Restaurants in Montclair

Ra Pour's executive chef, Greg Stillman, draws upon culinary wisdom culled from stints at famed restaurant The French Laundry to curate upscale renditions of comfort fare, nabbing buzz from Taste Terminal and a dozen other media outlets. An open kitchen affords prime views of chefs as they garnish pizzas with handmade mozzarella and truffle oil before tossing them into a wood-fired oven. Succulent meats from local farms boast exotic flourishes such as North African–style harissa, Buddha’s hand marmalade, and a single unicorn tear. Live beats flow from a raised DJ platform toward the bar, where mixologists fashion original cocktails against a backdrop of dramatic green and purple lighting.

The chefs at Arianno’s Pizza craft Italian fare from fresh ingredients and house-made recipes. They hand-toss dough and bedeck it with house-made sauce and layers of real mozzarella cheese before personalizing the pizza, whether by slathering it with any of the restaurant’s 15+ toppings or by naming it "Steve." The pizzeria’s lengthy menu also showcases pasta dishes, each of which is accompanied by a side of garlic bread as well as platters of baby back ribs and hot subs packing fresh proteins and cheese.

The Gringos Tacos family of guacamole gurus has retained their taqueria's catering roots while expanding into a restaurant and slinging tortillas from its very own food truck. American influences peek through in heaps of french-fry nachos, chipotle-aioli-drizzled BLT tacos, and guacamole made with Grant Wood paintings. Using high-quality ingredients and eschewing lard helps keep the menu of creative Mexican cuisine tasting fresh.

A graduate of the Le Cordon Bleu program at the California School of Culinary Arts, Kristi Harfman passionately fills the roles of owner, manager, and head chef at Two A Tea. With a refined afternoon-tea program that boasts a selection of more than 40 loose-leaf teas, she oversees a traditional menu of scones, soups, salads, tea sandwiches, and desserts, served midday into the early evening, Wednesday–Sunday. Over pastel-colored tablecloths, tea takers raise cups brimming with jasmine, earl grey, and passionfruit teas to toast to birthdays, new babies, and the memory of all the leaves lost at the Boston Tea Party.

Two a Tea's boutique outfits at-home tea rooms with all the necessary teas and accessories, including infusers, books, and loose-leaf teas.

A colorful sign juts from Manny’s El Loco, proudly proclaiming “World Famous Burritos Since 1971.” Inside, chefs busily pack the eatery’s claim to fame with carnitas, carne asada, and chicken, or up the ante with rib-eye steak or chorizo. Forks and knives find a place at Manny’s as well, thanks to taco salads tossed with meat and avocado and enchilada platters paired with authentic rice and beans. The kitchen crew incorporates hamburgers and french fries into its primarily Mexican menu, and helps customers tackle the morning or their nemesis with eggs prepared any style, which they can take to go or enjoy on the outdoor patio.

Owner Ernesto Madrigal founded his restaurant in downtown La Verne because, as he told the University of La Verne's Campus Times in 2010, "I just thought this was a nice little quiet place to start.” However, the vivid hues in the dining room create an atmosphere that's more festive than quiet, with bright orange walls accompanying the cacophonic sputtering of chicken and steak fajitas or diners doing Don Knotts impressions. The menu overflows with familiar Mexican staples from just south of the International Date Line, including carnitas burritos, chipotle-spiced empanadas, and chorizo with scrambled eggs.