Uncle Momo
“As a Divorced Dad trying to please both my carnivorous son and I along with my vegan daughter, our weekly dinners are a challenge.”
“I can't recommend the Ouzi and the hummus with fluffy fresh made pita enough.”
“Had the walnut salad and the chicken lemon pitza…was yummy, we're in South Orange so we don't get over here much, but wish we did!”
Uncle Momo
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I really want to give this establishment 5 stars, but the waitress my friend and I had is preventing me from doing so. We came a little past 5:30 and were 1 of 2 people there. The restaurant is small, cozy, and cute.
Upon entering and being seated, I noticed our waitress looked MISERABLE. Being in a great mood I ignored it until the end of our dinner when she collected our plates, and continuously 'rained' food on my friend. He even made a joke about it which she ignored. Bad day, personal problem, whatever it may be – one cannot forget customer service skills, especially in the service industry!
Putting her aside, the food was a-m-a-z-i-n-g! Appetizers ordered were: Baba Ganoush and Fatoush salad. They were both light yet delicious. Entrees ordered were: Beef Shawarma and Lamb Moussaka. I didn't try the Shawarma but my friend did seem to enjoy it. I thoroughly enjoyed the Moussaka (first time eating it). It was one of those things you would crave on a cold Winter day, as it was warming for the soul. We were too full for dessert but next time, definitely.
When the crowd started to come, it was a nice mix of clientele. Seated directly to us was an older couple who gave me inspiration. They brought their alcoholic beverage of choice as this place is BYOB, talked, and enjoyed their food immensely.
I'd recommend this place despite that waitress. Perhaps she will be in a better mood next time, or there will be another waitress/waiter.
Get the fatouch salad with chicken! So delicious with its fresh ingredients and spices. It takes the average chicken salad to another level.
I don't know who this Uncle is, but he left me wanting Mo' and Mo'.
If Momo is the owner, chances are he's also your server. French guy. Attentive, unlike French servers in France, who couldn't care less about your dining experience since you're an American tourist and they're salaried employees.
As much as I can't stand the tables and squeaky wooden, thin-legged chairs here that leave me worried I'm going to fall to my ass with every bite I take, I really like the ambience. Very authentic Euro cafe feel to it, which extends into the bathroom as well. Be sure to check it out, even if you don't have to actually use it. I'm thinking the chairs would work just fine for the skinny Euro metro type, but someone needs to remind Momo he's in the United States, along with its overweight population.
Got the ouzi, a house speciality. Something different and very unique. Delicious, and the pastry puff was nice and light. The mixed grill is also a good way to go if you're torn between choices. This option gives you chicken, sausage and Lebanese sausage.
Very reasonable prices, plus it's BYOB!
This place has potential, but I was left disappointed. As other reviewers mentioned, it's in a cute little spot that reminds me of an old ice cream parlor. It does have great prices and BYOB is always a plus. The food itself is nothing special, you get what you pay for here.
My boyfriend and I came in around 5pm on a Saturday and we were pretty much the only people there. We were greeted by a man who I believe is the owner/manager who was very short with us, and not friendly at all. I like inviting employees, but it's not the worst thing in the world if they're not. We ended up splitting the fatouch salad and chicken pitza. The lettuce in the salad seemed to be slightly wilted and didn't have that rich green color to it. The pitza was pretty good, but a little on the bland side. If you're looking for a hearty meal, this isn't it. We also split the pistachio ice cream, which was very good and worth getting again.
My biggest issue here is when we had to go add money to the meter. We were almost done with our meals and wanted to go add 50 cents so we could stay there for 30 more minutes. My boyfriend went up to the owner and asked for change for just one dollar. The owner was rude and didn't want to give us change. He first said we should just use our card, but who wants to put only 50 cents on their card? Then he said the quarters are for "customers only." Umm we are customers! We have been sitting here ordering for the past hour. It was really bizarre and made us not want to return to the restaurant. If there are metered spots in front of your restaurant, you should be prepared to give your patrons change when needed.
This place is a good solid 3 star joint. Get your pita and your gyro on. The white Tzatziki sauce bangs it home. My peppers were chunky and a bit charred. I'm going to try out a delivery and report back. The dining experience was clean, the place was packed, and the owners are very personable. That being said, the atmosphere is missing something. It's a bit sterile. But, it's decent food. I'll certainly return and update accordingly. If only it were open during after hours…via a window for sidewalk walk ups. Now there's an idea.
(3.5 stars)
Excellent food, under par service. We would have loved every bite of our meal here, but the service was so inconsistent, it made the dining experience a little frustrating. To begin with we were seated for around 10-15 minutes before anyone came around to ask us for drinks or offer any water. Simple things were lacking – water glasses never refilled, they forgot our drinks — Loomi (red colored citrus drink) and coffee. When they finally got it out – they didn't give a straw or a spoon for either. There were just 2 people working the floor and the place was packed – they need to get in more efficient people to make things easier for their customers.
Also the tables are pretty cramped on the left side of the restaurant, so try and get a booth if you can – it will allow more breathing space.
The food:
There were four of us, so we ordered the mezze sampler & pita bread to begin with. We chose hummus, babaganouj, labne, foul and spinach + chickpea for our platter & everything was flavorful and fresh. We swapped every last bit of it with our fresh-from-the-oven pitas, which were flaky and airy. Nice start.
For the mains we split the Moussaka, Momo Pitza and the mixed Kabab platter. The pizza was outstanding – this is a Mediterranean version of pizza which is made on a flaky naan-type of bread. The crust was not super crispy, but the pizza itself was light and every bite was a burst of flavors. Everyone loved the moussaka and kababs as well. The chicken & lamb kababs on the platter were particularly well received & everyone loved it.
The coffee was excellent too – rich, decadent and creamy.
My friend also ordered a Nutella fruit crepe for her 2-year old, and requested they bring it out first as it was for the baby. Well, this was the one item that came last!
We were waiting for awhile for someone to come and clear our table and ask us if we wanted something else….eventually we made our way out & paid at the till. The servers at Uncle Momo didn't pay any attention to detail – if they did, this could be a stellar dining experience.
Came here for dinner after hearing a lot of buzz about this place. It's located right across from Whole Foods, so parking isn't really difficult in this part of Montclair. We actually scored a parking spot right in front of the restaurant.
Its very cozy inside and service is excellent. I am not sure who our waiter was as everyone was constantly coming to our table to make sure everything is in order.
After hearing the specials, I was very tempted to order the Bronzini, however I opted for the beef shwarma. We also ordered a cheese pizza, which is on pita bread and was excellent as well as the steak for my daughter.
For dessert they brought out Baklava, which was good, however not the Baklava I was used to or expecting. Nevertheless it was on the house and I enjoyed it!
Everything is been excellent and I am looking forward to returning here.
Its also B.Y.O.B. here.
This place is really amazing I truly enjoyed the food here I had the Tunisian eggs which were amazing my wife had the middle eastern eggs and they were great. You should also try the meza this a mixture of different appetizers and don't let me forget about the best part the freshly made bread!!!! To die for we had a wonderful experience the owner came out and started talking to us and for dessert they gave us a fruit filled crepe on the house which was so very nice of them and we greatly appreciated it. We are so coming back here again for dinner maybe. We felt the wonderful hospitality of the middle eastern culture just as if we were in Lebanon or Jordan or North Africa.