How do you know a restaurant is a good brunch place? When it’s only open until 2:30 in the afternoon! This is the kind of place that only does breakfast, brunch, and lunch, so they know their stuff when it comes to morning eats. Bluestone Coffee Company is an unassuming café in the heart of Montclair, and they have one of the best brunches around.
Underneath the tin ceiling of a NYC-apartment-sized dining room, surrounded by small tables, stands a large coffee roaster that fills the space with the smell of freshly roasted coffee beans. Servers agilely weave through the narrow gaps between chairs, piling what appears to be more food than the tables (and your stomach) can hold, but somehow they both manage.
The assortment of brunch staples includes fluffy buttermilk pancakes, Belgian waffles, Challah French toast, and plate-sized omelets. The sweet dishes are served with your own personal mini jar of pure Grade A maple syrup. (It’s hard to not pick one up between your thumb and pointer finger and say “aww, it’s so cute!”) For those who prefer the savory side of brunch, there’s also large selection of sandwiches and a few salads. I would recommend treating yourself to a side of rosemary roasted potatoes and a freshly buttered croissant or scone from Balthazar Bakery. (It’s okay, calories don’t count at brunch, right? Right.)
If all that food isn’t enough, you can bring some more home for later! Bluestone offers an assortment of house-made desserts for sale at the counter, including breads (banana, pumpkin, and zucchini nut), muffins, cookies, brownies, and pecan pie. Also make sure you pick up bags of their whole bean coffee (which can be ground to order) and spiced Chai tea mix to brew up a cup at home!
Bluestone Coffee Company
123 Watchung Avenue #2
Montclair
973-783-3523
