17 Incredible Restaurants on St. Simons Island, GA You Need to Try
St. Simons is the largest of Georgia’s Golden Isles, and its restaurants lean on the water around it. Wild Georgia shrimp, blue crab and local oysters turn up on almost every menu, from the casual seafood spots around the Pier Village to marsh-view decks, a marina patio and the dining rooms near Sea Island on the north end.
This guide covers 17 places, from barbecue in an old gas station and Nashville hot chicken on a screened porch to Argentinian grill plates, a healthy bowl spot and a donut shop Guy Fieri has visited. Ratings and review counts come from each restaurant’s Google listing in October 2026.
Southern Soul Barbeque
Southern Soul Barbeque sits in an old gas station at the roundabout on Demere Road, in the middle of the island. Harrison Sapp and Griffin Bufkin started selling barbecue at a pop-up in 2006 and moved into the station in 2007. A fire burned the restaurant to the ground in March 2010, the community rallied, and it was rebuilt. Picnic tables sit under an awning, and the oak-fired pits are right beside the building.
Rated 4.6 stars from more than 3,500 Google reviews, it has also won over Southern Living readers, who have voted it the best barbecue joint in the South. Order the pulled pork or the Soul Sampler, which gives you two or three meats. The St. Louis-style ribs, brisket and smoked half chicken all get praise. Add the Brunswick stew, a thick Georgia stew of smoked meat, corn and tomatoes, and finish with the banana pudding.
Expect a line at lunch, though it moves quickly. Plates come with two sides, and the Brunswick stew counts as both of them. You can also order online for pickup. Parking around the traffic circle is awkward, so give yourself a few extra minutes. The website currently lists summer hours, so confirm the schedule before you go.
Address: 2020 Demere Rd, St Simons Island, GA 31522
Website: southernsoulbbq.com
Barbara Jean’s
Barbara Jean’s has served crab cakes on Mallery Street in the Pier Village, the shopping and dining area around the pier, since March 1998. Barbara and Jim Barta opened the original restaurant in a former ice cream shop that Barbara had spotted on vacation, and it has since doubled in size. The mood is relaxed and family-friendly, with old photos of St. Simons on the walls and a menu that mixes seafood with Southern home cooking.
With 4.4 stars from more than 2,600 Google reviews, Barbara Jean’s is best known for its crab cakes, made Eastern Shore style with large lumps of crab. Order one as a dinner or on a sandwich. The She Crab Soup, a thick, creamy crab soup, and the Chocolate Stuff, a gooey brownie dessert with whipped cream, are the other signatures. Meatloaf, pot roast and shrimp and grits, shrimp over creamy ground corn, cover the Southern side.
Bread comes with most entrées, and it is made from scratch: pumpkin bread, wheat rolls and sweet jalapeño cornbread. The website does not mention reservations, so call ahead if you have a big group. Tell your server before you order if you want separate checks. Closing time is later on Fridays and Saturdays, according to the website, so check hours before you go.
Address: 214 Mallery St, St Simons Island, GA 31522
Website: barbarajeans.com
Iguanas Seafood Restaurant
Iguanas Seafood Restaurant sits at 303 Mallery Street in the Pier Village, on a street lined with shops. It opened in 2006 and is still locally owned. The setting is casual and family-friendly, with a covered outdoor patio, plenty of seating inside and a back dining area that handles large groups. The kitchen is built around wild-caught Georgia shrimp, served fried, boiled, grilled or broiled.
Its 4.6-star rating across more than 5,300 Google reviews comes with a clear signature dish: the fried shrimp, which the menu says made the place famous. The shrimp appetizer platter gives you fried, buffalo, coconut and bacon-wrapped shrimp in one order. Also look for parmesan grilled oysters topped with bacon, blue lump crab cakes and shrimp and grits over fried grit cakes.
Iguanas does not take reservations. Instead, put your name down in person at the host stand and the restaurant will text you when your table is ready, so you can wander the Pier Village shops while you wait. Everyone must be at the restaurant to join the list, and large parties are seated once most of the group has arrived. Hours can change, so check before you go.
Address: 303 Mallery St, St Simons Island, GA 31522
Website: iguanasseafood.com
Georgia Sea Grill
Georgia Sea Grill is an upscale seafood restaurant at 407 Mallery Street in the Pier Village. It opened in 1997 as a 34-seat spot, then moved 200 yards up the street in 2015 into the old J Mac’s space. Today it seats nearly 150 across a main dining room, a wine bar and a lounge with live piano. The kitchen works with local fishermen and farmers.
Rated 4.7 stars from more than 900 Google reviews, it changes its menu with the season. Start with the fried pimento cheese or the crab-stuffed hush puppies, which are fried cornmeal fritters. Shrimp and grits, bacon-poached salmon and braised short ribs have also appeared on its menus. Desserts are made in house. For a smaller bite, the First Call menu at the piano bar offers snacks and drink specials.
Reservations are recommended and can be made through OpenTable or by phone. The restaurant serves dinner only and closes on July 4, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. First Call, the daily happy hour from 5 to 6:30 p.m., is a cheaper way to try it. A gluten-free menu is available. Prices are on the higher side, so it suits a celebration. Check hours before you go.
Address: 407 Mallery St, St Simons Island, GA 31522
Website: georgiaseagrill.com
Del Sur Artisan Eats
Del Sur Artisan Eats is at 321 Mallery Street in the Pier Village. Chefs Hernan Stutzer, from Argentina, and Alberto Llano, from Colombia, met studying at Le Cordon Bleu in Miami, opened the first Del Sur there in 2011 and brought it to St. Simons in August 2014. The menu mixes Argentinian grill dishes with handmade pasta, and there is a cozy patio for outdoor dining.
Diners rate Del Sur 4.5 stars across more than 700 Google reviews. Start with the baked empanadas, turnovers filled with beef, chicken, butternut squash or lamb. Pasta is the other draw, such as the pear and gorgonzola sacchetti, a purse-shaped stuffed pasta in a Marsala, fig and cream sauce. From the Gaucho Grill, steaks come with chimichurri, an Argentinian herb sauce. The braised short rib over parmesan risotto is a hearty choice, and a pastry chef makes the desserts.
The restaurant recommends reservations, which you can make online or by phone at (912) 638-1223. Dinner is served daily, and lunch is offered Tuesday through Saturday, but check hours before you go. Bread service with homemade pesto is a small extra charge. Del Sur also runs a food truck and does catering, and the owners have a casual café in Brunswick for breakfast and lunch.
Address: 321 Mallery St, St Simons Island, GA 31522
Website: delsursaintsimons.com
Porch
Porch serves Nashville hot chicken at 549 Ocean Boulevard, near the Pier Village. Palmer and Amanda Fortune, who also own Palmer’s Village Cafe around the corner, opened it in 2018 after Palmer spent more than a year perfecting the recipe. Most of the seating is on a screened-in front porch and out on the lawn, where there are yard games like cornhole and giant Connect Four, so it works well with kids.
More than 1,500 Google reviews give Porch an average of 4.6 stars, and it was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in February 2024. Choose chicken, catfish or Georgia shrimp, then pick a heat level: Naked (no heat), Novice, Nashville or Napalm. The signature is the Motherclucker, a fried chicken breast with homemade pimento cheese, a Southern cheese spread, and pickles. Sides include collards, mac and cheese and maple baked beans. The frosé, a frozen rosé, is the drink to try.
Porch does not mention reservations on its website, but you can order online through Toast. Plates come with two sides and white bread, while the street tacos, with hot chicken, catfish or shrimp, are a lighter option. It is a casual, share-a-basket kind of place, and prices are modest. The site lists it open daily for lunch and dinner, but confirm hours before you go.
Address: 549 Ocean Blvd, St Simons Island, GA 31522
Website: porchssi.com
Palmer’s Village Cafe
Palmer’s Village Cafe is a breakfast and lunch favorite at 223 Mallery Street, in the Pier Village, behind a weathered wooden door about two blocks from the shoreline. Palmer Fortune and Chef JB Belechak opened it together, and everything from the ground sausage to the tomato jam is made in house each day. The cafe says it has the tiniest restaurant freezer on the island, because the food is fresh.
Palmer’s has 4.6 stars from more than 1,200 Google reviews and is known for its pancakes. The banana pudding pancakes, crusted with Nilla wafers, are the famous order. The Coastal Delight omelet is topped with a creamy mix of wild Georgia shrimp, mushrooms, tasso, a spicy cured pork, and mustard greens. Surf Squared stacks poached eggs on smoked Gouda grit cakes with lump crab cakes and hollandaise. Ask about the house pimento cheese and tomato jam.
Breakfast is served all day, with lunch starting at 11 a.m. Dinner reservations are taken on OpenTable, and dinner is a newer addition. The Golden Isles tourism board calls the cafe bustling, so expect a crowd at peak times. Sunday and Monday close early afternoon, while Tuesday through Saturday run later, so check hours before you go. Its sister restaurant, Porch, is right around the corner.
Address: 223 Mallery St, St Simons Island, GA 31522
Website: palmersvillagecafessi.com
The Half Shell
The Half Shell is a casual oyster bar and seafood restaurant at 504 Beachview Drive, right on the Village Pier. It opened in 2013 and calls itself family-friendly, with contemporary coastal American cooking and a full bar that makes oyster shooters. Seating is indoors and out, and the oysters come raw, steamed or baked with toppings. You can walk the pier before or after dinner.
The Half Shell earns 4.7 stars from more than 1,800 Google reviews, and the oysters lead the way. Try the Oysters Frederica, baked with spinach, bacon, shiitake mushrooms and an asiago cheese crust. The blue crab bisque, the lump blue crab cakes with creole remoulade and the BBQ shrimp and grits are strong picks too. Save room for the butter cake. The menu says there is a reason it only serves one dessert.
The website does not mention reservations, and diners say it gets busy, so go early or call to ask. Menu prices are not posted online because they change with the market, so call if you need numbers. According to the site, Monday through Thursday is dinner only, with lunch added Friday through Sunday. Check hours before you go.
Address: 504 Beachview Dr, St Simons Island, GA 31522
Website: thehalfshellssi.com
Crabdaddy’s Seafood Grill
Crabdaddy’s Seafood Grill has been on Ocean Boulevard since 1988, when Charlie Williams opened it with a focus on local ingredients and family recipes. The Golden Isles tourism board counts it among the island’s classic coastal seafood restaurants and praises its blackened grouper. Dinners are generous, with entrées that come with a salad, fresh-baked bread and a side.
Crabdaddy’s collects 4.6 stars from more than 2,000 Google reviews. Start with the shrimp and grits, a house specialty of sautéed shrimp, mushrooms, tomatoes and Polish sausage in parmesan cream over fried grit cakes. The homemade crab soup, the crab cakes and the blackened grouper are also favorites, and snow crab legs come hot. Leave room for the bread pudding, which the menu says serves two or four, depending on the size.
Crabdaddy’s serves dinner only. You can reserve by phone or through OpenTable, and booking ahead is smart at busy times. Prices are on the higher side, with most entrées in the high twenties to forties and fresh fish listed at market price. The restaurant also offers catering and hosts parties. Hours can change, so check before you go.
Address: 1217 Ocean Blvd, St Simons Island, GA 31522
Website: crabdaddysssi.com
Fiddlers
Fiddlers is a seafood restaurant at 410 Arnold Road with a big back deck that looks out over the tidal marsh and the Frederica River. Inside there is a fireplace. The restaurant dates to 2020, and the menu is casual, with baskets, bowls, smash burgers and plates of fried and blackened seafood. Locals and visitors both fill it for lunch and dinner.
Fiddlers has 4.6 stars from more than 1,400 Google reviews, and the bowls are a good place to start. They come with coconut rice, slaw and a soy reduction and are topped with shrimp, scallops or tuna. Add an order of buffalo shrimp. The shrimp basket, shrimp and grits with crab gravy, and redfish topped with étouffée, a rich Cajun-style sauce, over grits and collards are also on the menu. Finish with the homemade Key Lime Pie, which is big enough for two.
Fiddlers does not take reservations, so it is first come, first served. Hours are a little unusual: according to the website, Monday and Tuesday are dinner only, while Wednesday through Sunday starts at lunch. Check before you go. The restaurant says it is not pet friendly. Burgers and sandwiches are the cheaper orders, while bowls, baskets and market-price plates cost more.
Address: 410 Arnold Rd, St Simons Island, GA 31522
Website: fiddlersat410arnold.com
Coastal Kitchen
Coastal Kitchen sits at Morningstar Marinas, at 102 Marina Drive, just off the F.J. Torras Causeway. It calls itself the island’s only dock-to-table restaurant, and if you have a good day fishing, you can bring in your catch and the kitchen will cook it. Seating is indoors or on a waterfront patio that looks over the marina, with brunch, lunch and dinner service.
Coastal Kitchen holds 4.4 stars across more than 1,300 Google reviews. Raw bar fans can order Dirty Oysters, topped with shallot, hot sauce, crema and caviar, or Oysters Casino, broiled with bacon, garlic and parmesan. Shrimp and grits with blackened Georgia shrimp and smoked Gouda grits, lobster nachos, the crab cake and fish tacos made with redfish are other good choices.
Reservations are available through OpenTable, and the restaurant recommends booking ahead. The patio is the draw at sunset, when you can watch boats come and go. Many seafood dishes are priced at market, so ask about the day’s prices. A separate River Room event space handles private parties. Check hours before you go.
Address: 102 Marina Dr, St Simons Island, GA 31522
Website: coastalkitchenssi.com
Halyards
Halyards is a fine-dining restaurant with a casual feel, in the Shops at Sea Island on the north end of the island, at 55 Cinema Lane. Chef Dave Snyder opened it in 2000, and the Halyard Restaurant Group has since added Tramici next door and La Plancha. He buys from local fishermen and farmers, and the seasonal menu is made from scratch. The bar is roomy, and there are tables for large groups.
On Google, more than 400 reviews give it 4.6 stars. A recent dinner menu listed a creamy blue crab bisque, tuna tartare, blackened shrimp and grits with smoked Gouda grits, a cioppino, which is a seafood stew, and fried flounder over hoppin’ John, the Southern dish of black-eyed peas and rice. Sweet tea fried chicken dipped in Nashville hot sauce is a playful Southern twist. Menus change with the seasons.
Book through OpenTable, which also offers a waitlist. The website’s hours conflict, with a banner saying it is open seven days a week and the footer listing Monday through Saturday, so check before you go. Dinner is the main event, and prices fit a nice night out rather than a quick bite. Small plates, like the cioppino or the surf and turf, are a way to try more.
Address: 55 Cinema Ln, St Simons Island, GA 31522
Website: halyardsrestaurant.com
Tramici
Tramici is an Italian restaurant at 75 Cinema Lane, in the Shops at Sea Island on the north end of the island, run by the same group as Halyards. The name means “among friends.” It opened in 2006 and cooks in what the restaurant calls a mammoth brick oven. Guests sit in a lively dining room, on a deck and patio under twinkle lights, or at an open bar that overlooks the kitchen.
With 4.5 stars from more than 800 Google reviews, Tramici is a lunchtime favorite for locals and a busy spot for families on weekends. The short rib and goat cheese ravioli has a loyal following, and the tiramisu is the signature dessert. Pizzas are thin and crispy, including a Hot Honey pie with pepperoni, whipped goat cheese and basil. The hot honey burrata and the cacio e pepe (cheese and black pepper) crispy Brussels sprouts are good to share.
Reserve through OpenTable. The patio is shaded and has fans for summer, plus heaters and blankets in cooler months, so outdoor tables work year-round. Hours differ on weekends: according to the website, Monday through Friday runs from lunch through dinner, while Saturday and Sunday are dinner only. Check hours before you go. Online ordering and delivery are also available.
Address: 75 Cinema Ln, St Simons Island, GA 31522
Website: tramicirestaurant.com
Delaney’s Bistro & Bar
Delaney’s Bistro and Bar at 3415 Frederica Road has been a fine-dining favorite for more than 30 years. Owner and chef Tom Delaney, a Connecticut native and Johnson and Wales graduate, still runs the kitchen, and his son runs the front of the house. It is a true family business, with an extensive wine list. The bar seats 24 and has its own tapas menu of sliders, peppered shrimp and stuffed mushrooms.
Its 4.7-star rating comes from more than 200 Google reviews, and the restaurant says most of its guests are regulars. Each night the chef writes 15 to 17 specials that can include ostrich, elk or locally caught seafood, so ask about them. Regular dinner dishes include shrimp Provençal, rack of lamb Provence and a prime New York strip with Bordelaise, a red wine sauce. At lunch, try the sautéed crab cakes.
Reservations are recommended for both lunch and dinner, and the restaurant prefers phone calls to (912) 638-1330. It is open Tuesday through Saturday, with lunch and dinner service and the bar opening in the late afternoon. A children’s menu is available. It is a sit-down, fine-dining experience, so plan an unhurried evening. Check hours before you go.
Address: 3415 Frederica Rd, St Simons Island, GA 31522
Website: delaneysbistro.com
Barrier Island Brewing
Barrier Island Brewing is a family-owned brewpub at 1226 Ocean Boulevard, Suite 1. It opened in late October 2019 and brews its own beer in-house on a SmartBrew system developed by brewmaster Brian Watson. Alongside the house beers, there are rotating guest taps from other craft breweries. The menu is eclectic, mixing traditional pub fare with modern American dishes, and seating is inside and out.
With 4.8 stars from more than 1,000 Google reviews, it is a brewpub where the food gets as much praise as the beer. Start with the Potato Chip Skillet, which piles marinated steak, beer cheese and shredded cheese over chips, or the soft pretzel board. The beer-braised pork chop sandwich is a regular favorite. Wild Georgia shrimp cakes, fish and chips and fish tacos cover the seafood side. Finish with the beignets, fried dough served with warm Nutella.
Sunday brunch runs from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a Sunday skillet, shrimp cake Benedict and French toast. Happy hour is daily in the late afternoon. The website does not mention reservations, so plan on walking in. Hours differ by day, with Monday through Thursday starting late afternoon and Friday through Sunday starting at 11:30, so check before you go.
Address: 1226 Ocean Blvd Ste 1, St Simons Island, GA 31522
Website: bibssi.com
Sea Salt Healthy Kitchen
Sea Salt Healthy Kitchen is a small restaurant at 130 Retreat Village, in a Winn-Dixie-anchored shopping center. It was founded in 2019 to promote healthy eating, and everything is prepared in house. The menu is built around wellbeing bowls, wraps, salads, soups and smoothie bowls, and it works for vegan, vegetarian, keto and gluten-free eaters. Its motto is “Let food be thy medicine.”
Sea Salt’s 4.9 stars come from more than 300 Google reviews. Try the chipotle steak wrap with grilled rib eye, avocado and corn pico, or the pesto chicken with parmesan crisps. The Terra, Mediterranean, Mexican and Keto bowls are the heart of the menu. Bruschetta, hummus and butternut squash soup are good starters, and the Berry Banana and Happy Hippie smoothie bowls round out the list.
You can build your own bowl or order from the menu, and online ordering for pickup is available. Calorie and macro counts are posted for the dishes, which helps if you are tracking. According to the printed menu it is open Monday through Saturday, so plan accordingly, and check hours before you go. Catering and a personal chef menu are also offered.
Address: 130 Retreat Village, St Simons Island, GA 31522
Website: seasalthealthykitchen.com
Dulce Dough Donuts & Bakery
Dulce Dough is a small bakery and donut shop at 1624 Frederica Road, just across the street from Redfern Village. Chef Ryanne Carrier opened it in 2020 and named it for her daughter, whose nickname, Dulce, means “sweet” in Spanish. The inside is meant to feel like a grandmother’s house. The donuts are made from brioche, an enriched dough with eggs and butter, that rests for 72 hours in the refrigerator.
Dulce Dough earns 4.7 stars from more than 600 Google reviews and was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, where Guy Fieri raved about the Bismarck, a rum baba-style donut filled with pineapple jam. He also tried the pecan sticky bun and a maple bacon donut. For something savory, look for a cathead biscuit, a large biscuit, with jalapeños, cheddar and bacon, or a slice of quiche. Cinnamon rolls and glazed donuts are other favorites.
Dulce Dough is open Wednesday through Sunday in the morning and early afternoon, and the donuts sell out fast, so go early, especially on weekends. There is indoor and outdoor seating, and the Golden Isles tourism board mentions a mimosa bar. Coffee drinks are also served. The shop is closed Monday and Tuesday, so check hours before you go.
Address: 1624 Frederica Rd Unit 1, St Simons Island, GA 31522
Website: dulcedoughbakeryanddonuts.square.site
Final Thoughts
Many of the island’s busiest restaurants don’t take reservations, so eat early or put your name in and walk the Pier Village while you wait. For a special night out, book ahead at the dinner-only spots, and save a morning for pancakes or donuts before the beach.
Planning the rest of your trip? See our guide to the best things to do on St. Simons Island, GA.
Main photo, from left: Ronise daluz, Tareq Ismail and Elijah Crouch / Unsplash
