Libélula Bakery and Kitchen — Restaurant in Montclair

With the temperatures dipping into the low 40s and sustenance needed ahead of an Oscar movie (tis the season), my top-tier chum and I stopped by for lunch this past Friday. I was a little apprehensive since we couldn't secure an online reservation ahead of time, but thankfully we were able to secure a table after a minimal wait. The place was definitely bustling throughout our visit and we saw a few larger parties by the entrance that had to wait a bit longer than we did.

The interior has a rustic vibe with an emphasis on whites and other light colors. I'm not an expert on Peru, but I'm assuming the framed llama picture nearby depicts a fairly mainstream animal from the country. It's pleasant in there; to the immediate right of the entrance is a bakery section where you can presumably grab a pastry or coffee to go, with the rest of the establishment dedicated to a sit-down restaurant.

The need for comfort food was clear, so I went with the La Bandera, featuring slow roasted pork, red beans, sweet plantains and a side of white rice. For sure hit the spot. My experience with this type of cuisine is typically centered on food trucks and more casual settings, so I'm used to this being greasy and heavy - this really wasn't; no inadvertent hunks of gristle or super fatty cuts. There's probably a sophisticated culinary term for when the rice is a little overcooked and softer like this (I guess sort of the opposite of al dente?), and I personally prefer it this way. Texture-wise, it pairs well with the red beans. Literally every aspect of this item is above average.

The tradeoff is you're not getting a lot of pork with this dish, which is a disappointment given the price point. As you can see from the attached photo, the red beans really dominate the dish and although the majority of pork is obscured because of the onion garnish, it was easy to obscure, believe me. The plantains are sparse as well, so roughly 70% of this entree is rice and beans, which are tasty but the best parts end up being supporting cast members. I didn't toddle out of the restaurant feeling disgusting, so that's a plus to be fair.

The service was okay. It probably felt a little slower than it actually was because we were going to the Clairidge right after this so there was a little nervous side-eyeing of the watches here, but it wasn't egregious. It probably took 25 to 30 minutes, and I think that's largely to be expected given that these dishes are clearly made to order. I would have liked it if the waitress stopped by a little more regularly especially given the slightly longer wait time, but that's for sure a nitpick. As mentioned, it was pretty busy and everyone was understandably occupied with customers.

I've been on the record numerous times over the years that Montclair is a super overrated food town, but places like Libelula are tilting the scales in its favor. Really good, and I love that it's conveniently located so I can pre-game...

I got really excited to come to this place, the reviews online were pretty good overall. I was craving some latino food (Peruvian chicken especially.) My husband and I and my son got to the restaurant. The photos online look better than in person. The light cushions that you sit on are the wrong color- they were stained and dirty. I was a little taken aback by that. The little kid next to me was standing on it with his sneakers. The service was good, the waiter was kind and took our order. The food took a little while- but I didn't mind, because I thought maybe they are making it fresh. I ordered the Peruvian Chicken with rice. While the portions are generous, I thought the chicken lacked so much flavor. I've been to many places in NYC and even in Patterson, NJ that have good Peruvian flavorful chicken, but this one was underwhelming. My husband thought his smashburger was pretty average and the Yuca fries were also just ok. I will say this, their sauces that they had on the side with the food were good. My son thought the food was just ok as well- he's 9. I didn't like that the chicken nuggets, looked like they were out of a frozen pack and just heated up. The food lacked flavor in my opinion. But their service was good, the people were polite and made sure the...

Our future daughter in law 💕 Recommended Libelula Bakery & Kitchen!

Party of 4 for brunch!

Loved it!

Awesome vibes!

Friendly staff! Our Server Veruska was awesome! Knew menu well. Appreciate his recommendations!

Enjoyed my latte and Eggs Benedict with a Latin twist:

Poached eggs with huancaina sauce, sausage and salsa criolla served on an english muffin with tostones! So flavorful!!

We had dessert! Chocolate croissant bread Pudding- I absolutely love bread pudding. This was yummy!

Pastelitos flaky pastry filled with Our future daughter in law 💕 Recommended Libelula Bakery & Kitchen!

Party of 4 for brunch!

Loved it!

Awesome vibes!

Friendly staff! Our Server Veruska was awesome! Knew menu well. Appreciate his recommendations!

Enjoyed my latte and Eggs Benedict with a Latin twist:

Poached eggs with huancaina sauce, sausage and salsa criolla served on an english muffin with tostones! So flavorful!!

We had dessert! Chocolate croissant bread Pudding- I absolutely love bread pudding. This was yummy!

Pastelitos flaky pastry filled with guava and cheese! So good!!

Highly recommend!

Looking forward to returning!

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