Fin Raw Bar And Kitchen
“Great food/service/decor, a little bit pricey but nothing crazy, outside seating, BYOB & you can have wine delivered 😀 love this place.”
“My favorite starters are the tuna tartar and the fresh oysters.”
“Just a delicious blend of flavor while maintaining the flakiness of the monkfish.”
Fin Raw Bar And Kitchen
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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Fins to the left. Fins to the right. And you're the only bait in town. Well, at least the only BYOB, exclusively seafood restaurant in town. I would be remiss if I didn't mention Halcyon, but they're not BYOB, and in full disclosure, I used to work there.
Swanky ambiance. Classy, yet with a casual "I could be on the beach right now" feel to it.
I've been here twice now. The first time, four of us went on a Friday night. Started with 1/2 dozen oysters. That's the minimum, but at least they let you pick as many different kinds as you want. They offer about 10 different kinds total, from both coasts. The Naked Cowboys from Long Island were so good we had to get them on our second visit.
The wood-charred octopus ($14) was delicious. The combination of flavors worked well together.
The lobster truffle mac n cheese ($15) is well worth every penny. I would put it in my top 3, which necessitated a second order on the second visit. Just as good both times, but I found it to absorb more flavor as a leftover the following day.
Got the strozzapreti with lobster, crabmeat, shrimp, mint, lemon and chili flakes as my main the first time. It tasted fresh but everything needed a bit more time to absorb the flavor. The second time, I went with the mahi mahi topped with toasted macadamia nuts (which were closer to burnt) and mango in a peanut sauce with rice. Fish was delicious, and the overtoasted nuts managed to not ruin the dish. I left wanting more of that peanut sauce and more mango.
Get the s'more dessert. Outrageous. Unreal. On the second go-around, we got the pear soaked in white wine with tapioca, dried cherries and a fried wonton. It was good, but the wonton provided the only relief from every other component of the dessert sharing the same texture.
My only real complaint is that, in addition to the entrees taking a long time to come out on our first visit, they also made us order everything all at once. I could see the rationale for that if we had arrived for an early dinner, but we didn't get there until after 8, so it's not like they could have turned our table anyway.
Skip the calamari. Ours was somewhat undercooked and definitely underseasoned. And for $15?
Don't bother basing your visit on the online menu. It's not up to date.
Overall, the service here is excellent. The same hostess (and I think the same owner) greeted us both times and sat us right away and Emily did a great job serving us both times.
3.5 Nice place for seafood in Montclair. They get bonus points for cool atmosphere and modern marine decor.
Highly recommend the crackling calamari salad, fried calamari in a salad with a honey lime balsamic dressing. For my main i ordered the macadamia mahi mahi dish that came with coconut basmati rice, mango salsa, and a smear of thai peanut sauce. The fish was cooked well, but i wish there were more macadamia nuts, salsa and peanut sauce. Basically more of everything. I was tempted to ask for extra sauce. The dish was satisfying however, it's the type of dish I could probably make at home. Meaning it was too simple. My husband enjoyed his Strozzapreti dish, pasta with lobster, crab, and shrimp. The seafood was all fresh. Service was attentive and eager to please.
We forgot they were BYOB but luckily you can order delivery from a local liquor store. The deliver guy came straight to our table. What a clever idea.
I would give this place another try. Loved the apps but would try a different entrée.
Just finished dinner.
Pros: the appetizers were awesome! We had the octopus and tuna tartare. The complimentary bread was also very good.
Byob with outdoor seating.
Cons: my setting included a dirty fork. We sat outside and at times we felt they forgot about us. However when the server showed up he was very nice. The entrees (swordfish and calamari salad) were disappointing — lacking flavor.
I'm not really a picky eater. I'll try almost anything. So, I didn't even look at the menu, just asked the server to bring me the plate that she's most proud of. I know I put the server on the spot, but I was a bit surprised that she brought out Asian Fusion Tuna. It was really very very good. I guess I was just hoping their best plate would be a little more inspired than that. I did tell her no salmon, but to me, tuna is right behind salmon in being a fish that I can pretty much get anywhere. When I go back, I guess I'll have to read the menu 😉
Also, I should mention that the oysters were excellent. Horseradish shaved directly onto the oysters was done table-side, I thought that was a nice touch.
Fin has a wide selection of seafood. I would highly recommend getting an oyster platter to start. I had the Naked Cowboys which had a briney flavor.
For my entree I had the soft shell crab. I'm accustomed to having soft shell crab in a sandwich but this was served in two halves over arugula.
I would highly recommend Fin for anyone who is a seafood fan.
*stuffed tomato (yes yes yes!!! Chorizo stuffing was delicious!!! The stir fried baby greens and sriracha aioli were amazing; it was rich, juicy, salty and fulfilling. This could honestly be a meal for one person. will definitely order again)
*raw little neck clams (super fresh; meat was crisp and not "fishy"; loved the different cocktail sauces, fresh horseradish grated on top and the tiny Tobasco bottles tucked in the ice)
*7 spiced big eye tuna (tuna was perfectly cooked and I loved the color of it; the soba noodles were delish!! salty and sweet with the Asian-inspired flavors; I just wish this dish had more crunch to it because both the tuna and noodles were relatively soft; maybe some bean sprouts or pickled carrots would go well)
*rosemary and garlic fries (they were ok; I can't taste the rosemary too much; I feel like I've had more seasoned fries at Greek restaurants that have a similar idea when it comes to fries)
Love the decor in the restaurant. The plank walkway at the entrance is dimly lit and sets the mood for what's to come inside. The open kitchen is pretty cool. I love the lighting and it's definitely gorgeous in the nighttime. It's BYOB so feel free to bring whatever, but they have a wine-runner so you can order whatever from a wine menu and someone will go grab you a bottle if you forget. The food is wonderful and the seafood is fresh. Food is pricey but worth it.
The special menu selections are good & my favorite part of the meal are the desserts, apple crisp & banana pudding yummy!
Highlights:
Super cute decor: ship yard-ocean feel.
Nice spot for a date. A bit loud but still can have a conversation
Friendly staff- greeted by hostess,manager and others.
BYOB- but if you forget, they can deliver it right to your table.
Parking lot is across from Salute, serving both restaurants.
Dinner Time:
We went straight to the entrees. The swordfish was calling my name and I had to order it. It was pan seared with a pesto filling bedded with sautéed spinach and a roasted red pepper puree. Everything blended well but did find the swordfish a little dry. I was hoping for a knock out dish. The Barramundi cover with panko crumbs was light and flavorful but again not too impressed. Our waitress was pleasant enough to answer our questions and on point with refilling our glasses.
Wishlist:
To come back again before end of summer and try the raw bar and then some more.