Restaurants in Montclair

At L'Allegria, founders Saverio and Giovanni Allocca seek to transport diners to an al fresco Mediterranean courtyard with their authentic cuisine and decor that evokes a breezy villa. The menu brims with classic italian pastas and succulent veal dishes, made with hormone-free meats. Extensive wine lists complement entrees with dozens of varietals from Italy and California.

Patrons sit upon floral-patterned chairs in the high-ceilinged dining room, amid beige walls and exposed brick. At times, a pianist's melodies reverberate throughout the eatery, relaxing diners and reminding the walls' paintings of a simpler time when they were young, impressionable canvases.

David Alan Fabisch's marketplace and catering company serves a menu of creatively stacked sandwiches and specialty pizzas for any occasion, from lavish parties to simple lunch breaks. Chefs concoct meals with New York– and New Jersey–themed names, including such classics as the Staten Island with ham and salami or the Bronx sub served with herb-grilled chicken and fresh mozzarella. In the shop's private party rooms, up to 85 people can congregate around tables or bound across a spacious dance floor primed for graduation-day dance-offs and birthday beat-poetry slams.

Former baseball player David Chiarolanzio fulfilled his lifelong ambition to be a business owner by opening The Grilled Cheese Factory, a panini emporium that captivates late-night snackers' hearts and Morristown Patch reporters' pens. Within the casual eatery, four varieties of bread embrace eight gooey types of cheese, including pepper jack, cheddar, fontina, and havarti. Specialty grilled-cheeses and paninis boast trimmings such as fresh tuna, grilled chicken, or barbeque pork and mac 'n' cheese, and each handheld accompanies a side of potato chips. The restaurant's grills sizzles until 3 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, providing sleepwalkers with a tasty alternative to gnawing on their roommate's bedpost.

Chef Orville Brandon combines skills honed over more than 20 years of executive-chef experience with island flavors from his Jamaican upbringing to create Hibiscus Restaurant's menu of Caribbean and American fare. Traditional curry sauces and jerk seasonings sear Caribbean-style dishes such as oxtail and jerk chicken, and classics such as new york sirloin steak and oven-roasted turkey breast round out a selection of American staples. Waiters also pour wines from Amalthea Cellars and fruity tropical smoothies.

Nestled inside the Best Western Morristown Inn, Hibiscus Restaurant's 60-seat dining room is daubed in light mauve, with white-linen-draped tables and striped valances along the walls. On Sundays, diners can sample a brunch buffet while grooving to the mellow sounds of local jazz players and potted palm trees snapping their fronds to the beat.

OYO's delectable brand of organic frozen yogurt tickles taste buds and delights digestive tracts with a wallop of probiotics and live cultures. The five flavors—original tart, chocolate, green tea, pomegranate, and vanilla bean—make for a fat-free, low-calorie frozen dessert, providing that they are enjoyed in birthday-suit form. A trip to the bountiful toppings bar may add to the calorie count and price (servings are sold at $0.55 per ounce) but is sure to please non-minimalists' variegated palates. Organic fruit and wholesome dried toppings keep your frosty treat health conscious with strawberries, bananas, and sliced almonds, but a Gatsby-esque pinnacle of dessert decadence can be achieved through sprinklings of brownie bites, cookie dough, and M&Ms. In addition to promoting healthy snacking, OYO supports a healthy planet with sustainably harvested bamboo tables, recycled-paper countertops, and energy-efficient LED lighting. Do your duty to Mother Earth by relaxing in greeny splendor with a cup of chocolate fro-yo topped with sinful cheesecake bites, rainbow sprinkles, Butterfingers, and Raisin Bran.

LITM, an acronym for "love is the message," houses a triple threat of restaurant, lounge, and gallery in its chic, 1,800-square-foot storefront. Creative flavors and contemporary presentation upscaleize its bar classics and gourmetize its entrees. House-made preparations, such as hand-rolled gnocchi with basil pesto ($15) and the hand-pounded veggie burger ($14), are abundant. Reignite the great atmosphere-versus-hydrosphere debate with citrusy chicken paillard ($18) or tea-crusted tilapia ($23). Sophisticated desserts, such as the Belgium chocolate cake ($8), assist adults in reliving the wildest sugar-rush of their youth.