The Claremont Tavern — Restaurant in Bernardsville

2 1/2 stars

The Claremont was on my list to try for literally years, going back to when I worked fairly close by in Parsippany, but this past Thursday was when I finally made my debut. I don't recall what captured my attention initially, but I honestly don't see a return visit in my future for a myriad of reasons.

Several other reviewers have mentioned it, and it bears repeating - the parking situation is rough. I love an authentic ye olde tavern like this, but one of the downsides of that can be limited spacing for vehicles (it's not like there was a need for them back in the day). There is no actual parking lot here - it looks like there's a small space to the side that could theoretically house a few cars for employees but it's definitely not publicly accessible to patrons - so you have to rely on street parking and hope that there's room for you within .1 miles of the entrance. I knew that ahead of time and pulled into a parking lot about two or three blocks away, which was fine, but something to certainly be aware of.

I met up with a chum for dinner but was predictably a bit early so I made myself comfortable at the bar just to the left of the entrance for about 20 minutes. The biggest selling point here is the environment and their bartenders - very friendly with personal recommendations. I'm not in love with hanging out at the bar by myself, but it helps when the bartenders are welcoming and engaging for sure. I had two drinks over the course of the evening: a lavender lemonade and a peachy sangria. The lavender lemonade was very bland/watery. It was arguably refreshing at least but pretty tasteless for what it was. I wouldn't order it again. The sangria wasn't actually on the official cocktail menu, but I saw it being prepped for someone else and made an impulse call. That was better, but VERY sweet. Neither drink seemed to have much alcohol in it, based both on taste and the fact that I never ended up with even a slightly rosy hue on my cheeks. The bill for the two drinks came close to $30 without tip, so in hindsight I would have just stuck with water or soda.

The food was also unfortunately pretty underwhelming. We split the calamari app, and at one of the bartender's recommendations, I ordered the drunken grandma pie (knowing it was a huge serving and leftovers would be forthcoming). There were pieces of the calamari that I thought were very tasty, especially with the spicy tomato chipotle sauce - that sauce was the star of the night in my estimation. But I'm honestly a little mystified at the addition of the balsamic reduction on this dish (which to be fair is absolutely referenced in the menu description). Palate-wise, it's just not a great blend of flavors in my opinion, so I avoided the pieces that were covered in that drizzle. When you have such an excellent accompanying sauce, why mess with perfection? It felt like an unforced error. The pie was also not great. The description referenced a vodka sauce, which is what I've encountered in drunken grandma pies at other establishments. However, this just tasted like normal tomato sauce, and you can see in the picture it just looks like a normal square cheese pie. I had a few slices of it, but the cheese was way too rubbery for me. Definitely a miss in my book.

The service was uneven. As mentioned, I had no issues with the bartenders, but when we sat down nearby the wait time increased considerably. Our waitress was nice, but she had to come by at least two or three times to apologize for the wait on the food. It wasn't a huge deal since we weren't on a tight schedule, but it was noticeable enough to me where I'd be reluctant to come back here in a situation where I was pressed for time.

This was a disappointment. My expectations may have been a little skewed because this place is pretty close to downtown Bernardsville so I assumed it would a little bougier, but when the drinks and food aren't particularly good, it's hard to find redeeming qualities to justify a...

This is a convenient local spot for us. Last Tuesday evening we stopped in for dinner. There was a table outside unoccupied and we asked for it. The hostess said it was not available and we needed to wait 20 min for an outside table. I asked if we could be seated inside right away. She said yes. She looked inside the room right by the entry which had 3 empty tables (2 were high tops). I told her I could not sit at a high top and she said no problem we can have the regular table. She said it just had to be cleaned. At that time there was nobody else looking to be seated. We waited patiently. Another girl about 5 min later cleaned the high top table next to the one next to the one we were waiting for. The high top had lots of glasses on it. It took her a couple of minutes to get it all clean. We thought it was strange that she didn’t bother to wipe off the table we were waiting for which had nothing on it. Then she started bringing out food for other tables, she took an order, she picked up pay from another table. Finally we spoke up and asked why we’re still waiting. She was very defensive saying she was very busy and doing the best she can. During all this time 8 other people came in and were behind us waiting to try and get a table. Of those BEHIND US was a couple where the lady was elderly. The hostess asked her if a high top was ok and they said yes. Immediately my husband and I looked at each other wondering how this lady was going to manage the high chair. Of course she could not. This is where the problem for us really started. The next thing we see is the hostess takes them to another room and seats them. Bears repeating they came in several minutes AFTER US while we were still waiting for our table to be “cleaned off”. The other 6 that also came in after us were all seated as well. I spoke up again and was given the same nonsense as before that they’re doing their best. I told them we feel very unwelcomed and it’s not right the way we’re being treated. At this point we had been waiting 15 min when we were told we’d be seated right away if inside. We we quite upset and decided to leave. Why should we give business to a place that was treating us so poorly. This however caused us a very real problem. My husband is diabetic on an insulin pump. Being we were told we’d be seated right away he gave himself insulin. Now we had waisted 15 min here for nothing. We now had to drive to another place and by the time we were seated and got to order it was 1/2 hr after taking his insulin. Thank God we had OJ with us and he had to drink it to avoid a low blood sugar. This was even more upsetting. The next day I went to the Claremont Tavern wanting to speak to the owner and let him know what happened. A male waiter told me he will get the owner. Then returned to tell me he’s busy cooking and doesn’t know how long it will be before he can speak with me. He suggested I leave ny name and number and he will call me. I did just that and he said Steve will call me. That was 3 days ago. I never heard from Steve just like we were never seated right away as we were supposed to be. We dine out often. It has been our experience that the attitude of the staff in a restaurant very much reflects the attitude and care the owners have toward their customers. It certainly proved true here. THIS IS A PLACE THAT IS DISORGANIZED, LIE TO CUSTOMERS AND THE OWNER DOESN’T CARE. We got the message and will continue to patronize other local places that treat us right and appreciate...

We went here for my dad’s birthday and to say the least, it was mediocre. I accept it for what it is — a tavern. It looks like they updated it once but now it just screams early 2000s instead of 1800s. It’s worth noting that there was only one waitress/bartender/busser/everything there that day, so I can understand her misery. I’ve been there. She was nice but so is my Aunt Linda and I sensed a lot of jaded attitude. We all ordered the pesto chicken panini and it was actually very good and the fries were very crispy and tasty. I really hope it wasn’t all Sysco because that would be too predictable. There were some people at the bar but overall it was quiet and rather damp and dreary inside. Of course there were sports on the televisions; because I care so much about football at noon on a Tuesday. The sports bar thing is overrated. My parents enjoyed their cocktails and my mom especially loved her Chardonnay, so I was happy about that. I feel like I’m being harsh here because overall it was a very cozy and relaxing lunch to celebrate my dad. I appreciate a hard working waiter/waitress and she did her best and in a timely fashion. I totally understand when you’re the only one working an entire bar and the tables, so it’s difficult to check on guests and ask them how everything is going. She tried taking our plates away but my dad was still eating. I find that brazen without asking politely if we were finished enjoying our meals. Again, this is a tavern. I glad that we got to try this place out and I’ll come back again but maybe for a beer and a different mindset. Thanks for your...