Hunan Taste Montclair — Restaurant in Montclair

We first went to the Denville NJ Hunan Taste restaurant and had the best authentic Chinese food experience ever. We then discovered this one, since this one is closer to us, we ordered a takeout to give it a try.

The takeout experience was really fast. However, the quality was lacking and no where near what we experienced at the other location. I understand that all customers want it fast but please do understand the taste and freshness do matter a lot more.

I have to be very honest here, out of the four entrées we ordered, the Peking duck was dry and hard, not the juicy and soft one we tasted at the other location. They packed only 5 little pieces and two drumsticks. Traditionally, this duck dish should all be served sliced up without bones. Being that you need to wrap them, the hard duck meat really affected the taste. It feels like they served us two-day old duck meat and then reheated right before serving. Cutting corners will make you fast money but you will lose customers in a long run though.

Spicy food is inconsistent, the ant on a tree is super spicy but the double cooked pork was not as spicy yet they all have one spicy sign, it is very hard to see which one is more spicy. We consumed the takeout right away but all the food did not taste fresh. We ended up not finishing any of the entrees but have to throw them away because the food did not taste fresh and was so shocked two locations would have such a big difference.

Over $100 spent plus normal tip, when high-end pricing meets okay food, you could probably imagine how disappointed we are. Not sure why this would happen in this location but hope you guys can get better...

Date night on a weekday at Hunan Taste in Montclair. The restaurant's interior is beautifully designed, making it suitable for family dinners, gatherings with friends, or even a date. The atmosphere is inviting, and the service was friendly.

To start, I ordered the French roast coffee, which was brewed right in front of me. It was a delightful cup of coffee, rich and satisfying. My girlfriend opted for the complimentary jasmine oolong tea, which had a beautiful aroma of jasmine and a delicious taste. The tea provided a nice finish and added to the overall pleasant experience.

For appetizers, we tried the crab rangoon, which had a tasty combination of soft crab interior and a crunchy fried shell. The spicy chicken dumplings, however, were less impressive, resembling steamed gyoza but lacking the appeal of sautéed varieties.

Moving on to the main course, the General Tso's Triple Fragrance (beef, shrimp, chicken) was a standout. It was among the best I've ever had, and I would return just for this dish. On the other hand, the Mongolian Triple Feast (beef, shrimp, chicken) was a disappointment. The dish was overloaded with onions, lacking in meats and mushrooms. The dish should be called Onion Triple Feast. Despite its promising appearance, the flavor was surprisingly bland. I even shared it with my girlfriend, and we both found it lacking in taste.

Despite the mixed experience, the restaurant had a good ambiance and friendly service. Considering the positive aspects, I might give Hunan Taste another try with a different dish...

The food here is great. The menu is full of well executed refined versions of American Chinese takeout dishes in addition to several authentic Chinese dishes. Other than the filling for the spicy chicken dumplings being dry, ALL the other food was FANTASTIC. The service here is top notch. Items placed with care in front of each individual at the table, hot towels after service to clean your hands, very nice. Our waitress was superb, her level of service was excellent. The only reasons I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 are: we waited a very long time to be seated even though the place was practically empty; the young man who eventually seated us didn't say a word, just grabbed the menus and walked off leaving us to follow him out of instinct and then seated us again without a word; and the interior (especially the seats in the booths) needs some polishing or just to be updated completely because it looks a bit dreary and run down inside; also it would be nice if they offered chopsticks as an option, especially for the xiao long bao (soup dumplings), picking those up with a fork is problematic because it gets punctured and ruined as you're removing it from the bamboo steamer - they're meant to be eaten with chopsticks and a soup spoon (they did provide the soup spoon). With that said, the delicious food and great service from the majority of staff will definitely have me...