Savannah is going through an impressive cultural renaissance, just like many other Southern cities. The food and drink scene is changing at the same time. And if you’re going to visit the Hostess City of the South soon, you should put these best places to eat in Savannah on your list of places to eat.
Note about eating in Savannah: Savannah is a popular tourist destination, so weekends can be busy with people. How does that make you feel? Make your plans a few weeks ahead of time! Still, we like to travel during the week, and we didn’t have any trouble getting into the best restaurants in Savannah on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights without a reservation.
Collins Quarter
Collins Quarter is the one restaurant I always eat at when I’m in Savannah. I love everything on their breakfast, lunch, and brunch menus, as well as their signature spiced lavender mocha. What could be more fun? Collins Quarter has moved to Forsyth Park, so you now have two places to choose from if you want to eat at this great Australian-style bistro.
Best for: brunch any day of the week
Cotton & Rye
Cotton & Rye is always our top choice for the best place to eat in Savannah. The sleek interior of this remodelled mid-century modern bank is the perfect place for the chef to make sausage, paté, bread, and meat grinding, all of which are done on-site at the restaurant. The menu has everything from market fish, like black cod, to a great house-ground cheeseburger and fries. To top everything off? A candy bar made at home with real gold leaf.
Even though you can make reservations on the restaurant’s website, we have been able to walk in and get a table more than once.
Best for: dinner, any occasion
Common Thread
On our last trip to Savannah, every foodie I asked for a restaurant recommendation said the same thing: Common Thread. Common Thread is a classic French restaurant in an old Victorian with a Michelin-star vibe. It serves aged beef and pasta, as well as oysters, fresh fish, and vegetarian dishes. The ambitious way the meals were made, with things like fennel salsa verde, parmesan foam, and Middle Eastern spices, put this restaurant at the top of our list of favourite places to eat in Savannah.
Best for: the trendiest table in town
The Grey
Since it opened in 2014, this award-winner has put Savannah on the travel list of every foodie, and for good reason. Not only is the design on point, but co-owner and chef Mashama Bailey, who won the James Beard Outstanding Chef award this year, is always pushing the limits with her dishes.
The Grey is known for being flexible with the ingredients of the season and has a small but incredibly delicious menu. You should also try the restaurant’s brunch, which includes dishes like crab beignets, pork pastrami, fried chicken with hoe cakes dancing, and a nice breakfast cocktail or mimosa. Not allowed in the restaurant? You can instead go to the Diner Bar or the Grey Market for a quick meal.
Best for: fans of buzzy cuisine and celebrity chefs
The Public Kitchen & Bar
The Public Kitchen & Bar is in a stately building right on busy Liberty Street. They have a wide range of wines and local beers on their menu, as well as food from all over the world. The plates at The Public are big, the drinks are strong, and the atmosphere is upscale casual, so come hungry.
Best for: lunch on a weekday when you’re real hungry
Treylor Park & Double Wide Diner
Treylor Park has two restaurants in Savannah that serve shareable plates, flatbreads, and delicious lunch items like fried bologna, sloppy Joes, tacos, and a wide range of alcoholic drinks to keep your mood in sync with the rest of the city. Plan your day around brunch and lunch to get the most out of Treylor Park. Treylor Park’s sister restaurant, Double Wide Diner, is just a few blocks away. It has unique lunch dishes and tasty mimosas, and it feels like you’re eating in the 1950s.
Best for: a casual bite or weekday brunch
Fleeting
Fleeting is a restaurant in the new Thompson Hotel Savannah that uses very local ingredients to make a cool and varied menu. On the menu of this restaurant, you can find spring rolls, oysters, tartines, banana leaf grouper, and bootleg chicken. The restaurant is near a stretch of new river developments that is growing quickly. It’s a great place to grab a bite to eat if you’re walking along the riverfront and don’t have plans for dinner. It’s a little bit off the main road, so it’s less crowded on a typical weeknight.
Best for: power dinners and date nights
The Rhett
The Rhett is the main restaurant at the Alida Hotel. It is open seven days a week and serves a lot of Lowcountry food. This area is known for its estuary foods, like oysters, shrimp, and fish. This very American style of cooking has its roots in African comfort food, and if you come to this area and don’t try some, you’ll be missing out on a key part of Savannah’s history and way of life. This casual restaurant has tasty samplers like cheddar drop biscuits, raw ceviche and oysters, shrimp dip, grits, and fried okra.
Best for: when you want a nice place to eat on the riverfront
Franklin’s
Every meal doesn’t have to take a long time, which is why I like this new place on Liberty Street where you can grab and go. Franklin’s is right next to the Public and has the best coffee and a lot of small bites for when you’re in a hurry or just need a caffeine boost after a big meal at the Public.
Best for: when you’re craving grilled cheese and tomato bisque or a tasty latte to go.
The Coffee Fox
What was the fox’s comment? Horchata latte is a two-word drink. That’s all you need to know to decide whether or not to get your morning coffee from the Coffee Fox, the best coffee shop on Broughton Street.
Best for: your first stop of the day
The Fitzroy
The Fitzroy calls itself “an elevated pub,” but I don’t think that’s a good enough description for this downtown bar and restaurant with a sleek look and a wide range of drinks. It’s one of the best places in Savannah to go for brunch, and I’m sure lunch and dinner are just as good.
Best for: weekend brunch
Little Duck Diner
The downtown Little Duck Diner is a retro diner with a focus on whimsy (rubber duckies in Bloody Marys? Why not?) and a wide range of brunch and lunch options, such as gourmet grilled cheeses, tacos, crab omelettes, and shrimp and grits.
Best for: lunch just off the plane
Back in the Day Bakery
Back in the Day Bakery is probably a name you know if you read magazines. It was well-known before Savannah became a foodie destination, and it seems like every travel or food magazine that has ever written about Savannah has at least mentioned it. Back in the Day is a place that makes you feel like you’re in the past, just like its name says. The place is very cute and decorated with shabby chic pieces that don’t match, but the owners don’t sacrifice quality for looks: Everything is great—get a sandwich for lunch, add a specialty coffee drink, and grab a baked good or seven to go. I always have a soft spot for their cupcakes, but I have a soft spot for any cupcakes.
Best for: lunch or snack time
Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room
Mrs. Wilkes is so popular that you pretty much have to be there an hour before it opens to get in line. This boarding house serves a mix of meat-and-threes and Southern comfort food family style for a flat rate of $30 per person. They don’t take reservations, so you should get there early, like at 10am for the first seating at 11. (or plan on waiting a long time). This is one of those times when you might want to skip breakfast and put on your roomiest fat pants (and good).
Best for: a hearty lunch, followed by a nap
The Olde Pink House
Let me start by saying that if you’ve never been to Savannah, this is where everyone will tell you to have your fancy dinner. The Olde Pink House is in a mansion from the 18th century. It is in a prime location on Reynolds Square in the downtown historic district. Everything is a trip through traditional Southern flavours, from the BLT salad to the mac and cheese jalapeno poppers to the Vidalia onion and sweet potato ravioli in a pecan cream sauce. Don’t have a dinner open? Don’t worry, Old Pink House is also open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch.
Best for: traditional Southern food in a stunning setting
B. Matthew’s Eatery
Since I first started going to Savannah, B. Matthew’s has been one of my go-to spots. They serve brunch seven days a week. Fried green tomatoes and crab cake Benedict are as Southern as it gets. Eggs Benny will always have a special place in my heart (and stomach), and the more creative the dish, the more I like the restaurant. The service at B. Matthew’s has always been five stars.
Best for: Sunday Brunch
Alligator Soul
Alligator Soul is on a quiet side street and doesn’t get as much attention as, say, the Olde Pink House. That doesn’t mean you should ignore it, not for a second. It’s a mix of American, Southern, Cajun, and Creole food, with a lot of game (kangaroo, antelope, ostrich, and camel!) and seafood (shrimp and grits, anyone? Who wants breaded and fried oysters?).
Best for: When you want to spend a lot on a six-course tasting menu (with wine pairings, obviously)
Leopold’s
If you know of only one place to eat in Savannah, it’s probably Leopold’s Ice Cream, which has been around since 1919 and is run by the same family. On one of my visits, I got to meet Mr. Stratton Leopold, who was scooping ice cream behind the counter. His stories are great, and this old-fashioned ice cream parlour is one of my favourites because of the atmosphere and the many flavours, such as the Girl Scout cookies specials.
Not enough time to stand in line? Leopold’s now has more than one location at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. It’s the perfect place to get a snack after a flight or while you’re waiting to take off.
Best for: any occasion or hour of the day!
Starland Yard
Want to know where all the people in their 20s and 30s hang out? Look no further than Starland Yard, a food truck park made out of shipping containers with lots of food options, colourful art, live music, and lots of places for kids to hang out. It’s a place where everyone can find something they like.
Best for: a casual evening with no agenda
Vinnie Van Go Go’s
Vinnie Van Go Go’s is one of my go-to places when I want to order takeout and eat in my hotel room. The pizzas are big enough to feed a family or a group of people travelling together.
Best for: takeout
Gryphon Tea Room
There are a few places in Savannah to get afternoon tea, like the Tea Room on Broughton Street, but Gryphon is probably the best-known. Gryphon Tea Room is in a dreamy spot between the buildings of the SCAD campus and the drooping Spanish moss of Madison Square. It serves a wide range of lunch foods, from fancy salads to quiches, baguettes, and brunch foods like poached eggs and Challah bread crème brûlée French toast.
Best for: fancy lunch
Other restaurants in Savannah
The list of the best places to eat in Mapquest Directions Savannah keeps growing, and I’m sure there are a lot of places that should be on the list that I haven’t found yet, especially in the Plant Riverside District. There are a few more restaurants in Savannah that you might want to try, such as:
- Elizabeth’s on 37th
- Two Cracked Eggs
- Big Bon Bodega
- Java Burrito
- Bull Street Taco
- Bella Napoli
- Circa 1875
- District Seafood
- District Smokehouse
- Graffito
- Savannah Tequila Co
- Stone & Webster Chophouse
- St. Neo’s Brasserie
- Ardsley Station
