M'y husband and I dined on 2/12, in the evening. It was a long wait to take our order, a longer wait to receive the appetizer, and an even longer wait for the entree. We waited over half an hour for the check and had to dispute incorrect charges. To add insult to injury there was an imposed fee of 20% for gratuity....for neglectful service. At the end, we were told that the 20% was not negotiable. I will continue to escalate this complaint. The audacity ! read more

A party of 10 went for a birthday dinner, last minute reservations were made but we were easily accommodated. The food is colorful,flavorful and spicy. Some dishes we ordered were legume, with meats like chicken, goat and shrimp, chicken etoufee and griot. For anyone who likes large portions, the savory spaghetti dish is enough for 2. The service was wonderful and staff was attentive to our needs. Music had dancing in our seats. Great spot for anyone who enjoys Haitian cuisine or food of the African Diaspora. read more

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This restaurant is very offensive. Please pull the "gumbo" and "jambalaya" from the menu. Those aren't Haitian foods and just because they're Creole foods, that doesn't mean that you can serve them, ESPECIALLY when you're making them wrong. That's like someone making cole slaw and calling it pikliz. Someone cooking neckbones and calling it griot. It is absolutely sad that y'all are trying to capitalize off of a culture that is not your own when your own is so beautiful. Beignets? Really? There aren't beignets in Haiti. Like.... This is ridiculous and I will continue to complain until you take it DOWN! Jambalaya, Gumbo, and beignets are NOT Haitian foods. At least make it right if you want to serve it because from what I've seen, it's wrong. read more

I love when I try new types of cuisines and enjoy it to the fullest. Our lovely waitress wanted to make sure we would be okay with the spices, but we told her we can handle the most spiciest pepper on the Scoville scale which is the Trinidad scorpion pepper which is even spicier than the ghost pepper! Her english wasn't too good so when we told her this she brought out the pepper that they use, and we told her we have used this pepper in our cooking a lot too. We call it the Jamaican pepper which is at 100k heat units and the ghost is 1mil heat units. So there's your pepper education for the day, you're welcome. She was so sweet she ended up making the rest of our meals spicy, you get to choose soups and salads with each entree. We chose the Jambalaya and salad, the only issue was there was barely any chicken in the soup and the pieces we did have were fall off the bone delicious, so we requested some more and she brought us some extra chicken. We also tried the lamb and crab empanadas.....the flaky crust was just perfect! For the meal we got the Tassot De Chevre which is the fried goat and it was just perfection. Perfect spice and so tender. Also the Crab Etouffee was my favorite thing here. I am still thinking about it and am sooooo happy I have leftovers for lunch today! Now the only negative thing I would say is that we need to change the cost from $$ to $$$ because to me $30 a plate is at the $$$ level and $$ is less than $15. read more

What and experience;, well lit for romantic dinner with the love one. Exquisite food; that lamb and the salmon, oh my goodness so soft and tender, flavorful. The mac and cheese to die for. I myself a chef was dumbfounded by the chef's focus on details with their wonderful choice of spices with the right blend of textures that took me back home to the islands. Don't forget to polish it off with sweet potato pudding with a nice glass of red. read more

Now I don't know too much about Haitian cuisine but this place felt and tasted VERY authentic. SO so good. I've been here twice. This time around I ordered the Haitian Caviar which tasted like something I've never had before. Basically it's smoked fish spread over crispy tostones topped with creamy goat cheese. Very yummy. For my main dish I ordered the Tilapia Roule...soooo delicious. The creole flavors were amazing and it wasn't too salty in the least. The thing I really appreciate about this place is that they offer a small but perfect portion of soup and salad with any entree. Places don't do this anymore! The Jambalaya soup was very flavorful, YUM. Also the sweet vinaigrette dressing on the salad I loved, not to mention the yummy chunk of goat cheese added on top. Dessert: We tried the bread pudding with ice cream. Very sweet and warm. I liked it, but didn't love it. (I know that was just a personal preference though) Atmosphere is welcoming and romantic; great date place. Beautiful candles flickering really make the place warm and cozy. Only odd thing is that you have to literally walk through the active kitchen to get to the bathroom, but things like that don't really bother me; feels like I'm part of the action lol. I'm actually going to go as far as to say this is one of my favorite restaurants... Can't wait to come back!!! read more

Saveur Creole - Haitian Caviar - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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No complaints about this place and I'll definitely be coming back. Every Wednesday after my husband finishes his night class at MSU, we try to find a nearby restaurant to go to for a late supper. This place knocked our socks off. Now, I'm by no means a Haitian food aficionado, but I can say with certainty that the flavors in the food at this place will make you question your very existence - it's that good. In fact, it was so good, I may have even briefly lost consciousness. The service was also outstanding, which is a big part of my dining experience. Our server was knowledgable about the menu and, since we were amateurs to this type of cuisine, made recommendations and explained "how" to eat the food when the time did come (my dish came with a small, hot metal crock that contained the bulk of my meal, then my plate had a serving of vegetables, polenta and spicy black beans, which I was instructed to all sort-of mix together on the plate). The part that made me black out was definitely the bread pudding dessert - warm and not too sweet, served with vanilla ice cream, it was the Goldilocks of desserts! Although this place is a little pricy (not unreasonably so), it's definitely worth it. (Also, BYOB!) read more

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Not to oversell the place, but this is probably the best authentic Haitian food you can find in New Jersey with a fine dining setting. Coming from someone who grew up eating Haitian food regularly, Saveur Creole's dishes are as good as it gets. From the marinade fritters, to the bouillon soup, to the pork griot, everything tastes as amazing as it looks.They pay a lot of attention to presentation. The portion sizes are a little smaller than I would have liked, but the quality makes up for the lack of quantity. It's a pretty small venue, but very clean and well maintained. The furniture had a very vintage look, but the place settings felt very upscale. All the staff were well-dressed in all black. My only negative is their bathroom. There's no pleasant way to put it. It's absolutely terrible. Just take my word for it. Don't expect to find any bargains. All the main entrees over $20. It is very high compared to other Haitian restaurants in NY and NJ The staff are friendly. I went on a Weekend day with no reservation. At first, I was told, all the tables were booked for the evening. Keep in mind that I showed up right when they opened. They still managed to find me a table but the overall service took almost 2.5 hours, so don't visit this restaurant if you're on a tight schedule. They refill your water glass regularly. The owner greeted all the patrons on the way out and even shook my hand. The only reason I took one star off the service, was the wait time. They are a pretty busy place. Food: 5/5 Environment: 4/5 Price: 3/5 Service: 4/5 Overall, I would visit this place again, but it would be for a special occasion. It's a little too fancy and expensive for casual dining. read more

EVERYTHING EVERYTHING IS DELICIOUS. we loved the red snapper, bayou shrimp, empandas salad (the salt fish is soooo good), jerk chicken salad. The place is intimate and beautiful. The staff are lovely. read more

Went here again last night and now love it even more. My updates: the chilean sea bass was fantastic. The waitress will tell the cook if you don't seem like spice people ( which is actually brilliant)SO if you want it Haitian hot, tell them. They will happily oblige, but the default approach will be to make it mild. Once again, go with a lightly sweet white wine, like a Moscato or the right Reisling. Even our friend of more limited palette liked this place. We loved it. Chef Marcus is now giving cooking classes. read more

Phenomenal meal here tonight. The owner and everyone who works here is so kind and the food is amazing! The outdoor seating is so beautiful and inviting. I live nearby and just came for a quick dinner with my two children but it was very upscale and lovely. The owner gave my children some different things to taste and we had a great supper. They do offer delivery and the restaurant is also on DoorDash. Highly highly highly recommend. read more

We celebrated my aunt's birthday at Saveur Creole this past Sunday and this beautiful cozy Haitian restaurant has left the best impressions on us. From the Hospitable host, delicious dishes to beautiful presentation, the ambiance was very welcoming and charming. You definitely feel that making their customers happy is their priority. Special thanks to Ron and his staff for giving us an amazing experience Highly recommend! Sandra read more

If you're looking for a non-ordinary culinary experience, Saveur Creole is the perfect place to go. They offer friendly waitstaff, quality food and authentic Creole eats. We ordered their Haitian caviar and legume starter (choice of either eggplant or spinach, but the kitchen was nice enough to do half-half for us) for appetizers. Both of these appetizers are served on fried plantains, I highly preferred the Haitian caviar because the smoked fish and goat cheese perfectly complemented one another. For entrees, I ordered the jerk tilapia salad and my friend ordered their salmon and shrimp Creole special. That salmon and shrimp Creole special is out. of. this. world awesome! Beware of the side of coleslaw-looking dish that they place along many appetizers and dishes. This bad boy is on FIRE spicy. My friend learned this the hard way after taking a large spoonful (thinking it was going to taste like coleslaw). It really should come with a mini warning sign that it so EXTRA spicy that it basically feels like setting your mouth on fire. Prices are really good, for all the food we ordered, our total was about $53 (before tips), but the portions are quite generous so we had a lot to take home too. Perfect for summer al fresco dining, but their dining room is also very clean. My one and only gripe is their bathroom. You have to cut through the kitchen and it is the very last door to your left, but there is only one and I just felt that passing through the kitchen wasn't very sanitary nor safe. Other than this, everything else was perfect. read more

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We went there a few weeks ago - delicious meal, great environment and really great service. Loved my dinner and can't wait to go back. Highly recommend! read more

Food is savory creole Haitian food. They aren't shy with the spice and chillies. A cosy spot for good creole food. Located next to a liquor store, so be sure to BYOB. We started with the appetizer and it was good, but the gumbo was the star of the show. Tangy, deep, spicy, complex flavors. Thinking about it makes you salivate. I could have eaten just that soup with a stick of bread... I had the red snapper, grilled and on creole sauce. It was so-so. I asked for it to be well-grilled but it came barely grilled. I was hoping for it be charred and crispy. Despite telling the waitress to make it well - grilled, she most definitely did not take my order seriously. Maybe she thinks she know how I should like my fish.. on the soggy side. I would not recommend it. Being that it was $48 for the darn plate. The black rice that came with the meal was awesome. Looks like long grain or basmati. But infused with porky and bacony goodness. I could eat a bowl of that by itself. Service is prompt. The server we had was very business like. No nonsense for sure. Kinda makes you feel a little unwelcomed. I figure she must own the place. read more

Totally amazing!!! must try this place. --Food: 5. Delicious- full of flavor. Fried goat & goat in Creole gravy were amazing!! (look at pics) Empanada appetizer is great as well!. Salad with goat chz and guava vingrette. Yum!! Totally impressed. --Price: 3. On the higher side, food is worth it tho. Only down side. --Drink: --. No liquor, but liquor store is right next door. --Service: 5. Great! Ashley was an amazing waitress! Very helpful with suggestions, friendly, smiling, and knowledge of the menu. --Atmosphere: 5. They made it look very traditional with Creole/ Hatian music playing in the background. Nice table set up with a candles lit. Nice positive feel. We'll be back :) read more

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Great food, but thats it. Lets start with the good. The food is very good, as is the decor. The bad: the service is almost non existent. The wait staff disappears, is non attentive and is comprised of local kids that know nothing about the food or how its prepared. Now for my biggest issue, they include the tip in the check, a whopping 22% (I generally tip pretty heavy so this is not the issue), but I do not like that they take that decision out of your hands. I suspect that this goes straight to the owner and his (high school) age staff does not see any of this. To sum this all up, probably a great take out place. read more

When my friend recommended Haitian food I was definitely expecting a little hole in the wall. Small but very quaint candle lit setting. I was just embarrassed i still had sweatpants on. Oh, It's BYOB but that's okay because there's a liquor store right next store. It was my first time having Haitian food and it was delicious. Plus it was nice that the owner comes out and thanks as well. Glad I was introduced to this little gem. read more

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The food is delicious warm and authentic. The art captures your eye immediately! If you are a vegetarian this is a place you should add to your favorites list immediately!! So many delicious options your head will spin. Flavorful options you Will forget what it means to be a vegetarian! enjoy! read more

First time coming to this resturant. Outdoor dining, and it gave off a nice vibe. Played music in the background. the food was excellent. they start off with soup/salad and then to your entree. this place also has byob which is a plus ! I will definitely come back here. I highly recommend read more

I walked into the restaurant. First thing I notice there isn't a host table. I didn't know if I walked into a person party or a restaurant. No one was there to greet us. After walking to back to what seemed like where the host table would be it was the bathroom. We then called the restaurant and asked where was the entrance. No one could help. As a Haitian American, HAITIANS must do better when it comes to business. I would never have issue finding someone to serve me at IHOP. Won't be suggesting Anyone eat here. read more

My wife and I are from San Antonio, Texas and 6 weeks new to north New Jersey. We have thoroughly enjoyed the incredible variety of ethnic foods and consider ourselves lucky to sample so many different restaurants. One of our daughters was visiting from DC and we decided to try Saveur Creole in Montclair. What a great choice! We started with the Mambo Gumbo which was amazing! A spicy and rich blend of chicken, okra, collard greens, and bell pepper. My wife and daughter split a plate of Mambo Rice and I had the Chicken Creole. The food was delicious, the sidewalk table, and music wafting from inside made for a wonderful evening. The waitstaff was attentive and the owner stopped at our table several times to ensure we were enjoying our dining experience. Saveur Creole is definitely on our list of go-to restaurants. read more

The restaurant is expanding which is great news. I selected a few tasty options. I will go back.

Much better experience then the last time I was here...The food, ambiance, were great and the staff were much more attentive to our needs! My date definitely enjoyed the restaurant I picked and it was cool seeing him in his food coma state!!! It's also nice to support business like these because in my opinion that's what America stands for...enjoying everyones culture they easiest way possible...through food! Well done!!! read more

Saveur Creole - Can't remember the menus red snapper gos sel style and spinach legume (my fav) - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

This place is an experience. The decor is beautiful and full of history and the food was divine. The host was very personable. We watched him as he greeted all of his guest at the door. Not sure if he is the owner or not but that's what he exudes. The ambiance was very nice and the food was amazing. Did I say that already? We enjoyed the beef, chicken and fish empanadas. They were so flaky and practically melted in our mouths. Started with the bouillon and we had rice and beans (amazing) with griot and Tassot. It was a Saturday night so it was pretty busy with date nights etc. we had our toddler with us and they were so kind to allow us our own space so we didn't interrupt anyone's dinner/date night. We will definitely be back. read more

Well, we were on the mood for Latin cuisine and were on our way to noches de Colombia. We drove by this place and decided to stop by and give it a try. It was Thursday night and there was one table in the restaurant. So it's my wife, myself and our three girls(10,7,4yrs old) The prices seemed a little high but the food sounded delicious. I ordered a shredded fried pork and my wife ordered some very spicy vegetarian dish. They don't have a kids menu, so I figured no problem, we'll order a couple of sides(the rice and beans and three empanadas seemed like enough for my very picky, bird like eaters) We ended up sharing all the food, some was too spicy for my kids but the rice and beans and empanadas were perfect for them. Imagine my surprise when there was a $10 fee added to the bill, I asked what the $10 was and the very rude server lady just grouched something and said it was a sharing fee, $5 per plate and since I asked for two plates it was $10. Now, I always tip 20-30%, but I was shocked that such a fee existed, but I was insulted that it was never mentioned. Heck, if she had said that, I would have just order another $10 worth of appetizers. I felt so disrespected and tricked. I asked the server if she had a kids menu, she said no!, so I asked her why she didn't say there was a "sharing" fee and she said nothing, just looked at me like I was crazy. Well, I have never tipped 10% in my life, but I was so insulted I stood there contemplating to leave 0% and could not bring my self to do it, so I tipped $8.37 on a $86 bill. I was just in Lupa in NYC a couple of weeks ago, we reserved a table for 6, it looked like only 4 of us would make it so I planned on ordering 2 extra entrees and taking them home. Lupa made us aware ahead of time that everyone needed to order an entree and after seeing the long line outside I could understand why. But an empty restaurant in Montclair expects me to spend $25 each for a 4 yr old? And a 7 yr old? Again, that would be fine if you give me the heads up, but trying to sneak a "sharing" fee after spending $76 on two entrees and a side of rice and beans and 3 empanadas? Really? Ultimately, I'm really sad that my wife and I enjoyed the food so much and we were excited to discover such a gem just to be so insulted that we will never be back or recommend to our friends. Your loss, way to create guest loyalty and residual business. read more

Saveur Creole - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

Decided to go here for dinner because we were looking for an authentic place that served New Orleans style food. It's a cute, cozy, small place. All their meals come with a soup and salad. We tried the gumbo soup which was spicy but that's the way I like it. For appetizer we had a griot which was delicious. For our main entrees we had the chicken étouffée and Saveur beef. The chicken étouffée was spicy. It's a tomato based spicy rice with peppers, onions, and chicken. The beef dish was good. It was seasoned well and came with rice and grilled veggies. For desert we had the sweet potato pudding with ice cream. Surprisingly it was delicious even though I'm not into sweet potatoes as a desert. They don't serve alcohol but you can BYOB. The food is a bit on the pricey side but definitely worth it. read more

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Five stars for the food, but zero stars for the service. We ate here several times in the past. Great meal, beautiful setting, but ran like.. well...if you ever had an acquaintance who insisted you come to his house for dinner, and you meet his authoritarian dad, that's what this feels like. Had a reservations for mother's day dinner. Arrived on time. There were groups of people waiting outside. I walked in the door. The owner was talking to someone. He turned to me and said, "yes?", like I was bothering him Told him I had a reservation. He asked me my name. He had no list. Did not check a list. He just said we're running late on reservations, and turned back to his conversation. I went back outside with my family. We waited a while. It was so apparent that they were just winging it, and we weren't going to be eating there any time soon. We left and found another restaurant so Mother's Day wasn't completely ruined. It's a shame. I want to love this place, but they really need to get some professional management. read more

This place is amazing! Aside from then fantastic food, the customer service is out of this word. The owner is very involved and makes sure that all diners has a great experience. They are constantly checking on you to make sure you're ok and enjoying the food. Authentic Haitian food dressed up with a French flair- very good. The whole fish "gro sel" is one of the best I've ever had. Kind of on the pricier side but definitely worth it. Plus it's byob and there's a liquor store right door read more

Saveur Creole - Red snapper "gro sel". Amazing! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

The food being good does not makeup for the terrible service, over priced food, no accountability or apology for the terrible service. Clear lack of respect and appreciate for customers, this is not at all a representation of black business. There are tons of other places that have great food with great customer service. If you want to be treated poorly for good food this is the place to be. read more

Great small BYOB restaurant. I'm giving it four stars for the great service, great food, and, and great clean place. The reason I am not giving this place five starts is because I feel they are a bit pricey for the amount of food they give you. For apps had the sampler with bacalao, beef, and chicken enpadanas, hatian caviar, and vegetable fritta. For dinner my boyfriend had the beef stew rice and beans. I had the stew goat, fried plantains. The soup and salad that comes with the food was also very good. Definitely a must try. read more

Solid four stars. We tried it out on a weeknight and came across an empty restaurant - thus we were seated after loitering around for a couple of minutes (waiting for the staff to notice us, as they were all in the kitchen). Once seated, the wine was immediately uncorked for us. Overall, the food was very good, although my two male friends still left the restaurant hungry after ordering entrees (which came with soup and salad). It is probably due to personal preference, but while the food was good quality, the entrees didn't blow me away with the taste. I personally had the trini chicken which was nicely done but not very memorable. Still, the service was impeccable and all of us agreed, bar none, that the tostones and jamabalaya soup were the best parts of the meal - outshining the entrees themselves. We avoided the desserts (thanks Yelpers) due to previous reviews that the desserts were $10 and upwards... and true to form the desserts were recited to us verbally with no price point given. We would probably get take out from them again in the future, especially for the soups, tostones, and maybe the empanadas. If there is free parking in the back, I couldn't find it, as the lot was filled nearly to capacity as the restaurant shares the spaces with a pharmacy, dance studio, laundromat, etc... there were some empty spaces but they were all metered parking. Free after 7 pm and on Sundays, sure, but still metered. read more

Enjoyed a wonderfully prepared dish with a Haitian swang.....excellent decorum. Wonderful attendants and the owner is right there working..... read more

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The food is out of this world. Our men's group at our monthly dinner at the restaurant and had no idea what to expect going in. The restaurant on the other hand was fully prepared for us! From the first contact with the owner Ron, to leaving and putting on our coats, hospitality was next level. Everything on the menu was delicious! They offered us options on levels of spiciness and (heat!). Appetizer, soup, salad, and main course. All the way down to the desert, everything was excellent and with a liquor store right next-door BYOB was even very easy! 6 stars! read more

Saveur Creole - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

I had an unfortunate experience at this restaurant when I made an order for pick up. I ordered legume and asked what the cost would be. I was told that the cost was $35 plus $5 for white rice. When I arrived, the receipt said $52.25. I noticed that I was charged $12 for white rice. I told the lady that she had told me another price on the phone, but she did not adjust the cost. I have been sick for days and did not have groceries nor the energy to go elsewhere so I paid, but I left feeling duped. I will not return to this establishment. Since this is not my first time going, I can say that the lady who serves generally does not have the best demeanor, but today was the final straw. The food is not good enough to pay 2x market rate. Plus, I don't like being mislead. read more

Best Haitian food ever!!! Their food tastes like home cooked heaven! Plus, the owner is super hospitable. If you're looking for authentically delicious Haitian food, come here. read more

Just ate at this restaurant today and I was blown away by how good the food was. Everything was cooked to perfection. This was my first experience with creol food and I was thoroughly impressed. The jerked chicken pasta was DELICIOUS. Just note that this is a creol restaurant not an American chain restaurant, the food packs a good amount of heat, which I loved. The food was well-priced considering the quality and the portions of the food. The service was a bit slow but I'd say that the food was worth the wait. I'll definitely be coming back. read more

The poisson gwo sel was poorly seasoned and dry. It wasn't flavorful at all & the rice that accompanied it was salty and bland. Only good thing about dinner was the fruit juice. Unfortunately I can't give it 0 stars. read more

First time and it was truly a great experience. Will definitely be back. Food was great; nice ambiance.

By far the worst customer service I've ever experienced! Had 4:15pm reservations on Mother's Day, we showed up and were told that they were running late and to come back in 45 mins. In 45 mins they told us someone was just leaving and we would be seated next...we were sat down at 5:30. Nobody came to take our drink order for 20 more minutes, we didn't get drinks for another 20 minutes. We were a party of 6, 2 people ordered cokes which we had to ask for at least 5 times before they brought them. We waited for our food for a long time, and saw smaller parties that came in after us were already finished with their meals, when I asked about it I was told I "don't know how restaurant business works". Our food didn't come out until 745pm! We had ordered one arroz con pollo that wasn't spicy because it was for a child in the group, it turned out to be the spiciest thing at the table! We asked for white rice to give her since they messed up the order and we were charged $8 for a scoop of white rice. All in all was terrible service, unapologetic about every problem along the way, the music was WAY TOO LOUD, and we had to scream at each other to hear anything! Would NEVER GO BACK which the same management is in. The guy was the hostess, waiter, buss boy, and whatever else came up. If he hired somebody to help him on a known busy holiday, that might have been a better experience. Who knows! read more