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Chef Jason Melton in the main dining room at Savanna's. RITA CHILDERS

Savanna’s on Elm Street in Southampton is known for its contemporary American cuisine, historical setting and casual elegance.

Manager Dara Clark, who has worked at the restaurant since it opened 14 seasons ago, said that it is the atmosphere, as well as the food, that keeps patrons coming back.

Around 1890, the building which houses Savanna’s was the Town Hall and Post Office for Southampton Town and was located on Main Street. The building was moved to Elm Street in 1911. According to Ms. Clark, the owner, Ms. Howard Gittis, thought it best “to maintain the historic quality with the ceiling fans, hardwood floors, wainscoted walls and antique glass.” The interior surroundings evoke a sense of historic Gatsby-era style where one might imagine women in cool, classic long white dresses dining beside men in straw hats and linen suits.

Outdoor seating is also available at Savanna’s, with tables under a tall pavilion lined with a rose garden and other bright flowers.

Whether dining indoors or outdoors, Savanna’s has an “airy and inviting” feeling that brings loyal diners back time after time to eat, Ms. Clark said.

The manager explained that the re-opening of her restaurant each year is a clear sign for customers that the season has begun. “Every single season, patrons say ‘We know it’s summer when Savanna’s opens,’” Ms. Clark explained.

The restaurant is open for dinner seven days a week, from 5:30 to closing at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Savanna’s also features a happy hour from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, with two-for-one drink specials and complimentary wood oven pizza at the bar.

Chef Jason Melton has been at Savanna’s for the past three years. Mr. Melton was classically trained at the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon, and has traveled extensively to many places around the world including Germany and Thailand. Mr. Melton said his world travels have offered him “a window into all different kinds of food.”

This peek into world cuisine helped him to “produce rounded flavors,” he said, “and let the food speak for itself.” He said he makes sure not to cover up the flavors of the fare by keeping his dishes “very elemental.”

According to the chef, fresh flavors and local ingredients are used whenever possible as he cooks up new specials each weekend depending on the choices at the market.

Contemporary American cuisine is featured on Savanna’s menu, Mr. Melton said. He noted that a signature menu item is the $18 roasted beet and goat cheese Napoleon with yellow beet concasse, baby mâche and a balsamic drizzle. Other popular dishes are the Maine lobster ravioli with spicy Marzano sauce for $36 and the sautéed Mediterranean dorade with asparagus, spinach, grape tomatoes, thyme and chardonnay for $34.

The crispy wood oven-roasted Long Island duckling with vanilla sweet potatoes and an apricot-vin santo glaze is also a favorite, according to the manager. “Whenever it’s taken off the menu, customers are asking for it,” Ms. Clark explained.

Appetizers are $18 and $19 and include dishes such as sautéed calamari with escarole, garlic and crushed red pepper; Atlantic prawns scampi in a lemon parsley reduction with crostone; five-spice seared sushi yellowfin tuna with vegetable julienne and soy-wasabi vinaigrette; and bresaola, a dried salted beef, with baby arugula, shaved parmigiano and an extra virgin drizzle.

Salad offerings include a traditional Caesar with seasoned foccacia croutons, white anchovies and Parmigiano reggiano; a chopped heirloom salad with Gorgonzola galbani, red onion and basil oil; and a Maryland lump crab salad with avocado, roasted corn, frisée lettuce and a lemon vinaigrette. Salad prices range from $15 to $20.

Entrées range from $32 to $48 and include a variety of dishes such as chicken breast Milanese with mesclun greens and a hearts of palm salad; prime center cut filet mignon with whipped potatoes, swiss chard and green peppercorn sauce; and pomegranate glazed Atlantic salmon with a baby vegetable sauté.

Frequent specials consist of pizza prosciutto with arugula, Parmigiano reggiano and truffle oil for $21; pizza margherita for $18; and burrata pugliese with heirloom tomatoes, basil and balsamic syrup for $25.

Homemade pastas are also offered and range from $28 to $36. Dishes include spaghetti chitarra—which is made on a harp-shaped cutting tool—with baby veal meatballs, San Marzano sauce and basil chiffonade and a whole wheat garganelli with roasted eggplant, plum tomato sauce, basil and ricotta salata and linguine with New Zealand cockles, chorizo and shallots in an herb sherry broth.