The building located at 2 Erie Street in Montclair has had many uses. A papermill, a supper club, and now a colorful and cozy Mexican cantina from the same team behind another Montclair favorite. Chef Damon Wise, from Pineapple Express, has teamed up with developer David Placek, who is involved with the redesign of Montclair’s Lackawanna Plaza, to open Oso Felipe — a destination for families, friends, happy hours, and date nights. Read on for more about Oso Felipe, the newest addition to Montclair’s dining scene.

Background on the Space

In 2002, local restaurateur Richie Cecere and architect John Sherman opened Richie’s Restaurant + Bar, a three-story, 14,000-square-foot swanky supper club next to Walnut Street station converted from a 2,500-square-foot paper mill at 2 Erie Street in Montclair. It was a popular place for locals to grab a cocktail and listen to live jazz. But by the time David Placek’s company, BDP Holdings, bought the building in the spring of 2023, it had been sitting empty for over 15 years.

“It's 98 percent brand new construction, and Cecere put in the best stuff. He built it well,” David shared with The Montclair Girl. “Damon's idea was ‘we don't need to fix the fatal flaws, let's just make that part of what this place is.” Between the original paper mill structure for solid bones and the beautiful accents of the supper club, there was plenty to work with.

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Translation: the entire space is full of character. The original dark wood fixtures from Richie Cecere’s Restaurant + Bar remain on the top floor, creating a romantic ambiance for a date night or special occasion. On the main floor, the atmosphere is bright, with light colors and natural wood, Mexican knick-knacks throughout, and walls adorned with paintings from local artist Santiago Cohen tying the space together for a contemporary and fun atmosphere for a night out with friends, family, or casual dates. There is also a patio off the main floor which will open in the summer for al fresco dining and happy hour.

The downstairs is reserved for private events and is complete with a bar and wine cellar. There’s even a mysterious tiny room behind the cellar. Inside the small space sits a handful of dining tables, a door to the kitchen, and an enigmatic escape hatch built into the ceiling that David has left intact.

The Menu

Oso Felipe is named after the cross streets where David grew up in Southern California. The restaurant is meant to be a homage to the Mexican-inspired flavors of David’s upbringing in Southern California and takes advantage of Chef Wise’s experiences cooking in the south and southwest. In fact, it was Chef Wise who initially had the idea to open a Mexican restaurant because he loved the flavor palate.

Chef Wise is determined to put his touch on the authentic flavors and traditional dishes of Mexico. For example, with the mole, a complex flavor profile with about 25 ingredients, Chef pairs it with salmon which is not common, but certainly not unheard of in Mexico. He draws out the flavors by first marinating the salmon with chili powder, salt, pepper, and lime, wrapping it in a corn husk, and then steaming it. The corn husk is served over a zingy mole with sesame seeds and fresh radishes and topped with Swiss chard for a bite that is earthy, spicy, and unexpectedly light.

The pozole, another traditional dish, is made with smoked ribs brought over from Pineapple Express, and the enchiladas are a favorite of both Chef and David. Another hot item on the menu is the Ultimate Nachos. Chef Wise and David spent some time going back and forth because everyone loves nachos until they pick the chip with only a bit of sour cream on it, or worse, nothing. Chef Wise solved that problem by creating a stackable version using tostadas instead of tortilla chips. He then layers the tostadas with all the regular fixings spread out in an even distribution, stacked atop each other like a tower to deliver that perfect bite every time. Pro tip: use a fork to eat it. Chef Wise recommended it. We resisted. It was futile.

Oso Felipe is both elevated dining and a casual Mexican cantina. Families with kids will feel at home as friends meeting up for dinner, co-workers catching a happy hour, or couples enjoying a date night.

Don’t sleep on the Spicy Seafood Coctel. Inspired by a dish from Mexico City, it’s a bowl of poached shrimp and grilled squid tossed with mango, jicama, lime, and a crave-able sauce served with oven-baked saltines with butter. It was easily our favorite dish of the night.

 And even though it’s like choosing a favorite child, when pushed, Chef did mention that the hamachi tostada was indeed dear to him. “It's fun to eat, and it's really messy,” he said. “I'm [also] putting a yellowfin tuna dish on tonight with aqua verde – which is, cucumbers, lime, and spinach. All these things make it really bright green with Asian pears, cucumbers, and little bits of roasted jalapeno. I want to keep it light and fresh, just heighten the flavors.”

Oso Felipe uses fresh ingredients from Ironbound Farms and plans to hit the farmer’s market down the street come summertime.

Coming Soon

As of now, Oso Felipe is open for dinner service from 5PM to 10PM Wednesday to Sunday. Starting January 25th, Oso Felipe will be open for Saturday and Sunday brunch with big plans involving fresh churros, conchas, and a Bloody Maria bar. “I've been longing for that for years,” says David. “Yeah,” says Chef Wise. “Much like we do with Pineapple – where we take our barbecue sauce and we make Bloody Mary's with it – we have a rancherio sauce here that we're going to turn into a Bloody Maria mix. It's going to be so delicious.”

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The team is looking forward to being a part of the bustling Montclair restaurant scene.

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