My girlfriends treated me an excellent birthday dinner of French cuisine. The service was excellent, the food was delicious, and the atmosphere is absolutely amazing. I will definitely be back for more with my soulmate for a date night. Thanks to my beautiful girlfriends and Matisse 167 for the wonderful experience.

We've been coming here for years as a special occasion restaurant... even after our civil wedding ceremony. There's a new chef and owner, so we were curious. The beauty of the garden and restaurant are still the same and the new chef has added bigger portions but the food is still amazing! Ambiance is so romantic!!!

I've been dining here for years. But this past weekend for the first time since new Chef Greg took full control of the kitchen. I can happily report that Matisse is still as mighty as it ever was. (NOTE: Matisse is located on a quieter section of Rutherford's busy Park Ave with street parking.) Fair priced prix-fixe menu that changes every season.... BYOB. Considered one of the most romantic places in Bergen County what with it's seasonal "backyard" grotto, the staff adds to the experience with it's professionalism and friendliness. I think the current staff is the best I've seen in years. Atmosphere is soothing and artistic without being overly done, just like the artist Matisse's artwork. Need I say this place is for the true food lover. One who expects a top level restaurant experience but without any stuffiness. Three courses are offered during the week, with four on weekends. Portions will leave you satisfied, however the top level ingredients and flavors will leave you euphoric & content. Dine here with a sense of adventure for your palate. Matisse has converted many a "meat & potato" diner into a true foodie. THE FOOD. Honestly you need to go to the website, read the descriptions, look at the pictures. It truly is like a storybook de cuisine . Then make a reservation, pick out some good wine and just GO! Of course I have to mention a few of our favorites as it can be hard to pick one of the many delicious choices. Everything we had was great. These really stood out. Of course all dishes are plated to look like a work of art. --WHITE SESAME SEED CUBED SUSHI TUNA: a scallion pancake, crushed oven dried pineapple, smoked soy vinaigrette, chili oil, wasabi just,topped with red onion & pickled ginger, dusted with wasabi peas. --PAN SEARED SCALLOP: Gnocchi, lemon butter, creme' of fresh spring peas, edamame, topped with a dollop of bacon and savory sage creme, lemon zest & baby greens (f you like foie gras, add it for the small $10 up-charge). --PAN ROASTED MUSCOVY DUCK BREAST & SOBA NOODLES: Cremed pearl onions, baby bok choy, topped with fried tempura cabbage, black cherry ginger marmalade, cherry balsamic jus, sage yogurt vinaigrette & baby greens ( FYI--Muscovey duck is lean, not greasy, and not gamey. it is the best duck IMO) As for dessert..... all three offered were home-runs. Somehow their version of a common vanilla Creme Brulee was not common at all but fantastique! As was the Orange Vanilla cheesecake that was as light as a feather. But I highly recommend for the chocolate lover is the PB&J Brownie: a decadent brownie topped with peanut butter mousse, strawberry marmalade, whip creme, and strawberry vanilla jus. All that with a great cup of coffee, cappuccino or tea. Absolutely one of my favorite restaurants anywhere. I always leave with a satisfied grin. Wishing the new chef and the staff many more great years.

Go here for a fresh delicious 4 course meal with generous portions! Was a bit disappointed to learn that Chef Pete had sold in June to Chef Greg but after the first course of tuna on the potato pancake this first course was enhanced with pineapple and the little crunch I always felt like it was always missing! For the second course, I enjoyed the shrimp stuffed with crab which I thought was light and refreshing but my hub missed the complexity of the jumbo lump crab cake and thought the crab was too shredded. I think if the crab stuffed shrimp is added as a first course option and the crab cake is added back as the second course option you'll have some very happy diners! For my main, my Chilean sea bass was probably the best I ever had and was served piping hot, seared perfectly on top of a generous portion of risotto which was cooked perfectly. There was a bit too much cool pineapple sauce on one piece of the sea bass but it was easily pushed to the side. The portion was big so I gave half to my hub anyway. Hub had the sirloin steak add on which was an extra $15 but seemed like an exorbitant extra considering it only came with 4 slivers of steak. For dessert I had the crème brûlée and it wasn't as glazed as I would typically expect but was still rich and delicious and was complimented with a perfectly ripe strawberry...the bite of strawberry with Brulee was enough to hit the spot. My hub had the orange cheesecake but I wasn't a fan of the orange flavors. There were many extra servers and the most staff I'd ever seen in the restaurant. Plus a lovely welcoming smiling familiar face which is always nice to see. The host Maria was so kind to go around and check on each persons experience. The ambiance is the status quo I still never got to dine in their secret garden in the back but we got to sit right by the outdoor backdoor and feel the warm air often which we personally enjoyed. Overall still a great dining experience but the prices are very high and a couple of the dishes are missing some of the complexity like the crab cake which will be missed. Looking forward to seeing how Matisse continues to evolve! Congrats Chef Greg and best of luck carrying the torch!

Matisse is a must and I'll happily come back to try another seasonal menu. I made a reservation for my husband's birthday and we were so giddy sitting outside in the deliciously shaded garden. The weather was perfect and a delightful gust of wind would blow by every once in a while passing through the plants all around us. With our sparkling wine in ice we were ready to try all the yummy courses. Our server made recommendations and noted we should get different things to share and try as much of the menu as we can so of course, we did! Every few bites we'd switch plates and it was so much fun trying the different flavor profiles. For dessert they put a candle in my husband's cheesecake and asked if he wanted a birthday song, haha! My husband politely said no thank you and shook the server's hand in gratitude and we munched on our desserts making sure to take nibbles of the powdered sugar dusted mint leaves. I'm confident everything we didn't try is just as delicious so I would recommend trying something that looks/sounds unfamiliar. Also, the hazelnut latte was incredible, it had white chocolate shavings and whipped cream without being overwhelmingly sweet and heavy--such a treat and great way to end the meal. DEFINITELY try it. This was a magical evening, thank you so much Matisse! We'll be seeing you again soon!

This is a great spot for a date or special occasion. Dinner is Pre-Fix and the menu changes seasonally. The dining areas are very inviting. The staff was very detail oriented and just enough but not on top of you. Basically the service is impeccable. As for the food everything is timed great and everything we ate was awesome. I thought I might leave hungry initially but that was not the case. Must go to spot for a romantic dinner

Another phenomenonal evening. Prix fix menu if $125 for four courses. Pick one of three choices per course. Best to share with someone . BYZoB. Intimate atmosphere. Attentive service. Enjoyed my choices of food. Chef is top notch. String recommendation for one of the best French restaurants in New Jersey.

This is my second time in this place. The first time I went was for an anniversary dinner during the winter pre-pandemic (sometime in 2019) and it was a lovely time! This time my husband and I went back for our 5th anniversary and again, we had a lovely & amazing time; we also noticed a few changes. Food: As usual, the food was amazing. However, they really changed the menu and I felt like most of the courses were similar to each other- delicious! Nonetheless unvarying. Service: Really 5 stars! Our waitress was really great. Knowledgeable of the menu, likable personality, offered to take pictures, and even helped me find some mosquito repellent right away because sitting outside in a sunny afternoon had its perks like quietness and cute views, but also downfalls like giant mosquitos :( Ambiance: Quiet and nice for couples having a date. The garden is beautiful- really cozy vibes. The restaurant added these new outdoor umbrellas that keep the sun away and I believe more variety of plants/trees. Def recommend this place for a special occasion or date night.

My good friend took me for my birthday, my 2nd visit here. Olives are one of the few foods I gave up trying because I really am put off by any kind available pretty much anywhere HOWEVER, the tapenade on the artichoke app (which I asked them to leave off) worked incredibly well enough to convince me to eat it! My 2nd course, Smoked Deck Carpaccio was unreal My 3rd course, Sea bass with shrimp was another homerun Dessert was the Pineapple Vanilla cheesecake and it was the perfect ending to a phenomenal meal.