Montecristo Lounge

This place is a lot of fun good food, great value and nice people. Emily helped us and she was very busy, constantly cleaning up ash trays bringing food, dealing with demanding customers and yet she kept it light and fun. Having read some of the other reviews I don’t know what these people are talking about except the ventilation could be better. If here is ever a food or drink problem it is taken care of immediately. People need to lighten up.

Place is enormous with a great set up. Cigar shop is huge with a great selection. I rated it a 2 only because the service in the lounge and Bar suck, I mean its really bad. Bartenders are unknowledgeable and not all hospitable… I can actually deal with that, the main issue with the place is the huge amount of lingering smoke. I get it, it’s a cigar lounge, but you gotta have ventilation. The smoke actually causes a haze in the place. I personally can’t enjoy my cigar if I’m coughing from everyone else’s smoke… Probably wouldn’t make plans to go back.

Very disappointed with the experience here. Myself and two of my buddies came here to enjoy NFL playoff football over cigars, drinks and some apps. We sat ourselves in the only available section open. Ash trays at our area were filled with prior cigars, wrappers and ashes. Waitresses were very slow in addressing the cleanup. We bought our cigars in the shop prior to sitting down. The whole place also has different closing times. The cigar store closes at one time, the bar area another time and the lounge another. Need a schedule to figure out when things r open and closed. Stupid system in place. Worst part of the night was after about 5 minutes after the game had concluded, all of the TVs were turned off and we were told to finish up and leave. We were rushed out and treated like 2^nd class citizens. I will never go out of my way to come back here again. Décor was nice thus the 2 star rating, but quality of service was terrible. Skip this place.

A very cool, laid back spot where you can just chill and enjoy food, drink, and smoke with friends or on a date. The food is OK, but the atmosphere trumps all! I’ve been more than a few times, with friends, and it’s always a cool outing.

I never was here before, my first contact was a waitress that introduced herself as Emily. She was very friendly, upbeat and very attentive without being annoying. Emily made this a real friendly place. I would definitely comeback and bring more friends. Food was great, prices even better and you get a cigar.

At the Drew Estate event at J&R’s. Look for either Felix of Mike and tell them Matt sent you, they’ll hook you up! Great guys who know their cigars. Also, if they have it get anything from the ünico series, can’t go wrong!

Great place to hang for a guys night out. I always order the cheese platter. Comes with brie, bleu, parmasean, and cheddar with water crackers and grapes. Also comes with a cigar. Wine is decent. Service was great.

This is one of the few places in NJ where you can enjoy a drink and a smoke. They serve food, however if you are looking for haute cuisine, don’t bother. Sandwiches, bar pies, nachos and the like are average. Food here is more of an afterthought.
However if you want a great place to meet friends who share a love of cigars and maybe watch a ball game, you can’t beat it.
One reviewer here complained about the service and I’ve encountered some crappy service here as well as some great service — and everything in between. As with many casual establishments service can be spotty.
But these days where else can you spark up your Churchill, sip a cognac, glass of wine or beer and enjoy time with your friends? A worthwhile stop for cigar smokers.

Where else in NJ can you smoke, drink and eat all at the same time unless you are in the back room of the Bada Bing with Tony and Pauly and Silvio? Attached to the JR Cigar Store in Whippany, the Montescristo Lounge serves ‘guy food’ (aka … the type of food you would heat up out of a box) so don’t expect fine dining.
Having said that, you don’t really come here for the food. Chili Dogs, microwave pizza, etc. is the standard fare. The restaurant is an afterthought … this is more of a lounge where you can drink and smoke a cigar.
The BEST PART about this place (besides the super hot Bettie Page looking waitress who calls everyone ‘Honey’ or ‘Darling’) is that with each item you get off the menu ($ 11) … you get a free Montescristo cigar. So basically, you are getting a $ 7 cigar free with each $ 11 food item. AND an old school gentleman’s lounge to smoke it in.
I’ve had the cuban sandwich which is my favorite dish. The cheese plate is absolutely huge. No one human could eat it. At $ 11 … it has the equivalent of $ 20 worth of cheeses you’d buy at the supermarket PLUS lots of fresh fruit. 3 people could easily snack on it … it is one of the best values out of any restaurant I’ve ever been to. The buffalo chicken wrap is a skip … it is made with grilled chicken that is minced like dog food and tossed in a weak buffalo sauce and served in a stale wrap. Everything comes with potato chips, which makes you feel like you are eating lunch over your friend’s house in the 8^th grade.
The décor is great … it feels like an old school gentleman’s parlour in England or old Havana. Oddly, it is almost never crowded … and they have 2 or 3 big screen tvs showing the news and sports.
Don’t come for the food … come for the atmosphere. And the fact that the last time a place like this existed in New Jersey, Nookie Thompson probably ate there in the prohibition days. How JR gets away with it … I don’t know … but I’m glad they do.
Its the closest thing to being a character in Mad Men as you’ll find without sexually harassing a secretary.

One of the very few places in Northern NJ you can go for a drink and a smoke — this restaurant is connected to the JR Cigar warehouse.
There are a few highlights; the cheese plate, a glass of wine and a cigar is a great combination. However in general as a restaurant it comes up short.
The menu for the most part is edible but mediocre bar/​cafeteria food. The real problem is the incredibly poor service. I mean like at the level of almost ignore you.
Long story short — if you smoke cigars and are in the area, it is a place to have a stick and a drink. With a little work it could be a great place but doesn’t seem like anyone cares.

Attached to the enormous J&R Cigar shop, this is a great place to stop after shopping to grab a sandwich and enjoy a nice smoke.
Being one of the few places in NJ that lets you smoke a cigar, eat, and drink a beer all in one room makes this special to begin with.
The food was pretty decent, having tried two different sandwiches now I can safely say it’s worth the value. Pricing isn’t ridiculous. The best part? You get a fairly decent (~$ 6) cigar for free with your lunch.
Next time I go to J&R to restock, I definitely intend to stop by and grab some lunch from this place afterwards.