Perched in the Oakland hills, Montclair Village is nearing its most flavorful evening of the year, when one’s senses of smell and taste are put to good use.

A Taste of Montclair Village will return next week from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday to unite the neighborhood and local businesses for a night of bites, drinks and family-friendly fun. All ages are welcome at the ticketed event, with proceeds benefiting the Montclair Village Association (MVA), the nonprofit group that puts on the annual gathering.

“It’s a really nice showcase of restaurants and retail, and it’s an opportunity for people to try some new menu items or connect to a new business or restaurant that they haven’t had a chance to get to know (yet),” said Daniel Swafford, the MVA’s executive director.

The corner of La Salle Avenue and Mountain Boulevard — the epicenter of Montclair Village retail and dining — will come alive with sample dishes, beverages and other offerings from more than 40 local businesses. The event, which typically sells out, also gives residents a chance to reconnect.

“What people really love about it is that it’s a chance to meet up with friends, neighbors, folks that they know from PTAs at local schools or the library and their connections there,” Swafford said. “You get to see people you don’t see as often as you’d like.”

Gene Brtalik, who organizes the Taste of Montclair Village event, described it as a “family affair,” noting that it will feature live music from the Jazz Education Ensemble and plenty of activities for kids to enjoy, including face painting and hands-on crafts while parents take full advantage of their all-access “adult tasting passport.”

“Where else can you eat for $50 and get different samples in this day and age?” he said.

Youth can also indulge in samples, including cookies, doughnuts, shakes and pizza slices, with passports (tickets) of their own.

Taste of Montclair Village attendees can expect to find bites and libations from dozens of participating eateries and businesses, such as Daughter Thai Kitchen, Farmstead Cheeses & Wines, Himalayan Curry House, Crogan’s, Payakk Thai restaurant, Oh G Burger, Taqueria Las Comadres, Full Belly Bakery and Yellow Door. Savory, sweet or somewhere in between, Brtalik said the variety of businesses means there’s something — or many things — for everyone.

“It’s families and the community coming out and just supporting the Village — something nice in the Oakland hills that we all need,” said Rob Lam, chef and owner of Perle Bar, one of the participating Montclair restaurants.

Perle, he said, has been in the neighborhood since 2017, initially as a fine-dining spot with a French- and Mediterranean-inspired food and wine menu.

“When we opened Perle, we wanted to bring something a little bit more elegant to the community,” he said. “Over the years, as we got through the (COVID-19) pandemic, we realized most people aren’t looking for a luxury. They’re looking for sustainability and something that they can go and get every day of the week versus once a month.”

Lam said that consideration prompted a reconceptualization of Perle, with business partner Dino Vazquez, as a more casual eatery featuring a bar and centering on Vietnamese cuisine.

“I just went back to what I know,” he said.

At the Taste of Montclair event, Lam said Perle will showcase one of the new menu items: beef pho broth with banana shank and Vietnamese herbs.

“We didn’t plan for this heat wave to hit, but usually in the late afternoon, it gets a little chilly up there in the hills, so we wanted to do a little cup of our pho for our guests to walk away with,” he said.

Lam said he anticipates the sample enticing attendees to keep coming back to Perle.

“It’s getting people to see that there’s good Vietnamese food being created here in Montclair,” he said. “You don’t have to drive to downtown Oakland or into West Oakland — there’s access to it right here on Mountain Boulevard.”

Swafford said participating businesses have conveyed positive feedback about being able to connect with people at the event.

“There’s always that introduction to new clients and customers — people who may have gone to dine or to hang out in Montclair on past occasions but never really got to know the specific restaurant or the business that they’ll be introduced to with the Taste passport,” he said. “So there’s a direct benefit to the restaurant participant in growing their customer base or showcasing their catering menu or an aspect of their business that people will call them back to connect on.”

Shirleen Auyoung, the owner of 5 Spiced Kitchen, which specializes in traditional Chinese cuisine, says she’s looking forward to another year of welcoming patrons and new visitors alike.

“They show up in droves,” she said, adding, “The event really puts Montclair on the map.”

Auyoung has participated in the Taste of Montclair event since opening her restaurant in 2022, but her history in Montclair Village extends well beyond that, as her parents’ restaurant, the Silver Palace, previously occupied her location.

“They opened it in 1989, when I was about 13, and then eventually they retired in 2014, so I knew every inch of it,” she said.

Nearly a decade later, after some prompting from Montclair residents who said they missed having a neighborhood Chinese restaurant, she decided to return when the space became available, establishing her own eatery this time around. She said her dad, Martin Auyoung, is now in his 80s but helps out in 5 Spiced Kitchen. He’s also the one who, many years ago, came up with the recipe for the Mai Tai she’ll serve at next week’s event.

“That’s always a big hit,” she said.

Having participated in past annual Taste events, Auyoung is well versed in the prep time needed (approximately three hours) for food and drink items and the number of people she can expect to show up (around 400). She’s eager for even more people from outside Montclair to head to the hills for the event.

“I hope it continues to bring new people to Montclair to try all the restaurants, because there are a lot of good ones up here,” she said, echoing Lam’s sentiment.

Swafford pointed out that the event has yet another enticement: it’s distinctly Montclair.

“Like many shopping corridors and communities in Oakland, Montclair has a unique character, being kind of nestled in the redwoods and having some unique architectural history. You really get an experience here like you don’t get anywhere else,” he said.

JL Odom is a freelance journalist based in San Francisco who can be reached at jlodomphd@gmail.com. When they’re not covering the Bay Area, they’re usually training for their next marathon.

FYI

Montclair Village is centered around La Salle Avenue and Mountain Boulevard in the Montclair district of the Oakland hills. To purchase a “passport” (ticket) to the Taste of Montclair Village, go online to events.humanitix.com/taste-of-montclair-village-2026.

An adult passport is $50 ($53.24 with processing fee); a passport is for those younger than 15 is $20 ($22.07 with processing fee); and a package of four adult passports is $200 (processing fees are waived for a savings of $12.96).

Street parking and paid parking in the Montclair Parking Garage (at 6235 La Salle Ave.) will be available on April 7. Sign up for the Montclair Village Association (MVA) newsletter online at montclairvillage.com or follow the MVA on Instagram and Facebook for their latest news.