Koreander,

128 Watchung Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043

"Great food, small place that didn't feel crowded, a little outdoor seating. The owner is really nice, friendly, engaging, and clearly loves what he does. He kept making recommendations for how we would better enjoy our meals and he was right. 100% would go back."

"First time here...im definitely coming back. I had the spicy Ramen, wings and the Korean dumplings. Everything was fresh and delicious. I recommend this place if you want good Korean BBQ. The owner, Ben and the rest of the staff are great."

"Just want to preface this is not an attack on Koreander as the waiter and service was fantastic, and we overall had a great time! This is more so for the quality of the food. As a Korean I understand that it's difficult to capture the nuance of Korean food especially in a town that is not as well versed in Asian cuisine and so I was willing to be flexible and forget about "authenticity." I was just happy that there was a Korean establishment in town. However I can't help but feel sad about the food I received. I ordered the soft tofu stew and was disappointed to find an overabundance of carrots and pieces of squash in my stew which sweetened the stew to the point where I had to remove it and improvise with the kimchi they had to make the soup more properly "sour". (It would be like including honey or some sort of sweetener in a classic savory chicken soup) For the price of almost $20 I was a little disappointed that the food was made incorrectly and also did not have the right "soul" in it. I am all for chefs of all cultures learning to make Korean food but this felt like a serious lack of knowledge/interest and not the classic taste I was hoping for. I did not see a single Korean in the establishment. Again I had a great service experience overall but this saddened me as I was hoping to find a Korean food establishment closer to home, and not have to travel to Fort Lee/Pal Park. It makes me a little nervous that this may be a lot of people's only perception of Korean food."

"Always been curious to try this place, the staff were so kind and welcoming. It is a casual setting and the food came out hot, fresh, and quickly. Hot pot for your entree is additional $2 but it keeps your meal cold your entire sitting! Strange to see reviews belly-aching about the portions… we both took home leftovers! Beef bugolgi was incredible, veggie dumpling (sorry if that’s not the exact name on the menu, I can’t recall) all tasted like you were having a home cooked meal. Staff was so sweet, came by frequently to ask how everything was and offer sauces and chitchat. Prices vary, it came to about $30 per person for an entree, appetizer, and soda for each of us. Totally worth it for the homestyle cooking atmosphere."

"I have been seeing this place for quite sometime, and finally made it here. The service is fast, and the food is piping hot. The place was quite cold on my visit, but after having food I was fine. Plenty of sides, chive dumplings were great, the portion size is quite good!"