there was a line all the time!

The drinks and appetizers were great here. The entrees, not so much. First the entrees were the same size as the appetizers and there was no indication that we would need we would need more than one plate to have a filling meal (for example, the salmon was literally a piece of salmon with nothing else with it). Second, considering how small the entrees were, I thought they were waaaaay overpriced. Third of all, there were four of us with four different entrees, and we all thought the entrees didn't taste that great. Not bad necessarily but not good and definitely not worth the price. In conclusion, I think Allegory is fine for drinks and appetizers, but not for a full dinner.

Beautiful new restaurant in Montclair that feels like it's NOT in Montclair, in a good way! Overalll feeling is like being in a W hotel--very nice, sophisticated decor, very good service, (a major rarity in Montclair where crappy service is the norm). Expensive, but fun for a treat or a date night. Food was very good, excellent drinks, very pricey though.

You can tell that the staff wanted to make a good impression. The cocktail and wine program is great! Kudos to the sommelier. The appetizers are good. We wish they had more hot vegetable sides. We will definitely go back.

Some dishes were excellent (the Cod) and others, like the chicken tagine and the Spatzle (way too rich and funky)missed the mark. The service was fair (it took forever to order and get our appetizers). The space would be much. Nicer if they covered up the windows. Bloomfield Avenue views really take away from what would otherwise be a lovely space.
I would go back but probably wait awhile.

Excellent food, service and ambience. We had my wife’s surprise 50th birthday party and everything was perfect. The owner and staff took care and pride in ensuring everything was perfect for us. We returned after and received even better service for dinner.

We had great drinks, super food and a wonderful time I this new restaurant! I suggest more vegetarian entrees for the menu

They’re still working on the speed of the service but everyone was really nice/trying hard! Creative cocktails, good food, very pretty presentation, nice upscale vibe would definitely go back