Savannah is a quaint and picturesque city – it’s got quiet beauty and a slow pace that make it relaxing and inviting. The kind of place where you want to kick off your shoes, sit on a big ole wrap around porch with a cocktail in hand and stay awhile.
It is easy to eat exceptionally well in Savannah – though in a city that caters to tourists, it is also just as easy to eat unremarkably in Savannah. I take my research in the food department very seriously, so when my husband and I traveled to Savannah we were determined to seek out the city’s culinary gems.
And boy did we find some good ones.
This food guide to the best places to eat and drink in Savannah will take you to some of the classics in the historic district, but it will also take you outside the main tourist circuit. You’ll find full write ups of some of our home-runs from this visit, but I also included info on all the places we had on our list but didn’t get to try. Next time, my friends. Let’s get eating.
Best Drinks in Savannah
Artillery Bar
You’re on vacation, so of course you’re going to want a cocktail to get you in that vacation mood. Artillery is a stunner in all aspects – the facade of the building is arched and ornate, the interior is a perfect mix of crisp and cozy, and the cocktails border on too pretty to drink.
Artillery Bar is decidedly not an old speakeasy, but it feels like you’re soaking in a piece of history nonetheless.
Where? The southern side of the historic district
What to order? The Forsyth Park at Dark made with whiskey, bitters, lemon, blackberry, and mint was my personal favorite.
Peregrin Rooftop
This rooftop bar on the top of the Perry Lane Hotel is just plain fun. It’s bright and cheery without being at all obnoxious. The views here are fantastic – you get a unique perspective of the city from above.
Peregrin opens at 11am, and when we went a little after noon we had almost the entire place to ourselves. I’m sure it’s lovely to watch a sunset from up on the roof, but I’m not sure how crowded the bar actually gets.
Photo opportunities abound at this bright and colorful little spot.
Where? At the top of the Perry Lane Hotel. Walk to the elevators back and to the right of the lobby as you walk in. The top floor labeled “R” is the rooftop access.
What to order? In a setting so festive I had to go with a glass of bubbly
Service Brewing Company
Service Brewing Company is veteran owned and operated brewery with a mission of giving back to the community. Every time they launch a new beer they pick a new charity to send their fundraising dollars to.
It’s an impressive mission with impressive beers to boot.
Where? On the outskirts of the historic district. It’s away from the tourist center, but still within walking distance of anyone staying in the main tourist area.
What to order? I can never resist a good sampler at any brewery. The one I was most impressed with was the Old Guard Gi̬re de Garde Рit was nice and malty with honey from Savannah Bee Company.
Savannah Bee Company
Speaking of Savannah Bee Company, they are another great (and unexpected!) place to grab a (very specific) drink. Their storefront on Broughton Street offers both honey tastings and mead tastings.
Mead is essentially honey wine, so it can be on the sweet side. We were pleasantly surprised with the tasting though in that it contained a few meads that were more fruity and sparkling than any others we had sampled before.
Where? In the main street of the historic district in downtown Savannah. There are also other storefronts sprinkled throughout the South.
What to order? The tasting is the way to go. Pay at the check out counter first then make your way to the back of the store for the mead tasting. You can split a flight with your travel buddy if you’re feeling full or apprehensive!
Two Tides Brewing Company
This brewery is worth venturing a little outside the historic district for. It’s in an old renovated house and has a totally different feel to it than any brewery I’ve been before. It feels bright, and clean, and airy but still very welcoming. Like you’re going to your very trendy friend’s housewarming party.
Where? In the up and coming Starland District – you’ll want to catch an Uber or Lyft from the historic district. This was a really fun and quirky neighborhood to explore.
What to order? Any of their hazy, New England IPAs or sours. I liked every beer in my flight, and I’m not a big IPA person.
Bonus: There is a whole room full of pin ball machines here, which was a great way to pass some time. Dogs are also allowed inside – something we didn’t take advantage of but definitely took note of! And you can have food delivered in as well since they don’t have hot food on premises.
If I lived in Savannah and was looking for a place to hang on Saturday afternoon, this would be my spot.
Honorable Mentions
My list of possible places to eat and drink in Savannah was long – there were way more restaurants and bars I wanted to try than we would have ever had time for in a five day trip. These places made my short list, but we never found our way there:
Alleycat Lounge – consistently in all the reviews for this speakeasy, cocktail bar, people talk about the ambiance.
Rocks on the Roof – rooftop bar overlooking River Street. It’s at the top of the Bohemian Hotel. River Street wasn’t our favorite, and we had already been to the Peregrin Rooftop bar so we didn’t make it here.
Southbound Brewing Company – not much further outside the Historic District than Service Brewing Company, we wanted to go to this brewery but made it over to Two Tides instead. We did have a few Southbound brews when we were out and about at restaurants and thought they were great!
Coastal Empire Brewing Company – another brewery we didn’t make it to was Coastal Empire. It’s over towards the Starland District as well but even further out.
Where to Eat in Savannah
The Wyld Dock Bar
This was by far our favorite restaurant we visited in Savannah – so much so that we went there twice (which is a rare occurrence for us on vacation). The menu is seafood focused, inventive, and casual.
Where? In the marshland to the east of downtown Savannah. It’s about a 15 minute drive from where we stayed in the Historic District. I highly recommend visiting Wormsloe Historic Site and then stopping by the Wyld for lunch or dinner. They’re not far away from each other.
There’s an indoor space at the Wyld, but the allure of the place is sitting outside on their casual patios and smelling the saltwater air.
What to order? Really the question here is what not to order? Everything we had both times we went was fantastic. Their appetizer lineup changes very frequently. When we were there they had breaded shrimp and scallop corn fritters that were both simple but wonderfully well executed.
The fish tacos were also great, but I think the appetizers is really where the Wyld shines. We also had a shrimp roll and homemade duck rabbit sausage that were both equally delicious! See what looks good when you’re there!
Atlantic – A Neighborhood Eatery
Back towards the mainland also in the Starland District is this lovely and bright restaurant. It’s set in an old gas station and has a big outdoor patio, which was perfect for us in mid April.
My favorite part about eating dinner here? They take good food seriously. We got lemon butter shrimp which had a to die for sauce. It came with bread but not nearly enough of it for all the sauce. The waiter walked by, saw the sauce leftover from the shrimp, and said let me get you some extra bread for that. He read our mind without even having to ask for it!
Where? In the Starland District not far from Two Tides Brewery. Do what we did and make an afternoon of it.
What to order? The sauteed shrimp was hard to beat, but their roasted pork belly porchetta stole the show. Coupled with a tower of ratatouille that tasted wonderfully of pesto without actually having any pesto – it was up there for our favorite dinner of the trip.
Back in the Day Bakery
We stopped here on our way out of town on our last day, and we’re so bummed we didn’t know about it earlier. The baked goods here were next level. It was so hard to pick just a few.
Where? Also in the Starland District – you can tell we really liked this area and spent some good time there!
What to order? Any of their daily biscuit specials. We had a biscuit with bourbon ham and melted gruyere cheese, and it was hands down my favorite biscuit I’ve ever eaten.
Don’t miss this bright and quirky little spot! It stole our hearts.
The Grey
If you’re a fan of Chef’s Table, then you’ll be very familiar with Mashama Bailey and her restaurant in an old formerly segregated Greyhound bus station in Savannah. If you do go the Grey, I highly recommend watching the Chef’s Table episode before you go. You’ll appreciate everything a whole lot more.
Where? On Martin Luther King Blvd on the edge of the historic district. It’s an easy walk from anywhere within the tourist center.
What to order? The oysters during happy hour with some champagne were a very easy choice. The beef tartare was another favorite.
Bonus: The main dining reservations book out far in advance. If you don’t manage to snag one, you can still enjoy the bar area as a walk in. We went at 5:30 and only had a 15 minute wait until we were able to grab seats at the bar.
Mirabelle’s
If you’re looking for a breakfast option in the historic district or have a particular affinity for liège style waffles (and if you’ve had liège style waffles before, I’d certainly understand your affinity), then Mirabelle’s is the place to go.
These waffles are made with crystallized sugar baked right in so the whole waffle has sweet flavor with an addictive but subtle crunch.
Where? Right across from the iconic St. John the Baptist Cathedral in the historic district. This cathedral towers above the low buildings in Savannah, so you can see it from most places in the city.
What to order? The croque monsiuer waffle. It was the perfect blend of sweet and savory and was a great way to start the day.
Treylor Park
If you’re looking for a casual place with creative takes on Southern comfort food, then Treylor Park hits the mark. We went late on a Tuesday to enjoy their taco Tuesday happy hour.
Where? Near River Street in the Historic District.
What to order? The chicken and pancake tacos. It sound weird, but it’s a really fun take on chicken and waffles and totally hit the spot.
This place books up quickly, so you can put your name in then walk around the historic district (beer in hand if you so choose!) while you wait.
Honorable Mentions
Cotton and Rye – we liked this place for dinner outside the historic district. It was new Southern and had solid food.
The Deck Beach Bar – on Tybee Island this restaurant had a patio overlooking the beach, which was much of the reason for its appeal. Not our favorite place from the trip, but not bad for some ocean views!
Bubba Gumbo’s – also on Tybee Island, we didn’t make it here but it came highly recommended for good seafood.
Collin’s Quarter – in the historic district, this is an Australian inspired eatery that is known for fantastic brunch.
The Olde Pink House – another upscale restaurant where it’s difficult to get reservations but where you can sit at their bar as a walk in.
Zunzi’s – This South African sandwich shop came highly recommended from the tour guide on our architecture tour. It does mostly takeout but does have picnic tables in the back where you can enjoy your meal.
The Ordinary Pub – I added this restaurant to my list of places to try because the menu looked inventive and casual AND it offered weekday brunch, which is always welcome on vacation.
The Vault Kitchen – Back in the Starland District, this was another restaurant that was high on our list that we didn’t get a chance to make it to. It’s a fusion of Southern staples and Japanese fare.
And that’s it, friends! All the best places to eat and drink on your trip to Savannah in one (not so small) little post. If you check out any of these places, I would love to hear about your experience! Give me a shout out in the comments below. Happy Eating 🙂
Artillery really is STUNNING! and I think my favorite Savannah bar was the Peregrin! I just posted an old picture of it today on my IG! I also loved Two Tides Brewing… I had a great stout there. Your blog photos are beautiful!!
Yum! Thanks for the recommendations 🙂 My husband and I are headed to Savannah soon and it looks like we have a lot of restaurants to try!
Ooohh I spot a few of my fave spots on here! Your recommendations are amazing and your images are incredible, very well taken. Thanks for sharing, Andrea! For those yet to visit, might wanna check out some savannah restaurants on https://www.visitsavannah.com/food-drink
As a gourmet, one of the highlights of my trip was eating at some of Savannah’s fantastic restaurants. I sampled a variety of sweets. One of the alternatives is red-velvet pancakes. At https://www.visitsavannah.com/list/these-5-savannah-restaurants-are-worth-traveling, I recently discovered a new place. On my next visit, I’m looking forward to trying their food.