The Cozy End in Upper Montclair, NJ might be the town's best kept secret. That last time I had been there was the day we closed on our Montclair home back in 1987. It is no secret to the solid following of regulars that frequent this cute unassuming diner style restaurant that has served Montclair for 42 years.
I have actually been wanting to try the Cozy End again ever since they started serving dinner a while back. The kids and I were out to lunch last Saturday and were heading to Dai Kichi but it was closed. So I suggested trying Cozy End and they said "sure, we love places like that."
Well let me tell you, while the Cozy End does not have the most elegant ambience, the food is excellent, service friendly and prices are great. Everything tastes very homemade. We really enjoyed lunch. Here is what we had.
Started off with soup of the day, I had the Lentil which was rich and wholesome. I love the Saltine crackers, this is classic American at its best. We also had the chicken noodle soup which is just like what you enjoyed as a kid. I am very sensitive to MSG or preservatives and did not sense that at all.
Since we are on a burger kick and are writing a round-up of all the burger places around Montclair we decided to give the Cozy End hamburger a try.
This baby is made with delicious ground beef and covered with crispy bacon and creamy cheese on a nice roll. We give it a "very good" rating. Again tastes very home-made. The fries that come with the sandwiches are also fresh and perfectly cooked. I love plain classic fries, these frozen spiced or crispy versions you see at more and more places don't appeal to me at all.
We also enjoyed a turkey and bacon club. The turkey tasted like it was just sliced from a real Thanksgiving turkey. I loved their home-made cole slaw which has some ingredient which gives it an appetizing yellow color.
We also had the roast beef melt which was very good.
We think Cozy End is the best luncheonette- coffee shop type place in Montclair and better than most diners in the area. Menu The ambiance is not fancy but you can count on good food for a reasonable price.
Cozy End
631 1/2 Valley Road
Upper Montclair,
NJ 07043
973-509-7338
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