The Upper Bend — Restaurant in Montague

I am writing my first ever google review just to rejoice on the amazing experience I had at the Upper Bend! We ordered the Trumpet Royal Sandwich, egg and cheese on a roll, and biscuits and jam. The sandwiches were divine, with the most perfectly toasted buns, and the gooiest most delicious sandwich fixin’s. On top of that, we ordered both a chai latte and a regular latte, and both were perfect. All of our food came in a very timely fashion (aka super fast), which was exceptionally impressive, because we were both hungry and the place was packed! But above all the great food and great service, this place is beautifully curated. It is a very warm and inviting restaurant, definitely the kind of place where one would dream to be a regular.

This next part is TMI, so you can skip it. I moved from Brooklyn to Western Mass, and I totally had the idea to open a cute and non-pretentious breakfast joint that secretly only served vegetarian and vegan food, because I didn’t see any place like that that existed anywhere. Then Five Eyed Fox came around, and it was a beautiful place, but the food was just so so, and I always thought that I could just make something at home that was tastier and for WAAAaaaaayyyy less money. But now that the Upper Bend is here, this place is THE SPOT! Seriously, if I could have waved a magic wand, and opened up my dream restaurant, it would be this place. The food is perfect, the ambiance is perfect, the service is perfect, and the biscuits and jam...

Easy to find with ample parking out front which was nice. Cute bright yellow french cafe tables and chairs on the sidewalk to eat at. A Black Lives Matters sign and a diverse clientele let me know this is my kind of lunch place. I introduced myself and asked what they'd recommend I eat. A regular customer said, "Anything. And you'll want to come back and try something different every time." I ordered the bean toast, which was amazing, filling, and beautiful, believe it or not. Yeah. It was an entire meal. And had a subtle kick of spice, but I'd still call it mild. I got a Mocha Latte with a dollop of, get this, homemade toasted marshmallow fluff. Yes. And it was fantastic. While sitting outside, I got swarmed by yellow jackets, so as I was balancing my cup and food to open the door to sit inside, another customer left her laptop and came and opened the door for me. Everyone was really lovely. The menu is inspired, simple, and delicious. What more could you ask for? I'm definitely going back and ordering something totally new next time. And when I was putting my dishes in the bin as I was leaving, the lady behind the counter said, "So Mindy, how was everything?" She remembered my name. And I'll tell you, they had a line out to the door. Yeah, it's THAT...

This spot was a happy pleasant surprise. If you're looking for a hearty American breakfast, this is not your spot, and that is a very good thing. Instead of the usual truck stop or diner fare, Upper Bend offers a carefully curated selection of delicious alternatives and artful spins on the usual breakfast menu.

I had a latte and maple toast. My hubs had the monkfish toast, and we split a slab of basque cheesecake because, well, we were feeling decadent for brekkies.

The latte was excellent, bold and strong, but smooth. The maple toast was perfect, because it was simple: crisp crust, soft center, and a solid maple flavor that was pleasantly not sticky sweet. The monkfish toast was amazing, like a reimagined lox bagel. The bread, pickled onions and greens all brought different levels of crunch, with the cream cheese adding a slightly sour base and the monkfish bringing a buttery mouth-feel.

I don't regret getting the basque cheesecake at all. It was delicious. The center was light and custardy, while the outer edge had a more spongy cake texture, almost like two desserts in one. And it was lightly sweetened, not the instant diabetes norm for cheesecakes these days. Perfect.

I'll definitely be back to nibble my way through the rest...