Uptown

Good food, but service really needs to be improved. At the table next to ours (tables so close you can't help but eavesdrop) orders were completely messed up. When told this, waitress had no reaction, did not take anything off bill or even ask management about the possibility. Other customers were having similar "issues". Staff training doesn't seem to be up to the quality of the food, but still hope they make it.

I agree with the above comment. Athough the staff was very friendly, the service was a little slow and they forgot part of my boyfriends order. However,we really enjoyed our meals and we would definitely go back again.

My husband and I had dinner at Uptown last Saturday. The place was very busy and had a bustling, chic New York feel to it. We had to wait for our table with no place to stand, but once we were seated, the evening was great. Our server, “Charlie”, was cute and funny. He was prompt and efficient. Not a career waiter, but all the more fun for it. The food was incredible! For starters I had the crab cakes, which were full of lump crab, crispy but not over-fried. It has a surprising, chili sauce, which was tart and spicy. My husband had the mussels, which were cooked in white wine and garlic and tasted like the south of France. For dinner I had the Fra Diavolo over spaghetti squash, which was cooked to perfection with lots of shrimp, scallops, mussels etc. And what a great idea to put it over squash spaghetti instead of traditional spaghetti. It was lighter so I didn’t feel over-full. For his main course, my husband had a steak au poivre which was so tender he didn’t need a steak knife. The sauce was a perfect mustard cream with peppercorns. We both had dessert- raspberry almond tart which was good. The owner came to the table and recommended the Ginger cheesecake, which was unbelievable. She was funny and even stayed to see if we liked it. What a great evening. We ended up exchanging numbers with the table next to us as we all got into an animated conversation. A very friendly place which great food and not excellent but fun and pleasant service.

Came back for a Saturday night dinner. Began poorly with a clumsy and slovenly young man pouring us water and attempting to chat us up. However, it quickly turned positive when this waiter was replaced by a fellow named Zack. He was very knowledgeable about the menu and made some recommendations that worked out well. He even recommended the fra diavolo with spaghetti squash instead of the pasta primavera, which after speaking to the neighboring table we discovered was not very good. Our orders were highly customized and he brought them out perfectly. In addition, the ginger cheesecake was delectable!! All in all the service was better than the food. My daughter and I prefer the Raymond’s food but prefer the restaurant Uptown thanks to the service. Moreover, I wanted Zack’s eyelashes and my daughter wanted to take him home with her! hehe

And I agree with the above posts. Eavesdropping is only natural in this place and I did hear other orders having problems. Training needs to be improved and they need more busgirls!! Zack did everything and it seemed unfair. Seemed like service could be better with less waiters more busgirls. Just a thought...

We have been undergoing a kitchen renovation for the past few months. This has given me and my family the opportunity to try neighborhood restaurant. I come from the mind set that the chef can make it or break it. In that lite I must say that "Uptown" has attracted our palettes. We have had dinner there on multiple ocassions and feel we are still in the new york state of mind (having moved from nyc to mtc). Hats off to whoever the evening chef is.

We went today for lunch. I have to say the owners did a spectacular job of turning around that space. We didn't order anything that wasn't basic (I just had the lox and bagel) and sometimes that's all you want. Like Toast, they've created just the right physical environment to make a diner happy.

Food was good, service was good too (maybe zack above?? didnt give his name). Two complaints: 1: tap water was not very good 2: Owner decided to serve us our food instead of waiter and mixed everything up...Aside from that it was a great experience. The ambiance for dinner is fantastic!

My boyfriend and I stopped by for lunch last Wednesday. There seemed to be two servers and two tables of diners. We weren't greeted in a very friendly manner. After sitting and looking at the menu for over five minutes with not even a "hello" from our server, or even water in our glasses, we decided we weren't in the mood for anything on the menu. No one said anything to us as we were getting our coats and things together. I uttered an awkward "We're gunna go" to the server who responded with an odd look, a shrug and an "okay". We looked briefly at the dinner menu and decided to go back at some point to try it out.

From that experience, it doesn't seem to be a very welcoming environment. The decor is pleasing and the dinner menu looks very nice, so we'll probably go back but the dinner menu seems to be the only saving grace.

Violet, I implore you-please don't patronize ANY restaurant in any town where you receive that kind of treatment! I know that service is just a piece of it, but it's flabbergasting to read the first paragraph and then "we'll probably go back" in the second. If you simply didn't care for the lunch menu I would understand, but you sat there and then got up to leave and nobody noticed or cared? Spend your money with people who do, please! There are plenty of owners and chefs who will actually appreciate having you as their customers.

And before someone asks, I am not in retail, not a chef or restaurant owner and don't work in the food business. I'm just a customer who is sick of business owners who don't care or know anything about customer service.

rumor has it that "I'm me" is a competitor...who shall go unnamed...

I've been wanting to try Uptown for a while and I finally went a few days ago. It was pretty disappointing. The food was alright, but not worth what it costed.
Also, the service wasn't too good, we actually had to bring our glasses inside (we were sitting outside) and ask for water because we just never got any. The only plus about the servers is that most of them are rather good-looking.

I was excited to try it, because it seemed adorable from the outside. Plus, I love breakfast/brunch.

First the positives: love the decor, the menu design and all the little details. Service was just fine (though we had the place almost all to ourselves).

Negatives: Food was really blah - could have made better at home and I'm no cook. I won't be going back for this reason - I'll be sticking with Raymond's, which is reliably my fave!

I have been here twice already and had a great experience, it has a NY feel without the NY prices, our waiter on both occations was very friendly and attentive.
our food was superb.
i look forward to going there for dinner.

W went to Uptown 3 weeks after it opened on a Saturday night. It was incredibly busy (they turned away many people) and did have a bit of ny vibe, but we were quite disappointed. waiter was clumsy, table was so small that i was hard to relax, and food was mediocre. maybe they have improved now and maybe I'd go back for sandwich but definitely not for w wkend dinner.

We had Mother's day Brunch at Uptown and enjoyed it. Food was good - I had the blueberry pancakes, service was good, and the decor is really nice. I do think the owners have to work out some kinks though: They had a pre fixe menu for 24.95, but didn't have a kid's menu. When we asked the waitress if they offered a children's price she talked to the owners who discussed it and came back saying children under 7 years of age would be charged 12.95. I appreciate their willingness to do this, but it should have been thought about beforehand. There were a few mistakes on the check and they did correct it when brought to their attention. Overall, I would definitely go back, especially to try their regular menu. Hopefully, they will work out a few things and improve.

I don't understand why so many people say the food or service is bad here but that they'll go back. ???

To get a NY vibe from a jersey restaurant. The restaurant would have to serve food pass 11:00pm.

I?ll make this fast. My five friends and I had a rather unpleasant experience today?attempting to have lunch at Uptown.

Here?s the perfect example of what you see ISN?T what you get. While the d?cor and ambience are inviting, the staff and their collective ignorance of customer service is staggering. We arrived at 12:10 pm and did not receive our beverages until 12:35 pm. That was the first blip. Then, two orders arrived that were not what we had ordered. The hostess (owner?) retrieved them without any apologies. The net/net is that four of us eventually had lunch while two of us waited as five other plates flew out of the kitchen to other tables. The waiter, perhaps a novice, never came up to the table to say, ?I?m so sorry you have been waiting so long. I?m not sure what?s going on in the kitchen, but I?ll try to find out and get your lunches out to you.?

Exasperated, we finally got up to leave and spoke with Madame (as another customer was waiting in line to complain). Basically she said, ?I was going to apologize? but on my terms, when I was ready.? It?s 2008--has she ever watched Oprah and heard about the importance of listen, mirror, and validate? Her unresponsiveness to the situation broadcasted, ?hey, my husband is a hedge fund manager and my country club friends think this a great place, so I?m not really concerned with what you think.?

There are much better places in Montclair that know how to serve their customers along with the arugula and shaved parmesan.

PROS:

-Hip, cool, East Village ambiance
-Glazed exposed brick interior
-Flattering lighting concept

CONS:

-nightclub decibel levels
-Nnprofessional, untrained clueless, staff (with the exception of the water boy)

Suggestions if you decide to go:

-If you order beef, expect to receive turkey, and vice versa
-Don?t pick between cheddar or swiss, you?ll get the cheese the chef likes
-Don?t bother complaining, you?ll get a deer-in-the-headlights look
-Drink the tap water! It will quench your thirst while you wait 20 minutes for your drink order
-Don?t allow a member of your party to leave the table early ? they will be accused of theft
-Don?t go with parties of two or more unless you like to play musical chairs with your food
-If you?re still unhappy, don?t ask for the owner ? she?s got enough friends as customers to care

VERDICT:
Owners missed their calling as restaurant designers. Uptown is gorgeous, but the restaurant/service industry is hard work and they should leave that to experienced, hard working, customer service-oriented professionals.

I have eaten at Uptown for lunch and dinner on numerous occasions. I have had consistently excellent meals and good, friendly service. I don?t understand what some of the people in here are complaining about. Clearly the two posts above mine have been written by the same person who keeps using ??? instead of ?apostrophes?. Why be so angry? Are you begruntled competition.

I have been to Uptown for both busy and quiet lunches. There are times I have had to wait longer then others, but I am here for an experience. This is not a diner ambiance nor diner prices. I want to sit and enjoy my wine and my food, which is always a far cut above anything I can get in Montclair. Short of going to NYC, where you wait a lot longer for often mediocre food, I am a satisfied regular. As for the owners, they are both extremely personable; often sit for a few minutes at my table as well as at the tables of other diners. When there has been a glitch, I have seen them in the kitchen as well as working with their sometimes less then perfect staff to right the situation.

In short, my husband and I both love the restaurant, the food, and the ambiance. AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! I wish some of the other happy diners in Montclair would write about their positive experiences at local restaurants instead of leaving these forums just to the angry or grudge-holding few.

I wanted to visit Uptown for quite some time, but was hesitant because of comments I read here. I've been there twice now, for breakfast and lunch. I liked the style of two comments above, I'll give it a shot:

PROS:
-The place looks great. The branding is nice, design, interior design, everything looks very professional and flows together. Good job there
-Not a long wait at lunch time, breakfast time wasn't so bad either.

CONS:
-The food, let's talk about the food. Really, the place looks fabulous but the food tastes like it's made with cheap ingredients and it's very noticeable. If you're going to have a creative menu with great meal ideas, why not actually make them taste as good as they sound. Here's what I've tried so far (we shared a few dishes):
-French toast: thought it was really dry, like they were too cheap to keep the bread soaking in the egg, just dipped and cooked, truly an unflavorful experience.
-Hummus sandwich: This one isn't hard to mess up, so I'll give it to 'em, it's tasty.
-Eggs benedict: Could have made this better on my own at home. The Hollandaise tasted like it wasn't made fresh or from an original recipe, it tasted like it was from a jar/packet, not creative at all. English muffins were nothing special, eggs were overcooked, Canadian bacon was really mediocre.
-Lump crab sandwich: What a cheap portion! I can't get over how cheap the food seems to be here, like they're trying to save a penny but in the worst way! I'd rather have this place looking like garbage than to have the food taste so bland and in such small portions.

-This leads me to the pricing: OVER PRICED! If you're trying to make some money off the restaurant while skimping on the food, people will eventually catch on and you won't be around long enough to correct your mistakes. Correct them now, bring the prices down slightly or offer a better tasting meal - my vote is for the latter. People are leaving Raymond's to come to Uptown and then going straight back to Raymond's in favor of consistently tasty meals. Captivate your audience now before you have no more audience to captivate.

-Tables are awfully small: I couldn't help but listen to what was going on at the table next to ours, and when they stopped talking it was because they were listening in on us. Maybe get rid of a table at the end and spread them out just slightly, it would really make a big difference.

-The wait staff: Oh the wait staff. They are adorable and quite good-looking, but rather dense. I asked one young man a question and he gave me a blank stare, walked away and we didn't hear an answer for another 10 minutes. We waited a while to get drinks, our meals both times, were served to the wrong person (this is such a simple task to get straight). I don't blame the servers, I blame the lack of training they seem to have.

A few suggestions for the owners (who must be reading this if their advertisement is showing at the top of this page):
I want you to succeed with Uptown, I really do because I love breakfast and we need more breakfast places in town. But don't you realize the restaurant business is competitive? Don't you want to impress instead of disappointing over and over again? Take the suggestions of myself and others above me. And whoever keeps commenting, claiming that all negative comments on this board are competitors, you are a fool and you're making Uptown look bad. Why would competitors waste their time commenting on other restaurant pages? Don't they have better things to do? Like make delicious food? So some ideas, perhaps repeated:
-Train the staff a little better: Make a list of things the servers should automatically know/do and never forget/mess-up, and then train them on it.

-Better customer service: I whole-heartedly agree with this comment:
"Owners missed their calling as restaurant designers. Uptown is gorgeous, but the restaurant/service industry is hard work and they should leave that to experienced, hard working, customer service-oriented professionals."
While I haven't dealt with the managers/owners personally, I have seen other people get in a huff over their food and the lack of concern the owners showed for them. YOU MUST KISS THE CUSTOMERS ASS. Apologize, offer a free drink or discount, and get over it. It works wonders and no one can be angry with you if you kill them with kindness.

-Better quality ingredients: Do you know the difference between making a meal with ingredients bought at Pathmark vs Whole Foods? Maybe not, but I sure do, and so can everyone else in Montclair. We're wealthy in this town! We have tasted the best food in Europe and we know what we like to eat, and that's good food made with tasty ingredients. I'm not saying buy your ingredients at Whole Foods, but stop buying them from Sodexho or whoever you're getting them from, UPGRADE.

-Tables: You read my suggestion above, why not try it out for a day, so you lose 3 tables in the morning, it is probably worth it.

-Outdoor seating: It looks like you've got that side parking space between the two buildings . You should turn that into an intimate eating area with lights going across the top, back and forth and a bamboo room separator blocking the sight of the sidewalk. Some plants in each corner, cute bistro tables and a vase of flowers on each table. What will that cost, maybe $1000, it's SO WORTH IT. Those tables in the front are not cutting it.

From,
Your friendly, possible fan (if you get things straight).

wow - i think it was styx that sang, "too much time on my hands" -- i think:)

AnnaWanna you obviously have too much time on your hands and are disguising your annoying complaining with assurances of constructive criticism. get a life!

We have become regulars at Uptown because the food is delicious, the atmosphere is upscale but unpretentious, and the room is light and airy. The over-all feeling is sophisticated yet relaxed, in the Italian tradition. At night, the place feels warm and inviting. The menu has lots of options ? many more appealing dishes than on the menus of most other restaurants in town, especially ?uptown,? in Upper Montclair.

For breakfast/lunch, the eggs, the croque madame and the Uptown salad are fabulous. For dinner, Tuscan chicken and the pastas are magnificent. Caesar salad and fish specials are also great. An early problem venting smoke in the kitchen has been solved; the service continues to improve each time we are there. The owners/managers are gracious, friendly and treat people with care. The outdoor terrace with greenery and crunchy gravel is the perfect spot in fine weather. All in all, a welcome addition to town. Here?s hoping the place doesn?t get discovered and ruined by crowds.

Afternoon,
Are you KIDDING us? Although I do love this sentence:
The menu has lots of options ? many more appealing dishes than on the menus of most other restaurants in town, especially ?uptown,? in Upper Montclair.

At least AnnaWanna just has too much time on her hands.

I have taken my family to Uptown a number of times. But will no longer be supporting this establishment. Let me make it short. The owners
have no personality for the "front of the house". (If they are novices perhaps hire an experienced host or hostess). After six visits they have no clue as to our names. Lastly, while they may feel it necessary to have security cameras pointed at the register and kitchen its really over the top to have it in the dining area. What is that all about? My family is not for their viewing. pleasure.

it would be nice if all eating establishments had the type of management that took the time to learn every regular customer's name. however, this is unrealistic and thus not a legitimate complaint. you simply cannot hold that against them.

all in all, uptown is a restaurant with a decent, though not incredibly original menu. the staff, though lacking experience makes up for it with effort. the owners mean well but aren't very knowledgeable in the business.

This is the friend of weezyF, and I have some thoughts of my own on the most recent post.

Forgive Uptown for forgetting your family is one of the most important in a town of 40,000 some people. It's hard to blame them for not remembering one family out of countless that give the restaurant business (arguably well-deserved) every week or so. If you could see my fingers, you'd see the smallest violin in the world playing "My Heart Cries for You".

As for the cameras, in the world we live in, there is no such thing as too much security, and in my opinion, after eating at Uptown several times, I'd hardly consider the couple of cameras there as being "too many." Did you ever consider the possibility of an altercation within the restaurant that might need a second look? Or, perhaps, their subpar "personality for the 'front of the house'" requires some attention that the owners give by keeping cameras that observe the host/hostesses actions.

I think someone's a little too partaken with themselves and their family. The cameras are there for everybody, not just while you're eating, and after viewing this site from time to time, haven't seen another post criticizing the cameras. With the pride you possess for your family (both Uptown's lack of remembering your name and they're intent desire to videotape you) it sounds like you're lucky there aren't paparazzis after you yet.

My posting was not to insite a commentors riot. Nor was I invisioning a rebuttal. This is simply an expression of one mans experience. I doubt
Uptown has had the volume of 40,000 patrons - and my wife is a knock. Some people blend in - she does not. (Again one mans option). As for security if you don't mind the breach of privacy - thats your entitlement. And by the way we have been a champion of paparazzi. I'm in the recording industry. Paparazzi have been in my face. I have know how it feels.
Simply seems to me rebuttals are "wag the dog". In closing the food was the only experience that had personality. I will not be coming back to this site so no need to wish me well. Enjoy your wind...

Uptown looks really inviting from the street. Very sophistcated decor. I've meant to stop in because I've heard the food is excellent, however, now that I know they have surveillance cameras poised on the patrons in the dining room, I don't think I would feel comfortable there at all. Security cameras at the register or at the door seems reasonable, but how can you relax if you think someone's watching you while you eat? It's like there's a logged record of who you were with, what you were wearing, if you have good table manners or not, etc. Totally not my scene. I have only one word for it: invasive.

I agree boom. I was going to go there with my boyfriend for dinner but with the damn cameras my husband might find out!!

Seriously, camerss on diners? Maybe they should have spent the money instead on training of staff.

I have actually been a big defender of this place, but no more. Between the BMW (or is it a Mercedes?) parked in the alley next door, making it clear that this is indeed "just a hobby", the awful service and the management who honestly couldn't care less, I am done with this place.

It's a shame...

oh god cynd1 is back

: )~

...actually a very nice neighbor-ask anyone in our area--I keep my area clean, swept--nicely planted (and we dont even own here!!!)-but, when someone crosses me...I am a Cancer and hold grudges.

Cynd1, you do realize you lost all credibility months ago. Let your grudge go, you're making yourself look like a complete ass. Please do the rest of the world a favor and unplug your keyboard.

mmm. If you like picking up other people garbage in front of or in back of your residence-you are the ass. kind of left a "bad tate in my mouth"--and it seems that the people who have tried "Uptown" have a bad taste in thier mouth as well. the little bubble you live in isnt "the rest of the world"..ps~!!

I think this is the weirdest restaurant-review string I've ever read.

Entertaining, though!

I'm not defending Uptown. I'm saying that you should grow up and stop trashing owners for past experiences, even if they are bad owners. Get a life, get over it.

well, not only do they have surveillance cameras on the patrons while dining, which is creepy and has zero to do with security, they're losing their one true asset: their chef! and the short order breakfast guy is going to be doing dinners now. i'm sure he's a good cook, but there's a difference between a cook and a chef, anybody knows that. the camera thing really sketches people out. keep security cameras on the register and on the door, not on the patrons!

This must be the hottest place in town because it certainly has the hottest chat going on. I am so tried of these posting that have nothing to do with food. . I see known competitors on here trashing the place and ex-grudge-holding neighbors, and people being paranoid about security cameras which exist everywhere these days. Try going to the mall or even other restaurants in Montclair.

By the way, their night chef is not their ?best asset? . Word has it, from a waitress there (a cute college student who is friendly and competent!) that the kitchen was slower on several occasions because the evening chef didn?t show up or called last minute and left all the cooking to be done by her partner. I raise my hat to the day chef, reportedly soon to be promoted to night chef, for a job well done.

In any case, Uptown has been open only a few months and it is consistently filled. I frequent it and have had consistently good experiences with food and the managers who often sit and eat meals with me and my family. And I am not the only one! My kids love the mini burgers and spaghetti and meat sauce. What is wrong with the posting people on here that they need to trash these new places? I say the same thing I said when Toast and Table 8 and Bistro 18 and soon FAWA opened, ?WELCOME to Montclair and we are HAPPY you are here! ?!

Burtsbees, you sound like maybe you know the owners a bit to much, and know a bit too much about the restaurant for your opinion to be trusted. Maybe you are the owners.

At this point the owner is burtsbees. The night chef was their angel in a pocket. The angel couldnt take the circus anymore,because of the lack of gratitude, manners and unprofessionalism. So Susan and Marilyn, both of you who are not restauranteurs, promote your inexperienced short order cook who is overworked and underpayed. You were told by me to take care of what came to you so freely, and then you abused it. Stop the spin and any thing that appears slanderous toward the chef who helped you prosper from the start and showed you and your cook the basics. Debra S.

My one experience included bad service and average food, which is a shame since I'm in walking distance and really miss having a reliable place sinc Lotsa Pasta left. The food there wasn't great either, but it was consistently okay, the prices were reasonable, the atmosphere was unpretentious and the staff was great. Who cares about cameras, I just want to enjoy a nice dinner once in a while.

Sadly, no, not an owner. But "it's pretty to think so"

this thread is hilarious. not only is burtsbees, and probably afternoon, the owner but SKY initially pretended to be a male patron (his wife is a knock). now we know sky is debra s (a woman i presume)!

and not to mention SHE created an entire back story...

Clearly I am not smart enough to keep up with this story...

this thread seems to have taken on a very personal slant - - i've tried to eat here for breakfast recently and its just never open. Any ideas on what hours they serve breakfast?

I think they closed for breakfast and are now open for lunch and dinner every day. Look in the window, they posted the hours

I think they closed for breakfast and are now open for lunch and dinner every day. Look in the window, they posted the hours

Horrible amateur service! Obviously this restaurant is left unmanaged and running on its own. We were seated for lunch at a few minutes after 1 PM last Saturday. The communal tables were empty at that time. Just before 1:20 I looked at my watch and said to my partner if no one comes to serve us by 1:20 we are leaving. The waiter miraculously appeared, took our food and drink orders and promptly disappeared. At 1:40 I walked over to the waiter and asked where the drinks were. He said "That's OK" and he'd bring them. Huh?? Took another 5 minutes. People at the communal tables were being served our Cobb Salads. Asked the waiter where our food was and he said those other tables weren't his and he didn't know why they were being served and he make sure our orders were "submitted.". 5 minutes later at 1:55 we walked out without being served. Walked over to Jackie's Grillette, where they know how to serve customers.

ouch...i think the writings on the wall.

Jackie's Grillette rocks!

Uptown should put their dinner menu online.

I have to say that while Cynd1 comes across as more than loony, she provided me with some valuable info. I too, like to know where my $ is going. Now that I know that the people behind this restaurant are the women behind Bees Knees, I will never patronize Uptown.

I am a working mother, and I say that proudly. When Bees Knees opened 2 or so years ago, I noticed that they only seemed to offer daytime hours when most working people would be unavailable to bring their child. I called to inquire about their schedule and I was greeted with the most snotty condescending attitude because I was not a stay-at-home-mom. I was just in shock from the entire experience, words cannot even express.

What comes around, goes around. I'd rather spend my hard-earned money at other establishments in town.

Full Disclosure: I am not affiliated with the owners of Uptown nor am I a competitor. I know nothing of BeesKnees, the owners' former business. I'm just a guy who lives in the neighborhood.

I went to Uptown with my spouse and two small children on Saturday afternoon for lunch. It is a very attractive room with a nice view of St. James church across the street. Great decor. I wouldn't characterize the place as the pinnacle of Manhattan restaurant design, but it is a far better room than almost any other local restaurant.

Our order took a little longer to come out than I would have expected, given that the restaurant was not terribly busy, but this was not a huge problem. Just as the kids started to get fidgety, the food arrived.

We had a pretty simple meal - the kids had the mini hamburgers with oven baked fries from the children's lunch menu. The burgers were simple but tasty. The fries were very good, but they were drenched with olive oil. I like the idea of the baked fries, but a little less oil for the kids please.

We shared a turkey club sandwich, which was very good. Great bread and quite delicious.

The prices for the lunch were in line with what we see at other eateries in the area. Not inexpensive, but not over the top.

I will go back for lunch and may even try out the dinner menu at some point.

I visiting from the city and had a lovely dinner about two weeks ago with some friend who live in Montclair. The food was definitely of great quality and very tasty and I liked that the menu had safe choices but also very interesting spins on recognizable and some new dishes. My favorite was the pasta fra diavolo...soo good. The place is stylish but not cold and the service was friendly and very sweet. I'll definitely want to go back and told some friends to even do a drive out for that addictive pasta dish. So good.

are they still open...i tried to go on sunday and they were closed.

I had dinner at Uptown with 3 girlfriends to celebrate one of my friend's birthday on a Thursday night. The food was simply delicious from the mushrooms salad to the dessert. Three of us had the filet mignon which was cooked exactly the way we had requested it and it was huge (very good value). My friend had the pasta with seafood which was really good too. We ended up with a very decent bill for an above average dinner. Service was not super fast but the waitress was very pleasant and efficient. I just wished the busboy would have been a bit more discreet and would have made less frequent appearances at our table. Other than that, a great evening. We will definitely come back with our husbands and kids or maybe just among friends. Make sure you bring a good bottle of wine to go with the excellent food.

I've given Uptown three tries to win me over and they have failed each time. The first time, I had an omelet that looked good, but lacked taste. No one ever came back to inquire about my meal or give me a check. Being one of two customers in the entire place, I thought it would be a quick meal. I finally got up and went to the counter to ask to pay them for the meal.
The second visit was not much better. Good looking sandwich but chicken was dry & overcooked. Again, we had to ask to pay. And we're pretty patient people.
On the third visit, a took a friend from out of town and waited 15 to 20 minutes for a waitress. She acknowledged us and kept waiting on newer customers. As we walked out without ordering, she said "thank you."
In my mind, that's it for Uptown. There are a lot of other places to help support in Montclair.

I think Uptown is a little gem. I bring a lot of friends and family there and they are always impressed with the decor, the tasty, healthy food and the ambiance! I love going there for coffee & dessert or for a light lunch, I can bring my kids who love everything they've tried there (they love the smoothies the best!)
I'm glad to have it around!