The Best Restaurants in Savannah, Georgia
Call it Midnight in the Garden of Tasty and Delicious: Savannah has raised the dining bar, challenging Charleston in many ways. Here's a guide to some of the best places and dishes to be found in this Southern charmer.
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Family Meal: Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room
Lunch in Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room is like a typical family meal in households across the South. Community tables of 10 are filled with family, friends and strangers, and close to two dozen shareable platters and bowls filled with rotating Southern staples like fried chicken (sinful and, thankfully, available every day), beef stew, meat loaf, cornbread dressing, candied yams, black-eyed peas, okra and tomatoes, butter beans, mashed potatoes, pickled beets, collard greens — you get the idea. The menu also changes daily, so regulars never get bored with their meal. To make it feel even more like home, it's first-come-first-served. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. sharp, you clear your own dishes and they only take cash (but there is an ATM on site).
Editor’s note: This guide was originally published in January 2019 and has been updated with the latest information on these restaurants.
You Scream, We All Scream: Leopold's Ice Cream
Forming lines that often snake down the block, people flock to this throwback ice cream parlor, which has been around for over 100 years. Founded by three brothers from Greece and now run by descendants of that original family, this spot serves up its legendary hand-crafted ice cream in two dozen classic flavors (including the original 1919 Tutti Fruitti — rum ice cream with candied fruit and fresh-roasted Georgia pecans), rotating seasonal flavors like Japanese Cherry Blossom and Pumpkin Spice, decadent banana splits (pictured), overstuffed sundaes, ice cream sandwiches on scratch-made cookies, milkshakes, ice cream sodas, floats and specialty hot beverages. Many of the ice cream ingredients and toppings are prepared in-house, as are the sandwiches and signature salads.
The New South: Husk
New on the scene in 2018, but a sister to outposts in Charleston, Greenville and Nashville, Husk pays homage to the indigenous ingredients and heirloom products of coastal Georgia. Located in the heart of the historic district, it has a Southern-inspired menu that highlights local and regional ingredients and farmers, and changes daily, based on seasonality and availability. Dishes like sea scallops with summer squash, cornbread, padron peppers, and marigold, and Hunter Cattle Farm pork, confit leeks, mojo rattlesnake beans and black garlic celebrate the region's bounty while striving to refine Savannah cooking and changing the way we look at Southern cuisine.
Pizza: Green Fire Pizza
Hoping to fill a void of true big-city pizza, father and son Russell and Parker Lee found the sweet spot with Green Fire Pizza. Using an 800-degree wood-fired pizza oven imported from Italy, they are cooking up perfectly charred Old World Neapolitan-style pizza with a thin and crunchy — yet still slightly doughy — crust filled with local and organic ingredients. Available by the slice or the pie, the classic margherita sets the bar with San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, garlic and locally grown Genovese basil. But don't overlook the Lemon Chicken Cheddar pizza or the famous Giardino, with Calabrian chile pesto, broccolini, cherry tomatoes and sausage. Or create your own with more than two dozen out-of-the-(pizza)-box toppings.
Baked with Love: Back in the Day Bakery
With its sweet smells of freshly baked confections or its warm ambiance created by whitewashed walls and retro decor (think vintage mixers, flour canisters and antique pendant chandeliers), this place will make you feel like you've traveled back in time to your childhood. Only open on weekends, here you’ll be welcomed by a magical display case bursting with rainbow colors of cupcakes, pies, cookies, bars and brownies. The bakery also has a line of hand-crafted jams, jellies and dry mixes. If savory is your thing, go for a biscone or top-selling all-butter buttermilk biscuit. And don't even get us started on the piquant breads and creative sandwich fillings.
Afternoon Tea: Gryphon
Located on Madison Square in the architecturally rich 1926 Scottish Rite Masonic Temple — which served as Solomon's Drugstore for more than 70 years — Gryphon harks back to another era with its white tablecloths, carved mahogany bookcases and original mortar and pestle stained-glass panels. Now the premier cafe of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Gryphon serves traditional afternoon tea every day for a true Savannah respite. Featuring a pot of tea — you can choose from 10 varieties daily plus a flavor of the day — along with a selection of tea sandwiches, salads, scones with housemade Devonshire cream and strawberry jam, fresh fruit and an assortment of freshly made tea sweets, it is a fitting taste of Southern hospitality.
Island Eats: The Deck Beach Bar and Kitchen
Oceanfront dining is less than 20 miles away on Savannah's Tybee Island, and The Deck — nestled within the dunes — offers up killer views and a classic beachfront vibe. It's all about the seafood here, whether you're dining inside (plenty of windows bring in the ocean breeze) or out on the deck. Start with the oysters or clams, which are IPA steamed and topped with roasted garlic butter. Fave entrees include the market fish tacos and the Low Country Boil, so you'd better come hungry. There is also a great selection of burgers, sandwiches and cocktails.
All-Day Dining: The Emporium Kitchen and Wine Market
Part restaurant, part bistro, with a little takeaway, coffee shop and market in the mix — and open from early to late — The Emporium is the perfect spot for enjoying a tasty breakfast, a creative lunch or dinner, a leisurely cocktail, picking up dinner provisions or the perfect hostess gift, all under one eclectic roof. The menu features savory and sweet breakfast and brunch items, housemade charcuterie, seafood bisque (sapelo island clams, georgia shrimp. mussels, lavash) and spectacular entree offerings, like Georgia shrimp and grits and bone-in short rib). Decadent desserts are available to go (as are prepared salads and made-to-order sandwiches), along with an impressive wine selection.
Cuban: Rancho Alegre Cuban
Savannah's restaurant scene includes plenty of typical ethnic genres, but for a truly colorful cultural take, taste a slice of Havana (and more) at Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant, where the focus is on Cuban, Caribbean and Spanish dishes. Start with a cool Cuba libre or mojito with appetizers like chicharritas (plantain chips) with mojo sauce, papa rellena (potato ball stuffed with ground beef) or croquetas de jamon (ham croquettes). Then go big with lechon asado (roasted and shredded pork), slow-cooked stovetop paella Valenciana or the national dish of Cuba, ropa vieja (slow roasted shredded beef in a Creole sauce), all served with yellow rice, black beans and sweet fried plantains. There's live Latin jazz on the weekends.
Sweet Spot: Lulu's Chocolate Bar
Devoted to scratch-made desserts and creative cocktails, Lulu's Chocolate Bar is definitely on the "Why didn't I think of that?" list. Start at the bar and enjoy one of the 20 different martinis — many of which feature chocolate, like the Lulutini or the white chocolate pomegranate martini — or a chocolate beer or deep ruby-red wine. Then move on to dessert with a sweet treat like Lulu's strawberry suspension cake, white chocolate chip cheesecake, chocolate covered strawberries, or the Big Cookie (pictured), a giant, delicious mini-dark-chocolate chip cookie that's cut into a pie wedge, heated and served with vanilla ice cream.
Mexican: Tequila's Town
Sure, there are some great taco shops in Savannah. But Tequila's Town is where you want to go for an authentic Mexican experience. Owned and operated by a group of Mexican "compadres," this place has a legit menu filled with genuine Mexican recipes and Tex-Mex favorites like the Piggy Burritos filled with shredded pork carnitas and topped with queso dip and pico de gallo. Start with the tableside made-to-order guacamole — you get to pick your ingredients and your heat level — served up in a lava-rock molcajete. The street tacos won't disappoint, and you can mix and match from 10 tasty selections. Wash it all down with the restaurant's own house-branded tequila, Tequila Blanco, in a margarita or tequila cocktail.
Retro Dining (at the Greyhound Station): The Grey
The Grey's refurbished 1938 art deco Greyhound bus-terminal setting — diner car included — and its vintage take on updated "Southern eats" give a whole new meaning to retro. With this place that opened in 2014, chef-partner and 2018 James Beard Award nominee Mashama Bailey and hospitable front-of-the-house founding partner Johno Morisano bring local fare and friendly flair to Savannah's burgeoning dining scene. Menus vary daily and are inspired by seasonal Southern ingredients. Southern twists abound, including Crawfish Etouffee with white grits, trinity, creole gravy beef carpaccio with broccoli, and their spin on Indian-meets-Southern-inspired Country Captain Chicken with curry, currants and almonds.
Eat in the Wild: The Wyld
Overlooking a bucolic tidal creek less than 20 minutes from downtown, The Wyld is a world away — and so worth the drive. The waterside dock-bar restaurant offers up stunning views of the marshland, plus bocce, a fire pit and seafood-focused seasonal menus. Depending on the time of the year, you may be able to enjoy local oysters, tacos, seafood rolls and other hearty dishes made with the catch of the day. Sides, like their chicharrones with truffle hot sauce and succotash with garlic and butter, are impressive yet simple.
Brunch: The Collins Quarter
Brunch is big in Savannah, and there's no better place to see and be seen than at one of the two locations of the Australian-inspired The Collins Quarter. This ode to Melbourne's historic Collins Street pairs specialty coffees (the Lavender Mocha is to die for) and elegant cocktails (think bloodys, mimosas, bellinis, and rosés) with innovative and land-down-under-leaning cuisine. At the Downtown location, the Swine Time Beni is made with luscious brioche French toast that’s topped with pulled pork, a poached egg, hollandaise and bacon. Also Downtown, there’s Leo's Big Breakfast ( Italian sausage, bacon, eggs, baked beans, mushrooms and a grilled tomato) and the Short Rib Hash, a tasty mashup of braised short ribs, potato hash, chimichurri slaw and a fried egg. The Forsyth Park location’s brunch menu has plenty of delicious hearty dishes, too, like Crab Cake Benedict, Chicken & Waffles and Wildberry French Toast.
Date Night: 700 Drayton
What better way to celebrate date night than with a romantic table for two at 700 Drayton in The Kessler Collection's Mansion on Forsyth Park? The stunning ambiance is filled with world-class artwork, fireplaces and original wood flooring and trim in a historic 1888 mansion overlooking the park. The evening menu focuses on simply prepared regional specialties, fish and meat. Enjoy a magical tete-a-tete with several shareable plates like the Hunter's Board with Georgia cheeses or the local clams with chorizo and jam lager. Add to the romance by choosing a cooking class from the large selection in the 700 Kitchen Cooking School.
Oh So Savannah: The Olde Pink House
Legend has it that the cotton-candy-pink exterior of this aptly named restaurant resulted from the deep red of the original bricks bleeding through the white stucco. Be that truth or fiction, it's a fact that this 1771 Georgian mansion is the perfect setting for a romantic dining experience whether you're situated in one of the ornate dining rooms filled with heart-pine planks, crystal chandeliers and fireplaces, or in the more intimate and casual tavern downstairs. The menu features oh-so-Savannah gussied-up sauteed local shrimp with country ham gravy and cheddar cheese grit cakes, a perfectly crispy fried pork chop with macaroni and cheese plus collards, and a whole fried flounder — all of it will make you think you've died and gone to Southern heaven.
Burger: Crystal Beer Parlor
Situated in what was once the Gerken Family Grocery Store, "The Crystal" opened in 1933 and is reputed to have been one of the first restaurants to serve alcohol after the repeal of Prohibition. Enjoy your choice of more than 85 beers — including a selection of "Beers of Our Fathers" (hard-to-find time-honored beers) and a host of burgers, including a Greek lamb burger, veggie burger, bison burger and the classic griddled half-pound Crystal Burger, which has been on the menu for 80-plus years. Splurge on the onion rings, which are always freshly prepared and fried to order.
Soul Food: Narobia's Grits & Gravy
With a true Savannahian take on soul food, Narobia's lifts grits and gravy to another level. Heaping servings of grits come with varied gravy combinations, including shrimp, sausage (beef or turkey), lamb with green peppers, onions and mushrooms, or the tasty crab stew loaded with succulent shrimp, crabmeat, green peppers, onions and just the perfect amount of spice. Or, simply get the brown gravy with liver and onions, fried flounder, a salmon patty or a ribeye on top. All breakfast plates come with two eggs any way you'd like them, plus toast or a butter-kissed biscuit. If grits aren't your thing, substitute hash browns or french fries, or try the sausage gravy over biscuits.
Breakfast: Clary's Cafe
What's better than a classic diner-style breakfast? A classic diner-style breakfast joint that serves breakfast all day. Clary's Cafe has been serving it up all day every day since 1903, and locals swear by it. Naturally, this spot offers eggs in all styles and lots of omelets, all served with buttered grits or breakfast potatoes and toast or biscuits. But then there are eggs Benedict (try the salmon cake), French toast (get it stuffed with strawberries and cream) and Georgia pecan pancakes. And don't miss the specials like the famous freshly made corned beef hash (they make their own whole corned-beef briskets in the back).
Fine Dining: Elizabeth on 37th
For fine dining, Savannah's grande dame since the early 1980s has been Elizabeth on 37th. It's set in a turn-of-the-century Georgian mansion filled with fireplaces, high ceilings, original paintings and ceramics, resulting in comfortable elegance. Guests are treated to a culinary experience of Savannah traditions with a contemporary flavor — with many of the vegetables and herbs coming from the restaurant's own garden. Start with a fresh mozzarella and local tomato salad with herb pecan pesto, balsamic and truffle oil, or sage grits cake with local mushrooms.The double-cut Berkshire pork chop with five-cheese macaroni and radicchio slaw oozes decadence, and the spicy Savannah red rice with Georgia shrimp shows off the bounty of the region.
