Chef Chen’s Sushi Opens in Former Le Salbuen Space in Montclair
In March 2025, The Montclair Girl found out that Le Salbuen, a Montclair staple for over 10 years for European-inspired, farm-to-table eats, officially closed after noticing signage for a new spot in the space. The new spot in its place is Chef Chen's, a sushi restaurant, located at 97 Walnut Street in Montclair. Now we know, on May 28th, that Chef Chen is officially open for business. Read on for what to know about the new sushi restaurant in Montclair, as well as what we will miss about Le Salbuen.
What's Taking Over the Former Le Salbuen Space?
Le Salbuen closed its doors in Montclair in March 2025. Around that time, a member of the MG team noticed paper in the windows and signage for a new sushi restaurant called "Chef Chen's" in the Walnut Street space. Another MG reader flagged with us on March 15th that a website was up for the restaurant. We now know that Chef Chen's officially opened its doors on May 27th, 2025.
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The website states that the Chen family is originally from Fujian, China, and that Chef Chen's has outposts in Brooklyn, California, as well as one in New Jersey since 2010.
On the menu, diners can expect to find maki rolls, fresh sashimi, tempura, teriyaki salmon, and much more. The full lunch and dinner menus can be viewed here.
Chef Chen's is open Sunday through Thursday from 11AM-9:30PM, and Fridays + Saturdays from 11AM-9:45PM.
Le Salbuen's Closure
MG first received a tip about Le Salbuen's closure on the morning of Thursday, March 13th, 2025. One of our readers said they walked by Le Salbuen to find that it had abruptly closed, and new signage was up in the space for what looked to be a new sushi spot.
Google still listed Le Salbuen as open on March 13th, but MapQuest listed the restaurant as closed. As of Tuesday, March 18th, Le Salbuen was listed as permanently closed on Google.
About Le Salbuen
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Le Salbuen first opened at 97 Walnut Street in Montclair in 2012, serving an array of globally-inspired, organic, gluten-free, local farm-to-table meat and vegan dishes. The restaurant was run by owners Chef John and Christina Salierno.
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Open for breakfast, lunch, Sunday brunch, and dinner, the menu was full of seasonal dishes using local and organic produce, meats, dairy products, and artisanal goods using ingredients from local farmers that they know and trust. Some of the menu options included grass-fed organic braised short rib, vegan pasta du jour, raw organic carrot salad, and much more.
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