The Best Places To Eat in Savannah – A Restaurant Guide
Where to Find the Best Places to Eat in Savannah, GA
If you love to eat, Savannah, Georgia is a great place to visit. Known as the “Hostess City of South,” Savannah knows no good host lets their guests go hungry. This southern city offers delicious places to eat on seemingly every corner. While we did our best to eat our way through Savannah during our December 2021 visit, we still left with a mile-long list of restaurants to try.
In this post, I’ve listed out all of our favorite places to eat in Savannah. This is by no means the definitive list of Savannah restaurants. With so many dining options in Savannah, you should definitely just use any Savannah restaurant guide as a springboard to doing your own culinary exploring. With so many places to eat in Savannah, I hope this post helps you start planning and reserving tables. Your visit to Savannah deserves to be just as tasty as ours.
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Gotta run? First, pin this guide to the best places to eat in Savannah!
What’s the Savannah Food Scene All About?
With its location in the deep South, if you’re thinking biscuits, collard greens, and fried chicken when you think Savannah food, well, you’re not wrong. But don’t forget that Savannah’s only 18 miles up the Savannah River from the Atlantic Ocean. That means you’ll find plenty of seafood too. She-crab soup, crab cakes, bouillabaisse, and shrimp and grits are staples on many Savannah menus.
Although not as distinctive as in New Orleans, there’s a definite French influence to both Savannah cuisine and culture. If you’re looking for beignets or a French style café, Savannah restaurants have got you covered.
Since Georgia is the Peach State, it should come as no surprise that Savannah restaurants incorporate this fruit into many menu items, especially in cocktails. Savannah chefs aren’t shy with pecans either.
Our Favorite Savannah Restaurants
Whether you’re staying in Savannah’s historic downtown or on River Street, you’ll find all the restaurants listed below within walking distance of your hotel.
Best Coffee: Mirabelle
If I could, I’d start every morning at Mirabelle. This was definitely my favorite place to eat in Savannah!
You’ll see this charming little café featured on many Savannah restaurant lists and for good reason. Mirabelle blends European style with southern charm in an 1880s building. Known for its Belgian style liege waffles and specialty coffee, I highly recommend the Lemon Zinger Waffle and Café Miel. While you can take your waffles to go, I prefer to dine in so you can enjoy the fabulous view of the Cathedral across the street.
One note about coffee in Savannah. Maybe it was just the restaurants we hit up, but we found that Savannah restaurants favor light to medium brews. If you’re used to darker roasts, prepare your palate for lighter, more floral coffee . . . or opt for an espresso drink like an Americano.
About Mirabelle Savannah: Located at 313 Abercorn St., Mirabelle opens every morning at 8 a.m.
Best Breakfast: Café M
You eat with your eyes first at Café M. I thought I’d been magically transported to Paris when we walked in this French bakery located in a converted warehouse in the park side of River Street. The little cafe serves up all the French classics: quiche, croissants, and a bakery case filled with macarons and other pastries.
Open only until 3 p.m., Café M knows what it does best: fancy breakfast. If you’re looking for a special weekend breakfast destination, Café M is the perfect place to ease into a day of leisure. And if you don’t get around to breakfast until nearly lunchtime, their menu also features mimosas, sandwiches, and salads.
We loved eating al fresco on one of the beautiful wrought iron skywalks over Factors Walk. It’s the perfect spot to lounge under Spanish moss draped trees while busy River and Bay Streets bustle on either side.
About Café M: Located at 128 E Bay St. You need to cross a bridge over Factors Walk to reach the cafe. Open from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. every day. Kitchen closes at 2:30 p.m.
Best Brunch: The Collins Quarter at Forsyth Park
With its location smackdab in the middle of the largest park in downtown Savannah, The Collins Quarter at Forsyth Park is the quintessential place to get brunch in Savannah. (And trust me, this town knows its way around brunch!) Enjoy your avocado toast al fresco under the cafe’s distinctive turquoise umbrellas on its large patio. They offer creative mimosas and other cocktails, as well as the wide selection of coffee and tea drinks you’d expect from a dedicated brunch spot.
The Collins Quarters doesn’t take reservations for brunch. Although it’s first come, first served, we didn’t have any problem getting seated right away when we swung by a little after noon on a Friday. The café closes at 3 p.m. every day. If you have your heart set on brunch, be aware that they only offer their lunch menu on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
About Collins Quarters at Forsyth Park: Located at 621 Drayton St., just past the fountain in Forsyth Park. Open for brunch Friday- Monday from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.; lunch available from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Tuesday – Thursday.
Best Entrees: The Public Kitchen and Bar
We headed to The Public off Bull Street in search of Savannah’s best shrimp and grits. While we’re not really qualified to declare their Spanish-inspired shrimp and grits Savannah’s best, we definitely ranked it the top meal of our visit.
The Public’s menu showed more imagination and stronger sense of identity than we saw on other Savannah menus. They’ve carefully crafted their menu around entrees they know they do exceptionally well, rather than just trotting out tired tourist favorites. After eating some less than impressive She-crab soup and bouillabaisse on River Street, the Public renewed our appreciation of southern fare. While the restaurant décor and layout isn’t terribly noteworthy, the food itself definitely leaves an impression.
About the Public Kitchen and Bar: Located at 1 W Liberty St, right at the intersection with Bull Street. Open for lunch and dinner Wednesday – Sunday; dinner only Monday and Tuesday.
Best Pizza: Vinnie Van Go Go
If you’re looking for the place to eat pizza in Savannah, you need to get yourself to Vinnie Van GoGo. This New York style pizzeria on the far edge of Savannah’s open air City Market serves up delicious Neapolitan pizza by the slice or pie. We got a plain pepperoni pie and it did not disappoint!
But if you’re feeling guilty about not eating vegetables, know that Vinnie’s takes a very traditional pizzeria approach to salads. That’s to say, using spinach as their base they just throw on a handful of their vegetable pizza toppings and call it salad. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that approach, but you probably don’t need to slog through two orders of spinach and mushrooms like we did.
While the pizzeria offers some indoor seating, if the weather’s nice, you can’t beat sitting at one of the City Market benches to enjoy some people watching along with your slice. Open until 11 p.m. on weekends, it’s the perfect late night snack at the end of a Savannah pub crawl.
About Vinnie Van GoGo: Located in the far northwest corner of the City Market at 317 W Bryan St. Open for lunch and dinner Friday – Sunday and dinner only Monday – Thursday.
Best Salad: Kayak Kafe
It’s no secret that Southern cuisine is heavy on the starches and light on the vegetables. And sometimes, the only thing that’s going to make you feel that all is right with the world is a boatload of veggies. When you feel like you’ve been skimping on the fruits and vegetables for too long, get yourself to Kayak Kafe. This place to eat for healthy food in Savannah!
If you prefer to eat plant based and/or gluten free, this small Broughton Street eatery doesn’t disappoint. In addition to the massive “award-winning” salads they’re known for, Kayak Kafe also serves sandwiches, paninis, and burgers. They’ve even got you covered vegan tater tot nachos and a selection of mocktails . . . as well as beer, wine, and other soft drinks.
About Kayak Kafe: Located right at 1 East Broughton Street. Open Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. They also have a Midtown location at 5002 Paulsen St.
Best Ambience and Decor: The Olde Pink House
The Olde Pink House tops many Savannah restaurant lists. This beautiful historic house built in the 1700s overlooks Reynolds Square. It’s notoriously tricky to get a table here unless you plan well in advance. Luckily, I happened to be researching Savannah restaurants at just the right moment and snagged our group of four a table at 8:30 p.m. on our last night. Even luckier, I swung by the Olde Pink House on the afternoon of our reservation and was able to bump up our reservation time to 6:30. Score!
I’m pretty sure we visited on an “off” night. We checked in with the host stand and were then promptly forgotten about in the (very) dark patio area for about 40 minutes. For me, the food was just okay, but the ambience and our waiter were exceptional.
We felt lucky to visit when the entire house was decorated for Christmas. We also loved that we sat in the original house. Except for the front two rooms, the majority of the restaurant is an addition to the original 18th century house. After our meal, we were invited to roam the restaurant to check out all the other beautiful rooms.
While we all found the food underwhelming, I do think it’s worth eating at the Olde Pink House if only for the unique dining experience. Check it out for lunch when prices (and stakes) are a little lower.
About The Olde Pink House: Located at 23 Abercorn St. on Reynolds Square. Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday – Saturday; dinner only Sunday and Monday. Make dinner reservations at least six weeks in advance.
Best Happy Hour: Café at City Market or Olde Harbour Inn
Like the good hostess it is, Savannah likes to loosen up its guests with a few drinks. With no open container laws, people can stroll down Savannah sidewalks with drinks in hand. If you’re from the North where we treat drinking like a job, this is a little shocking. But the only place we saw public intoxication was on the western reaches of River Street, aka party central. Savannah restaurants offer plenty of happy hour options where you can put your feet up after a long day of sightseeing.
Although it’s not particularly well reviewed, we enjoyed a lovely happy hour at the Café at City Market, complete with delicious peach sangria and a beautiful charcuterie board.
But we actually had the nicest happy hour at our hotel. The Olde Harbour Inn offers a wine reception every afternoon. We loved relaxing in their comfy lounge. Just be warned, their million dollar dip is seriously addictive!
I’d planned to grab a pint or two at Moon River Brewing Company, but when we walked by, it felt too noisy and crowded for our group. Savannah also has several rooftop bars, like Peregrin, that I hope to visit the next time I’m in town.
Best Dessert: Leopold’s
Leopold’s Ice Cream is an absolute Savannah institution. This century-old family business now operates on Broughton Street. While it’s known for having lines around the block, when we swung by around 4:30 p.m., we walked right in.
I highly recommend the coffee chocolate chip. The Savannah Socialite isn’t too shabby either . . . It’s worth getting a double scoop so you can try two flavors!
About Leopold’s Ice Cream: Located at 212 E Broughton St. Open from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. every day.
Best Food Souvenir: River Street Sweets
As a city that eats well, Savannah offers a wide array of food souvenirs. How nice to able to share Savannah’s deliciousness with the folks back home!
Perhaps the most obvious Savannah food souvenir are pralines. You can buy these delicious pecan candies at several shops around town, most famously River Street Sweets/Savannah’s Candy Kitchen. (Despite the two names, these are the same company.)
To find one of these shops, just follow your nose. As we approached River Street Sweets, a lady near us loudly asked her group, “Hey, do you guys want to go inside and smell some calories?” If you prefer to consult more than your nose before buying, they do offer free samples. The normal pralines are good, but I think the chocolate ones are where it’s at.
For a higher end treat, swing by Chocolat by Adam Turoni. This chocolatier has two Savannah locations: the dining room on Broughton Street and the library on Bull Street.
If you’d prefer something a little more wholesome, grab some honey at the Savannah Bee Company. No one’s going to be upset if you come home with a couple packs of Byrd’s Famous Cookies either.
Savannah Restaurants We Wanted To Try
We tried to hit as many Savannah restaurants as possible, but it turns out you can only eat so many meals a day. We didn’t make it to many Savannah favorite places to eat like Huey’s, Treylor Park, or Savannah Seafood Shack. These Savannah restaurants made my to-try list but didn’t work in our itinerary:
The Pirates’ House – Although I suspect this is more of a tourist trap than a fine dining experience, I really want to see the inside of the kitschy Pirates’ House.
Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room – This lunch only establishment is the place to go in downtown Savannah for authentic Southern soul food. You pay a flat rate (cash only) for food served family style at large tables. Many Savannah locals will steer you towards Sisters of the New South for a similar, but more affordable dining experience. However, we heard too many mixed reviews of Sisters to make the journey to their location near Bonaventure Cemetery.
Alligator Soul – This basement restaurant on Barnard Street is known for its ingredient forward Southern cooking. We actually had reservations here for our first night in Savannah, but ended up canceling. Thank you flight delays!
Zunzi’s – I really hoped to hit up this South African sandwich shop, but when we were able to move up our Olde Pink House reservation we realized we didn’t have enough appetite to eat both a sandwich lunch and a large Southern dinner. Ugh – betrayed by our own stomachs!
Olympia Café – We heard good things about this Greek café on River Street. While you can count on River Street restaurants to be overpriced, the actual food is pretty hit or miss. But this café was recommended by the same locals who steered us to Café M so we’re inclined to trust them.
Savannah Food Tours To Check Out
If you want to incorporate Savannah’s food scene into your sightseeing activities, these tours will keep you well fed and entertained. It’s a great way to hit up even more places to eat in Savannah!
