18 Incredible Restaurants in Savannah, GA You Need to Try
Savannah dining is closely tied to its buildings. The Historic District that James Oglethorpe laid out in 1733 holds 22 squares and became a National Historic Landmark in 1966, and many of the best tables are inside its mansions and former businesses: a house begun in 1771 that later held a bank, an 1898 home that served as an Elks Lodge for nearly 80 years, a Greek Revival mansion from 1901, and several old bank branches turned into dining rooms. The food runs from Lowcountry shrimp and grits and boardinghouse fried chicken to Georgia oysters and newer Italian, Asian and Mexican-inspired kitchens. Most of the places here are in the Historic District and along River Street, with others around Forsyth Park and along Bull Street in Thomas Square, Starland and the Victorian District.
This guide covers 18 places, from a family-style boardinghouse lunch and a 1771 mansion to a Mexican-inspired spot that began as a food truck, with Lowcountry seafood, wild game, house-made pasta and several breakfast and bakery stops in between. Ratings and review counts come from each restaurant’s Google listing in October 2026.
The Olde Pink House
The Olde Pink House stands at 23 Abercorn Street, near Reynolds Square, in a mansion begun in 1771 for James Habersham Jr. It later housed Planters Bank, and the old bank vaults now serve as wine cellars in the downstairs Planters Tavern. The pink color comes from red brick showing through the plaster. The restaurant opened here in 1971 and now fills more than a dozen dining rooms across three floors.
Rated 4.6 stars from more than 10,000 Google reviews, it earned Savannah Magazine’s 2026 nod for the city’s best shrimp and grits. Cathead biscuits (biscuits as big as a cat’s head) arrive free at the start of the meal. Other dishes to look for are she-crab soup, fried green tomatoes with sweet corn cream, fried chicken, and the crispy fried flounder with apricot shallot glaze, the restaurant’s best-known plate.
Reservations are suggested for dinner, especially on weekends, and can be made on OpenTable. The downstairs Planters Tavern serves the same menu in a more casual setting with brick walls, stone fireplaces and nightly piano music. The upstairs rooms are more formal, so plan on a special-occasion price. Lunch and dinner schedules differ, so check hours before you go.
Address: 23 Abercorn St, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: theoldepinkhouserestaurant.com
Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room
Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room fills the ground floor of an 1870 house at 107 West Jones Street. Sema Wilkes took over the downtown boardinghouse in 1943 and ran it for 59 years, and her family still runs it. There is no menu and nothing to order. Guests are seated at large shared tables of about ten, and platters of Southern home cooking are passed around the table.
Its 4.8-star rating across more than 3,400 Google reviews rests largely on the fried chicken, which Savannah Magazine’s 2026 list named the city’s best. The offerings change daily and have included sausage, beef stew, cornbread dressing, sweet potato soufflé, black-eyed peas, okra gumbo, collard greens, mac and cheese, candied yams and red rice, with corn muffins or biscuits on the side.
Lunch is served on weekdays only, and a line forms before the doors open, so arrive early. It is dine in only, and the price is a flat amount per person, with a lower rate for children. Bring cash or a check, because cards are not accepted, though there is an ATM on site. The restaurant closes for a winter break from New Year’s Day until mid-February and on major holidays.
Address: 107 W Jones St, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: mrswilkes.com
Husk Savannah
Husk Savannah fills a house at 12 West Oglethorpe Avenue that was built in 1898 as a private home. It later served as an Elks Lodge for nearly 80 years and was nearly lost after a fire in 2009. A careful restoration brought back the grand staircase and fireplaces and won a Georgia Trust rehabilitation award in 2019. Today it serves modern Southern and coastal Georgia cooking.
Rated 4.4 stars from more than 2,100 Google reviews, Husk changes its menu often. The current one starts with Lowcountry oysters, peel-and-eat Georgia shrimp with white barbecue sauce, pimento cheese, and hushpuppies (fried cornmeal fritters) with green onion and smoked cheddar. For supper, look at Georgia shrimp over Marsh Hen Mill grits, North Carolina redfish with Carolina Gold rice, or Joyce Farms chicken, and add White Lily biscuits.
Dinner is served daily and brunch on weekends, and you can book on Resy. The main dining rooms are large, and a porch and a small patio add outdoor seats. A short weekday happy hour starts at 5. Supper plates sit in the higher price range for Savannah, so check the current menu and hours before you go.
Address: 12 W Oglethorpe Ave, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: husksavannah.com
Elizabeth on 37th
Elizabeth on 37th occupies a Greek Revival mansion built in 1901 at 105 East 37th Street in the Thomas Square neighborhood. Elizabeth and Michael Terry opened the restaurant in 1981, and Elizabeth Terry won the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef Southeast award in 1995. Brothers Greg and Gary Butch, who started as waiters here in 1983, have owned it since 1996, and Chef Kelly Yambor has led the kitchen since 1998.
With 4.7 stars from more than 1,100 Google reviews, it has been one of Savannah’s leading fine dining restaurants for more than four decades. The menu page lists a seven-course tasting menu with choices at several courses, including Maine lobster over shoestring fries, sea scallop with local blue crab, flounder over Gullah crab fried rice (Gullah is the African American culture of the Lowcountry coast), and pepper-crusted beef tenderloin. Dessert is a carrot cake cobbler.
Reservations go through OpenTable. The dress code is business casual, and dinner starts at 5:30 from Monday through Thursday and at 5 on Friday and Saturday. Wine pairings and whiskey flights are available as add-ons. Because the tasting menu is a fixed price per person, this is a splurge dinner, so check the current menu and hours before you book.
Address: 105 E 37th St, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: elizabethon37threstaurant.com
Alligator Soul
Alligator Soul is at 114 Barnard Street, just north of Telfair Square, in a below-street-level space that began as a basement grain warehouse. Hilary and Maureen Craig opened it in 2003, and Maureen Craig is still the owner. The dining room is intimate, with a chandelier and a bar, and the kitchen mixes Southern and Creole cooking with wild game and local, organic ingredients.
Rated 4.6 stars from more than 2,400 Google reviews, it serves dishes you will not find everywhere. Look for charbroiled oysters, frog legs, candied alligator, the wild boar shank, duck and deviled crab, plus the local day boat fish and a rotating wild game special. Diners also mention the smoked bone marrow.
Dinner is served Monday through Saturday, and the restaurant is closed on Sundays. Reservations are recommended and can be made on OpenTable or by phone. A separate room, the Marsou Room, offers a tasting menu. The style is fine dining without stiffness, so expect upscale prices in a relaxed room.
Address: 114 Barnard St, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: alligatorsoul.com
The Pirates’ House
The Pirates’ House stands at 20 East Broad Street, about a block from the river, in a warren of 15 dining rooms that grew out of an old seafarers’ inn and tavern. The restaurant dates its tavern to 1753, though other sources place the buildings in the 1790s. Robert Louis Stevenson put Captain Flint’s death here in Treasure Island, which explains the pirate theme and the rum cellar below.
Rated 4.4 stars from more than 11,000 Google reviews, it is the most reviewed restaurant in this guide and a long-time stop for first-time visitors. The pecan fried chicken, served plain or with honey, is the best-known dish. Also look for shrimp creole, fried green tomatoes, crab dip and she-crab soup, along with fresh biscuits and cornbread muffins.
Lunch and dinner are served daily. The listings do not mention reservations, so call (912) 233-5757 if you have a large group or a busy evening in mind. Every room has its own look, and the building is wheelchair accessible. The kids’ menu is pirate themed, which makes this a practical choice for families. Check hours before you go.
Address: 20 E Broad St, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: thepirateshouse.com
Common Thread
Common Thread is at 122 East 37th Street in the Krouskoff House, a restored 19th-century building at Abercorn and 37th. It opened in January 2021 from the family behind FARM in Bluffton, South Carolina, and Bon Appétit named it one of the 50 best new restaurants in America in 2022. The cooking has Southern roots with ideas from Italy, Israel and Japan, built on locally sourced ingredients.
Rated 4.7 stars from more than 800 Google reviews, it was also named Savannah’s best date night by Savannah Magazine in 2026. The menu changes often and is built around small bites, shared plates and larger entrées. The CT lasagna with pork ragù, eggplant and mushrooms is a signature, and recent menus have included shawarma chicken with farro verde and zhug (a spicy green herb sauce), and chistorra, a Spanish sausage, with chickpeas. Finish with the chocolate and peanut butter crème brûlée.
Dinner is served nightly, and reservations are taken on Resy. Book ahead, especially for weekends, since local guides recommend reserving early. The dress is smart casual. The website also lists a Chef’s Sunday Supper menu. Expect a special-occasion price, and check the current menu, because dishes rotate with the season.
Address: 122 E 37th St, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: commonthreadsavannah.com
Saint Bibiana
Saint Bibiana is at 700 Drayton Street inside Hotel Bardo, a historic mansion near Forsyth Park that was previously The Mansion on Forsyth Park. It opened in fall 2023 with a coastal Italian menu drawing on Rome, the Amalfi Coast, Sicily and the Lecce region. A cooking school upstairs runs hands-on classes and guest chef events.
Rated 4.7 stars from more than 1,000 Google reviews, it makes its pasta in house. Dishes that have been featured include cavatelli sardi with nduja (a spreadable spicy pork sausage), tomato, basil and sambuca, and bucatini with sardines. Crudo with oysters, whole fish such as branzino or Dover sole, and bistecca alla Fiorentina (a thick Florentine-style steak) have also been highlights. The spritzes are a feature too.
Dinner is served daily, with breakfast from Monday to Thursday and brunch from Friday to Sunday. Reservations are on Resy. The setting is a historic mansion, so it suits a long, leisurely dinner. The kitchen changes its menu, and the chef has changed since opening, so check the current menu and hours before you go.
Address: 700 Drayton St, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: saint-bibiana.com
Cotton & Rye
Cotton & Rye is at 1801 Habersham Street in the Thomas Square neighborhood, in a former 1950s bank. Zach Shultz opened it in 2015, and it won Best New Restaurant in Connect Savannah’s 2016 Best of Savannah awards. The kitchen makes its own sausage and pâté, bakes its bread from scratch and grinds its own meat for burgers, and the bread is famously served in a cotton cloth.
Rated 4.7 stars from more than 1,800 Google reviews, it changes its menu with the season. The current one includes a smash cheeseburger, fried chicken, shrimp and grits and grilled stuffed trout, with rye cornbread as a side. Dessert matters here, and the peanut butter pie and the house shortbread candy bars are the ones to get.
Dinner is served Monday through Saturday, and the restaurant is closed on Sunday. Reservations are on Resy for parties of one to five, with a request form for larger groups. They are recommended but not required. You can bring your own bottle for a corkage fee, up to two bottles. Check the current menu before you go.
Address: 1801 Habersham St, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: cottonandrye.com
Local 11ten
Local 11ten is at 1110 Bull Street in the Victorian District, a block south of Forsyth Park, in a restored 1950s bank building. The cooking is Southern and built around Georgia coast seafood and produce from farms near Savannah. The dining room is casual but polished, and there is a rooftop bar that opens in good weather.
Rated 4.5 stars from more than 600 Google reviews, it is a good pick for seafood and steak. Dishes shown on the menu gallery include Georgia fried shrimp, grilled Georgia shrimp, slow-baked grouper, pork belly and chicken liver mousse. Diners also single out the steak and the espresso martini, so ask what the kitchen is featuring that night.
Dinner is served nightly, and reservations are on OpenTable. A one-hour happy hour begins at 5. The rooftop bar depends on the weather. The restaurant closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, so check hours around the holidays. Plan on a mid-range to upscale dinner.
Address: 1110 Bull St, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: local11ten.com
The Vault Kitchen & Market
The Vault Kitchen & Market is at 2112 Bull Street in the Starland District, in a former bank that served the neighborhood for more than 50 years before closing in 2013. The owners turned it into an industrial-chic restaurant and market, and the room keeps its bank feel. The menu is Asian fusion, with sushi, tacos and dumplings alongside creative cocktails.
Rated 4.6 stars from more than 2,300 Google reviews, it was named Savannah’s best sushi and best business lunch in Savannah Magazine’s 2026 list. Order sushi rolls, the Spicy Korean barbecue tacos, miso salmon or the chicken clay pot, and start with dumplings or tuna ceviche. The Thai margarita is a favorite drink.
Lunch and dinner are served most days, and reservations are available on Resy. The restaurant has a private event room called The Vault Room, and it also sells gift cards online. Hours differ by day, with lunch starting later on weekends, so check before you go. Online ordering is available too.
Address: 2112 Bull St, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: thevaultkitchen.com
Strange Bird
Strange Bird is at 1220 Barnard Street in the Victorian District. It began in 2019 as a food truck, a 1967 Airstream Ambassador trailer, run by the team behind FARM Bluffton, and opened its own restaurant in July 2023. The menu is casual plates with a Mexican accent, partly cooked in an in-house smoker.
Rated 4.7 stars from more than 500 Google reviews, it is known for smokehouse tacos, birria burgers (burgers inspired by birria, a spiced, slow-braised Mexican meat dish) and refried butterbeans. The drink list includes Mexican wines by the glass, frozé (frozen rosé) and mocktails, so it works for a relaxed drink as well as a meal.
It is open every day with lunch and dinner service, and orders can be placed online through Toast for pickup. The website does not mention reservations, so plan on walking in. The setting is casual and suits a quick lunch or an easy dinner. Check hours before you go, since they can change.
Address: 1220 Barnard St, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: strangebirdsavannah.com
Sorry Charlie’s Oyster Bar
Sorry Charlie’s is at 116 West Congress Street on Ellis Square, in the Gibbons Range, completed in 1820 and described as the oldest operating commercial building in Savannah. In 1943 the address became Mathews Seafood, and the neon fish sign that Frank Mathews put up became a local landmark and a Historic Savannah Foundation artifact. Today the building holds an oyster bar, a tiki bar and a rooftop lounge.
Rated 4.4 stars from more than 5,500 Google reviews, the restaurant leans on oysters, including those from its own farm, Savannah Oyster Company, a few miles away. Start with oysters on the half shell, then look for the stacked seafood tower on the rooftop. The Bamboo Room tiki bar has a Polynesian raw bar and tropical drinks, and weekend brunch is served on the rooftop at The Neon Fish.
Reservations are on Resy. The tiki bar is open daily until midnight, and each space keeps its own schedule, so check hours for the part of the building you want. Happy hour runs Monday through Thursday afternoons with discounted oysters. The restaurant is casual, so it works for a drop-in meal as well as a planned one.
Address: 116 W Congress St, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: sorrycharlies.com
Broken Keel
Broken Keel is a casual seafood restaurant at 115 East River Street, on the waterfront strip along the Savannah River, with views of the water. It serves Southern-inspired seafood from breakfast through dinner and hosts live music, including jazz and acoustic sets. The room is relaxed and fun, which suits a stop between River Street walks.
With 4.6 stars from more than 1,900 Google reviews, it is known for a surf-and-turf burger topped with lobster, bisque and a grilled shrimp, and for seafood nachos with shrimp, lobster and white queso. Other good orders are the crab cakes, firecracker shrimp, grouper sandwich and crab-stuffed grouper. For a big meal, the captain’s platter piles on fried grouper, shrimp, oysters and a deviled crab.
Breakfast is served daily, and the kitchen closes at 10 at night. You can reserve through the website or by phone. The menu also runs to seafood gumbo, chowder and lobster bisque, with peach cobbler for dessert. The restaurant posts special hours for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve, so check ahead around the holidays.
Address: 115 E River St, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: brokenkeelsavannah.com
The Collins Quarter
The Collins Quarter brings Melbourne café culture to 151 Bull Street. It opened in 2014 and is styled after Melbourne’s Collins Street. The light-filled room has flowers on every table and outdoor seating that suits people watching, and the espresso bar sits alongside a full kitchen and bar.
Rated 4.7 stars from more than 5,000 Google reviews, it was named Savannah’s best breakfast in Savannah Magazine’s 2026 list. Order the smashed avocado toast with beet hummus, shakshouka (eggs baked in spiced tomato sauce), shrimp and grits, or a lavender latte topped with petals. Coffee fans should try an Australian flat white (espresso with a small amount of steamed milk).
Breakfast and lunch are the main draw, and the Bull Street location serves dinner too. A second Collins Quarter sits near Forsyth Park. Check the website for current hours and reservations. Arrive early at weekends, since it is one of the most reviewed restaurants in the city.
Address: 151 Bull St, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: thecollinsquarter.com
Clary’s Cafe
Clary’s Cafe is a neighborhood diner at 404 Abercorn Street that began in 1903 as a drugstore. John Berendt wrote it into his 1994 book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and Clint Eastwood shot scenes here for the 1997 film. A photo of the film’s cast still hangs inside, along with knickknacks, paintings and family photos.
Rated 4.6 stars from more than 5,100 Google reviews, Clary’s serves breakfast all day. Look for the eggs Benedict or crab cakes Benedict, stuffed French toast, the Elvis (peanut butter and banana French toast) and the malted waffle. For lunch, try the grilled Reuben or the Greek salad. Finish with a caramel pecan sticky bun, a jumbo homemade éclair or a malted milkshake.
The cafe serves breakfast and lunch every day and closes in the early afternoon. The website mentions no reservations, so plan on walking in. An 18 percent gratuity is added for parties of six or more. Dogs are welcome at the outside seating, and only service animals are allowed inside.
Address: 404 Abercorn St, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: claryscafe.com
Goose Feathers Cafe & Bakery
Goose Feathers Cafe & Bakery has served Savannah since 1986 from 39 Barnard Street, on one of the historic, closely packed blocks near the riverfront. The bakery bakes on site, and the café serves a steady breakfast and lunch crowd. The owners call it a true Savannah original, and the long history backs that up.
With 4.5 stars from more than 3,300 Google reviews, it is known for its eggs Benedict and its filled butter croissants, including cream cheese and strawberry jam. Other favorites include whoopie pies, cinnamon buns, shrimp and grits and a Birds Nest, which is grits topped with salsa, poached eggs, cilantro and cheddar. Sandwiches, soups and salads fill the lunch menu.
Breakfast and lunch are served daily, and the cafe closes in the middle of the afternoon. You can order online through Toast, and catering is available for pickup or delivery. Items can run out later in the day, so go early if you have your heart set on a pastry. Check hours before you go.
Address: 39 Barnard St, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: goosefeatherscafe.com
Flora and Fauna
Flora and Fauna sits at 2401 Bull Street in the Starland area, in the space where Cheryl and Griffith Day ran Back in the Day Bakery for 22 years after opening it in 2002. It opened in May 2024 and kept the ordering counter and floral wallpaper. By day it is a coffee house and bakery, and its Chef’s Sunday Supper turns it into a dinner spot.
Rated 4.7 stars from more than 300 Google reviews, its bakery menu is inspired by classic French pastry and uses local ingredients such as flour from Anson Mills. Cheryl Day’s biscuit stayed on the menu as a tribute to the old bakery. Also look for the breakfast sandwiches and the pancakes, which a Local Palate roundup named as the cafe’s specialty.
The cafe is open every morning and into the afternoon, and you order at the counter. The website does not list reservations. Bakery orders can be picked up, and the Sunday supper is worth asking about if you want dinner. The cafe belongs to the same group as Common Thread and Strange Bird. Check hours before you go.
Address: 2401 Bull St, Savannah, GA 31401
Website: florafaunasav.com
Final Thoughts
Book ahead for dinner. Husk, Common Thread, Saint Bibiana and Cotton & Rye take reservations on Resy, while The Olde Pink House, Elizabeth on 37th, Alligator Soul and Local 11ten use OpenTable or the phone. Mrs. Wilkes’ is the exception: it serves lunch on weekdays only, takes cash or checks, has a line before opening, and closes for a winter break from New Year’s Day to mid-February. Alligator Soul and Cotton & Rye are closed on Sundays, and the café-style places such as Clary’s, Goose Feathers and Flora and Fauna wrap up by mid-afternoon, so go for breakfast or an early lunch. Hours change, so check each restaurant’s website before you go.
Planning the rest of your trip? See our guide to the best things to do in Savannah, GA.
Main photo, from left: Daria Strategy, Brett Wharton and Keighla Exum / Unsplash
