Leia Gaccione is the chef and owner of south+pine american eatery in Morristown, NJ. She is known for her appearance as a contestant on Top Chef Season 19 and her culinary training in New York City. Her cuisine...
Insights
SteakhouseLatin AmericanMexicanFrenchVegan-friendlyUpscaleLunchDinnerBrunchCocktail Bar
Last updated: 7/5/2026, 4:05:17 AM
Key Information
The Saint Clair is a modern American restaurant in Montclair, NJ, known for blending seasonal ingredients, craft cocktails, and warm hospitality. It offers a setting of timeless romance and contemporary intrigue. It is a BYOB establishment, conveniently located next to a wine shop (Amanti Vino), and also features an espresso bar.
Customer Perception
Customers consistently praise The Saint Clair for its exceptional food, attentive service, and inviting atmosphere. Reviewers highlight the delicious brunch menu (French toast, biscuits, chorizo patties), outstanding dinner dishes (short rib, NY strip, salmon, roasted chicken, cornbread), and creative mocktails. The BYOB policy is a significant plus, especially with the nearby wine store. Service is frequently described as friendly, attentive, and welcoming. The atmosphere is noted as beautifully decorated, warm, and special.
Additional Details
The restaurant operates as BYOB, with the Amanti Vino wine store conveniently located next door. They provide orange juice for guests bringing prosecco for mimosas. An espresso bar is also available.
Saint Clair is a fantastic spot that delivers on every level. From the moment you walk in, the atmosphere is warm, stylish, and inviting, making it perfect for a date night, celebration, or a relaxed dinner with friends.
One of the standout items was the cornbread—it was absolutely incredible. Warm, buttery, and perfectly balanced with just the right touch of sweetness, it’s the kind of appetizer you’ll be thinking about long after your meal.
The drink program is equally impressive. While they offer an excellent selection of cocktails, don’t overlook the mocktails. They’re thoughtfully crafted, beautifully presented, and just as flavorful and satisfying as the alcoholic options, making them some of the best non-alcoholic drinks you’ll find.
The food was delicious across the board, the service was attentive and welcoming, and the overall experience was top-notch. Saint Clair is the kind of restaurant you’ll want to return to again and again. Highly recommended!
Had brunch here for the first time on New Year’s Eve and was not disappointed! Tried the $32 prix fixe lunch (soup or salad plus main entree). Started with the Saint Claire salad with honey vinegrette which has refreshingly good and paired with the Crispy Fish Tacos which was surprisingly quite filling. My wife also had the same salad paired with the Faroe Island Salmon with honeyed carrots over farro which was delish! Ended it with a heavenly tasting honey-crusted apple with vanilla ice cream on top. Saint Clair is BYOB so we brought a bottle of prosecco and they provided a carafe of OJ for our mimosas! Shout out to our server Ashley who helped us with our choices and took great care is us throughout our dining! Highly recommend!
5
We came here for brunch to celebrate my husband’s birthday with my husband and my in-laws, and wow… this place completely won us over!
First of all, Alexis & management were AMAZING! They were so kind, attentive, and genuinely made us feel so welcomed. You can tell the staff actually cares about giving people a great experience instead of just getting them in and out.
The buttermilk biscuits with jam & butter were to die for! They were SO good. Everyone at our table loved their food, and my iced vanilla latte was genuinely the best latte I’ve ever had.
When I made our reservation, I put “a birthday dessert if possible!” in the special requests. By the end of brunch, my husband was way too stuffed for dessert, but Alexis still found a way to make his birthday feel special. She brought out a little candle in some lavender cold foam, and it was honestly the cutest touch. Much appreciated & we loved the little birthday moment!
The food was amazing, but what really stood out was the customer service. It’s rare to go somewhere and feel like everyone genuinely wants you to have a great time, and that’s exactly how we felt here.
We’ll 100% be recommending this place to everyone, and we’re already planning to come back for dinner!
5
Had the most incredible brunch at The Saint Clair a few weeks ago and I’m still thinking about it. The brunch menu was phenomenal -the French toast, chorizo patties, breakfast sandwich, bacon, and the biscuits were all unreal. Seriously, the biscuits alone are worth ordering. Every single thing we had was so good.
A special shoutout to Leo, our waiter, who was incredibly friendly and made the whole experience even better. It’s BYOB, which was perfect since we grabbed two bottles from the wine shop next door, and Leo brought out orange juice for the table so we could make brunch cocktails.
Highly recommend if you’re in the area, already looking forward to going back and eating my way through the dinner menu.
5
Great local restaurants that "Wows" the palette. Chef inspired menu, that focuses on farm to table fresh choices. Beautiful setting w space to host larger parties. They have some wines available in house through an arrangement w a vineyard. They are also BYOB w plenty of nearby options. Felt welcome from the first hello 👋, til meeting the Chef as we left.
Food was amazing, good eclectic mix of patrons. Bright and airy setting while still having a cozy experience.
They have an upstairs area for private groups or for when it's super busy.
I had the Salmon was amazing and prepared to Chefs temperature. My daughter had the Halibut which was rich and perfectly cooked, I sampled. Her Fiancee got the Burger which is so rich and flavored. The desserts were amazing. We will be back regularly. Happy to see a great new spot in a classic location.
