New Montclair Eatery Offers ‘Simple, Authentic’ Italian Cuisine

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A new restaurant in Montclair is getting praise for its “simple, authentic” Italian cuisine.

On Friday, the Montclair Center BID gave a social media shoutout to Palato Caffe & Cucina at 377 Bloomfield Avenue. Learn more about this local business here.

According to the Montclair Center BID, co-owners Massimo Apicella Owner (originally from Puglia, now Bloomfield) and Stefano Bosetti Chef (from Trento, now Montclair) have combined northern and southern Italian cuisines in a “simple, authentic and highly delicious way.”

The Montclair Center BID wrote:

“Massimo and Stefano were working together in Hell’s Kitchen before COVID and as the NYC restaurant where they worked and their mode of transportation into the city shut down, they decided to build something together near their own neighborhoods. They chose Montclair Center because of its great vibes as an up-and-coming area and because of its wonderful community. When you come in (no reservations, but Massimo will do his best to accommodate everyone! Bar and outdoor bistro seating available while you wait), take a peek at the decor. Massimo loves to work with wood and everything was designed and made by him. They cut through wall layers and saw a history of all of the previous businesses who had been in that space AND they gained two feet of space and discovered an original door that had been hidden (now turned into a cured meats display case).”

The Montclair Center BID added:

“This team has created a menu of “taglieri” which are high quality, thinly cut meats and cheese boards and you won’t find anything else like this in North Jersey! Fresh pastas, focaccia Barese and a menu of Panzerotti (in dialect “Panza” means puffed belly), a street food of thin, fried dough with stuffed savory fillings are also unique to Palato. Don’t forget to try their desserts and of course their very special gelato - authentic, gluten free, organic made by a special vendor from Ferata, with homemade whipped cream on a warm brioche or a cone cup paired with an espresso coffee Miscela D’oro from Messina, Sicily.”

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