Costanera Restaurant
“Alcohol is BYOB like most places in the area, but there's a wine/beer/liquor store right around the corner.”
“Churrasco a lo Pobre – huge portion of steak comes with rice/beans,plantains and the red onion based salsa.”
“I ordered the Arroz con Mariscos which was basically a Peruvian version of Paella and my wife ordered the Lomo Saltado.”
Costanera Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Costanera is quality Peruvian food that I have learned to enjoy immensely. Coming in here you see an interesting interior, as there are slabs of wood on the walls. It is a unique and creative way to welcome someone into this restaurant.
My friend and I started with the Mixto Ceviches, which contained grouper, octopus, shrimp and squid. I feel that even though this is a small dish, there is a lot of flavor packed in here. It has that acidic taste to it without the dish being so overwhelming. The pieces of seafood in here tasted great as well!
For my main course, I got the Lomo Saltado. In this dish they use sliced Angus Hanger Steak and it has onions, tomatoes, and a bed of french fries underneath. The meat was cooked well and the fries (that were not drenched in sauce) remained crispy throughout my meal.
Service was very attentive and great. I would come back here again!
I was really hungry one day while in Montclair, and I stumbled upon Costanera. I was really in the mood for seafood and I heard they have some good options here. I made reservations for just myself because I do know how busy they can get. Luckily there weren't that many people there. I asked the waiter what the best seafood dish is and he told me that it was this spicy seafood broth with snow crab legs, scallops, and clams. Holy moly, was this amazing. I also ordered plantains on the side which were equally good. My waiter was awesome and was very quick to bring out my order. I am so glad I experienced Costanera!
A cute little Peruvian place right on Bloomfield Ave. The walls are adorned with crosssections of tree trunks and adds a rustic feel to this place.
5 for food. Seriously awesome food. We LOVED all the real food we ordered. . Even the pre-meal "snack" they brought out was on point. The salsa verde is key. Get a lot of it! Mixto ceviche – really flavorful. Seafood was firm but not chewy. And I was surprised at how large the ceviche plate serving was – just perfect for 2 hungry people; Pollo a la Brasa – the traditional Peruvian chicken. Skin was super flavorful; dark meat was nice and juicy. White meat was okay – must dip in the salsa verde.; Lomo Saltado – really cool take. Basically a bed of French fries with pieces of marinated beef, some sauce, and caramelized onions on top – we also got some maduros. I'm a sucker for maduros! Not so stellar on the dessert: The tres leches was a little dense for me and was served ice cold which is kind of a pet peeve of mine. The cappuccino was pretty good, but it's served in such a little cup for $5!
Now for the ugly: 2 for service – not sure if they were missing some servers or busboys the day I came, but the service sucked! We got there a couple minutes before our 7:15 reservation and didn't leave Costanera until a little after 9pm – there were only 2 of us with 1 app to share, and entrée each, and 1 dessert. We aren't slow eaters. We waited unbelievably long for the waitress to come back to open our wine after we had already ordered our meals. We waited unbelievably long for the waitress to come back with salsa verde to go with our entrees, luckily we started eating right away — We were basically done with our entrees when the salsa finally came. We waited for water refills. We waited quite a while for the check as well. The table next to us was in the same boat, and they told us they were feeling like they were invisible. Try to get a table closer to the back to combat this; we were in the tables closest to the street side, wedged between the windows, the bar, and the host stand, so try to stay away from that area – it's pretty hidden from the staff point of view.
Because of very favorable Yelp reviews we decided to try Costanera. None of the four of us had ever tried Peruvian food before. After last night's experience we regret not having tried it before.
We had to catch a show at the Wellmont so we got there early and sat down in an empty restaurant. That kind of creeps me out; not sure why, it's quiet at least. Anyway, we started with a beef Empanada special, and Chori-papa which are potatoes and spicy pork chorizo. Both totally worthy of having for an entrée. Oh yeah, when you arrive the waiter puts before you a bowl of fried bananas with a green spicy dip in lieu of bread. I don't know what's in the dip but it is flavorful and high on scoville units. Excellent!
I decided on the Tallarin Verde con Bisteck. It is described as spaghetti with skirt steak. It actually was more like spinach fettuccine (it was green, the pasta, not the beef) in a sauce with a good size strip of skirt steak accompanying it. My meal came out steaming hot and my steak was done medium rare as requested. You are not likely to get an entrée like this in many places; uniquely done. Bravo! The four of us split one dessert. You've got to try the chocolate mousse with butterscotch ice cream!
Our waiter Sam was awesome. He was very patient with our numerous questions and was polite and punctual. When we lauded the food he smiled and thanked us. You could tell he took pride in his work.
Because we live some 60 miles from here it's doubtful we'll be back; too bad, but if you are anywhere near Montclair, try something a little different, you won't regret it.
By the way by the time we left for our show at 8 pm there wasn't an empty seat in the house; I felt better.
Costanera is probably one of my top favorite restaurants in NJ. And that's really tough for me to say because I don't really have favorites lol and I have only been here a few times lol.
Let's start off with the perks of this gem.
1. They take reservations! But if you have a large party I suggest you reserve sooner and not the day of because their time slots do get booked fast. And it's not a large restaurant.
2. BYOB!!! Some may not agree that's a perk but honestly you save a lot of money that can be used towards…more food!! Lol
3. The service is impeccable. And there's honestly not many servers on the floor. They're very knowledgeable about their menu and specials, not to mention when you ask their opinions they don't tell you everything is good! Lol they are attentive but not the kind that hovers over you throughout the night or rushes you.
Nowwww for the best part…THE FOOD!!
This is not one of those restaurants that you should ignore the specials. They don't have a written menu for it, however your server always tells you and if not, ask because they all memorize it. If the short rib is one of those specials definitely get it. The meat is cooked so tender, fall off the bone, and flavorful sitting on top of the broth it was cooked in. Seafood of course is a must try plus its usually one of the things that's always sold out by the time I eat lol. All the meats here are definitely cooked to order and never dry or bland. I recommend any of their steaks but my favorite is the one with a side of pasta. Yes SPAGHETTI I know it's weird but just try it!! I love my spaghetti with the pesto sauce. Best pesto I've had, and still taste just as good as a leftover FYI lol. Any of their food!
I made dinner reservations around noon the day we went for dinner. The person taking my call informed me the time I wanted had a time block of 1.5 hours and there would be another res right after. He asked if we were ok with that timeframe. Since we were there to catch a concert, we were fine with the timing. Samuel was our server and he was great! He was friendly, fast, and explained everything we inquired about. We started with the octopus salAd and it was tender and delicious! We tried the steak with fried egg and the short run special. The steak was delicious and cooked to our request. I tried their local beverage (said to be healthy?) and it tastes like a berry apple cider. The short rib was super tender and practically melted in my mouth. We didn't have time for dessert so we were able to try out what looked like delicious desserts. Maybe next time!
I must admit, I was concerned when we arrived at the restaurant to find that we were the only customers. Open Table told me that it would be crowded and as the night wore on it did pick up. When we left there was a line at the door.
Our waiter, Sam, was attentive, informative and friendly. Remember – if he says it is going to be HOY, it will be HOT! We started with a sampler of fried bananas with a green dipping sauce which was terrific. Not for the faint of heart, but very, very good.
The table shared beef empanadas and a potato/chorizo dish for appetizers and they were very good. The only very small negative comment here is that the empanadas should have been hotter. For entrees we chose the short ribs special (fork tender with an incredible sauce over the whipped potatoes), spaghetti with skirt steak (spaghetti??) which looked amazing and two seafood dishes (cod and calamari) in a cream sauce. The ladies both liked their meals.
Dessert (how we had the nerve or space to order dessert is beyond me) was a chocolate mousse with fruit and a special ice cream with a mild butterscotch flavor. This dessert was worth the trip!
All in all, a great dining experience made possible by looking at reviews for local restaurants on yelp*.
I had one of the most delicious meals ever here with a few friends prior to seeing a show in town. We chose Costanera by default, as the place we had planned to go was booked solid. What a lucky turn of events for us!
Walking in we were greeted very warmly by the staff. It was early in the evening & it was not at all crowded. The decor of the restaurant very pleasing.
Upon being seated by a very friendly hostess, our waiter, Sam, came over to take our drink order. The place is BYOB so he gladly uncorked our wine & filled our water glasses. He then went through the list of specials & described everything perfectly. I had never tried Peruvian food before so I needed some recommendations, which he gladly provided.
I started with the Empanada stuffed with beef which was completely different than I am used to. It was huge (which Sam had mentioned) & large enough for the 4 of us to share. It was very good. We also shared a potato dish with spicy pork in a chorizo sauce. It was quite tasty.
For dinner Sam recommended a fish dish with calamari in a cream sauce, somewhat like a stew. It was absolutely delicious & there were no leftovers. The only somewhat negative comment I could possibly make would be I wish I had some bread to dip in the leftover sauce, but then again, I would have been fuller than I already was at that point.
For dessert tried an ice cream dish served with fruit & chocolate mousse that was absolutely delicious. It was large enough for the four of us to share. The ice cream was made from a fruit I had never heard of; unfortunately I don't recall the name.
We all left feeling full & happy. So glad we found this place (on Yelp) & had a chance to try it!