Ohio’s winters are unpredictable and mostly brutally cold, so my friend Gina and I couldn’t WAIT to get out of here to take advantage of the spring weather in Savannah. Oh, and devour an enormous amount of fresh seafood. Sweater weather & shrimp, here we come.
I’m really excited to finally be able to share my Savannah restaurant guide with you today because this has been in the works for WEEKS. These were my top 10 favorite restaurants and cafes I ate and drank at and… some restaurants didn’t make the cut.
Consider making a pitstop at one of these ten restaurants in Savannah!
Husk
Husk is my #1 recommendation – if you can only squeeze one restaurant in, Husk has to be it. I fell in love with the massive plate of shrimp and grits that I ordered. The shrimp was cooked perfectly leaving them tender and not chewy (praise the lord), the grits gooey and heavenly, and a cracked egg over top that was perfectly runny. Honestly, I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
I enjoyed the shrimp and grits so much that I plan to re-create the dish soon. I even bought pink grits from Millers, a restaurant in Charleston and had them shipped here this week!
When I visited Charleston a few years ago for my friend’s bachelorette, we made an attempt to get a reservation, but had no success, so needless to say I was excited for my second chance in Savannah!
Little Duck Diner
Little Duck Diner has such a neat vibe to it! I loved that it looked like an old school diner with a modern twist – it was a really beautiful spot with cute, little flowers on the tables.
On top of loving the Little Duck Diner’s interior, I also loved the Quacko Tacos I ordered. The tacos were MASSIVE and overflowing with tender BBQ duck and avocado. I could barely pick the tacos up due to their size, which isn’t a bad problem to have. More food = happy Courtney.
Small mug of simple brewed black coffee seemed kinda pricey.
The Paris Market and Brocante
I loved, loved, loved The Paris Market and we came twice in four days, if that tells you anything. It’s like my perfect little world in a store – it has lattes and macarons (both equally delicious) and a seating area with about six marble top tables, gold framed art, and antiquated books.
Aside from their cafe, the rest of their store is charming and I really would have pulled a Mary Poppins and stuffed the entire place into my carryon if I could (I would have paid for everything, of course). They have a great book selection – nice, big books to place around your living room! Their home decor was perfect and unique – some vintage and boho pieces, jewelry, kitchenware.
“we wanted to create a place where people could forget about everything and get lost in a world of beautiful, inspiring, and sometimes peculiar things.” —Paula Danyluk, founder
They nailed it!
Savannah Coffee Roasters
Savannah Coffee Roasters has been around for 100 years and has the essentials: comfy chairs, fireplace, coffee, and fresh pastries. Sounds good to me!
I ordered a homemade, buttery flaky croissant and a cafe con leche. I was stoked to see a con leche on the menu because I rarely see it on menus, which means I never get to drink them, so I was in for a real treat. It’s a little steamed milk, espresso, and a little sugar. It doesn’t taste artificially sweet and full of sugar. Gina and I spent a decent amount of our morning here in the big comfy chairs near the fireplace… we got lucky!
My only regret is forgetting my book at the air bnb.
Byrd Cookie Company
Another Savannah spot that’s been around for 100 years is Byrd Cookie Company. Their specialty is small, thin, crisp cookies with flavors ranging from savory (jalapeno cheddar) to sweet as can be (salted caramel) to fruity (keylime).
Your friends would love you if you brought a little bag of cookies home for them as a souvenir 😉 Chase and I ate shortbread cookies and salted caramel cookies every night for a week. The salted caramel flavor is amazing and tastes like chocolate chip cookies, but without the chocolate chips.
Heads up: you have to remove these from your carryon when going through TSA.
Time spent here: 15 minutes
Mirabelles Cafe
Mirabelle’s is the type of place that I would love to spend my time relaxing at on a Sunday morning. The decor is tasteful and pleasant – the owners were drawing inspiration from their travels and wanted the same feel as the European historic buildings.
Gina and I were obsessed with the room we were in – the wallpaper is so pretty. We may or may not have had a photoshoot with our coffees here.
I ordered a black coffee and a Georgia Peach Cobbler with a heaping pile of whipped cream on top… because when in Georgia, you eat a peach cobbler! It was sooo good – it was just like eating a homemade cobbler fresh out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. I always love the crumbly pieces of cobbler. Mmmm.
Mirabelle’s is located right across the street from the stunning Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. You should stop in there after enjoy coffee and breakfast at Mirabelles.
PS – all this talk of European inspired shops has me thinking I need to visit Europe ASAP. They have the best taste!
Time spent here: 45 minutes-1 hour
Leopolds Ice Cream
Leopolds is an iconic ice cream shop and also, has been around for 100 years! This world famous ice cream shop was opened by three Greek brothers (George, Peter, and Basil), and eventually Peter’s son Stratton took over the business.
On the first night in Savannah I ordered the Honey Almond and Cream ice cream and on the way out I stopped in the Leopold’s at the airport and ordered the Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. The mint chocolate chip is my favorite. Savannah has a small airport and has two Leopolds ice cream shops inside.
You’ll find movie posters hanging in the ice cream shop and that’s because Stratton began working in Hollywood and working in the movie business and assisted with Star Trek and Captain America, to name a couple.
Time spent here: 30-40 minutes
The Fitzroy
Okay, best fries ever. Our main purpose for going to The Fitzroy was for cocktails, but decided we should get an appetizer and I couldn’t resist ordering french fries. They were perfectly crisp and dusted with rosemary. Ugh.
I really wish I would have ordered more food here. I feature the beautiful The Fitzroy in my Savannah Bar Itinerary.
Off topic, but speaking of rosemary… stove top popcorn with oil & adding rosemary to the oil on the bottom before you add the kernels gives it a really nice, “fancier” flavored popcorn. THANKS for sharing this best kept secret with me, Pasha!
Time spent here: hour and a half
Perc Coffee
Our very first stop, aside from our airbnb, was Perc Coffee. Our friend Pete (coffee expert) stopped here when he was in Savannah, so we knew it would be the very best of the best.
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m always looking for different ways to bring souvenirs home that aren’t your typical knick knacks like fridge magnets and shot glasses.
Gina brings home a bag of coffee from the city and I really want to start doing this. Julia from GalMeetsGlam brings home a book about the area and I really love that idea – it would serve as a great memory. I just need to find a way to squeeze both of my items in my carryon….
Seafood Shack
Something I was most excited about for Savannah was CRAB LEGS!! Seafood Shack is the place for an abundant amount of crag legs – I ordered eight crab legs for $20. I was in heaven – drowning my crab legs in melted butter…. oh man.
If you are looking for a classy, aesthetically pleasing atmosphere, Seafood Shack ain’t it. Hence the name, “shack,” but if you’re looking for big bowls of Seafood, your best bet is to stick around!
However… unfortunately, I had one major disappointment and that was with the crab bisque. I really just did not care for it at all and wish I could be more helpful and provide the reason why, but just wasn’t a fan. Maybe it was flavorless? blah.
That’s a WRAP
And there you have it – some of my favorite restaurants and cafes in Savannah! My top three favorite places out of the ten: Husk, The Fitzroy, and The Paris Market. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about the restaurants above and it’s always a good idea to check Yelp & their menu to make sure it’s something you would like 🙂
Leave a comment below or let me know on Twitter (@Twoweekspaidvac) what your favorite Savannah restaurant is or which of these looks like it would be your fav!
