A NYC Brunch Favorite Just Landed in Montclair

Montclair just got a whole lot more interesting for brunch people.

Pig & Butter, the all day brunch spot that built its name on the Lower East Side, has officially made the move across the Hudson. The restaurant opened August 7 at 401 Orange Road in Montclair, bringing its contemporary American menu with it. If you spent any time in the East Village over the last few years, you probably already know the name. If you did not, you are about to.

Here is the backstory. Pig & Butter opened in New York during COVID, which is either the worst or the bravest time to open a restaurant, depending on how you look at it. It survived almost five years, building a loyal following for breakfast inspired dishes served all day. Chef owner Sherry Grimes ran the room at 42 Avenue B until the East Village location served its last day on December 7. The move to Montclair was not a retreat. By all accounts, it was an opportunity too good to pass up. And now Jersey gets the win.

So what is the food actually like? The menu is contemporary American, but that label barely covers it. The kitchen pulls from Mexican, Korean, Southern, Thai, and Jamaican influences, which sounds like a lot until you realize that is exactly how the best brunch menus work. Brunch is the one meal where nobody questions a mashup. Korean flavors next to Southern comfort next to Thai heat, it all makes sense at 11 in the morning with coffee. Pig & Butter built its reputation on bold flavors and fire grilled specialties, and that is exactly the energy Montclair is getting.

The schedule is generous too. Dinner runs Wednesday through Sunday, and brunch goes Friday through Sunday. That is a real commitment to brunch as a multi day event, not just a Sunday thing. Montclair already has a serious brunch culture, so Pig & Butter is walking into a town that takes its late morning meals seriously. That is either brave or smart. Probably both.

And look, the NYC to Montclair pipeline is real and it keeps delivering. Montclair and New York have been trading shops, chefs, and people for years. Spots that start in Brooklyn or the East Village keep finding second homes on Bloomfield Avenue and beyond. There is a reason for that. Montclair has the foot traffic, the food obsessed residents, and the downtown energy to support the kind of restaurants that used to only work in Manhattan. Every time another NYC favorite makes the jump, it confirms what people here already know. This town eats.

The early signs are good. The Montclair location is already sitting at a 4.8 on OpenTable with the price point at 30 dollars and under, which puts it squarely in the sweet spot for a regular rotation brunch spot. Not a special occasion splurge. A place you actually go. Casual dining, neighborhood gem energy, the kind of listing that makes you want to book a table this weekend.

If you are building your fall brunch list, and you should be, put Pig & Butter on it. 401 Orange Road. Brunch Friday through Sunday. Go hungry.