Savannah restaurant recs

Will be there in March.
The 2 names I hear are the Olde Pink House (but seems kinda touristy) and Elizabeth Inn.

Any opinions? other recs?

My wife and I loved Elizabeth’s on 37th; incredible service (by one of the Butch brother owners) fantastic wine list, and delicious food.

We also enjoyed dinners at Sapphire Grill and Alligator Soul.

We avoided Lady & Sons, but did go to touristy Tybee Island and had a surprisingly good lunch at the waterside Crab Shack. “Good” meaning ice cold beer and fresh local seafood.

Didn’t get a chance to visit, but people seem to love Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room (lunch) for the food and dining experience.

+1. Ask about off-the-list wine specials.

You’ll get better food quicker at Masada Café, United House of Prayer for all People, 2301 W. Bay St, 912/236-9499. Wonderful fried chicken, country fried steak, ribs, mac and cheese, red rice with oxtail gravy, assorted vegetables. Beverage choices pretty much limited to sweetened and unsweetened.

My wife and I were down there a couple of years ago and tried this place:

and thought it was the best place we ate at on the trip.

Remember not being super impressed with any wine list, but the mixed drinks were good.

Enjoyed drinking at The Olde Pink House Restaurant as it had a “home town” bar feel to it

and Review of 17 Hundred 90 Lounge as it felt “old” and historic, plus there was a piano player that was really nice.

Beautiful city that I can’t wait to go back to, have a great time.

Any BYO suggestions in the historic part of town?

It’s already been said but I will chime in again for Elizabeth. Fabulous wine list and fantastic owners who enjoy your enjoyment almost as much as you do.

Dan, I’m not sure what you have in mind as the “historic part of town,” so what follows may or may not qualify. But I put the BYO/corkage question to a food and wine loving friend in Savannah, and here is his response:

I always take my own wine, and I’ve never been questioned. Not all of them charge corkage.

My favorites:

The Pink House - Same owner from Charleston who owns Garibaldi’s in both towns
Elizabeth’s on 37th Street - very knowledgeable wine guys and great wine list. Family staff bought the place 25 years ago, and it is very nice, though a big loud.
Vic’s on the River - Owned by Dr. Irving “Vic” Victor, a retired urologist. Very creative menu.
Garibaldi’s - Try the Crispy Scored Flounder [Note: I can personally vouch for that]. See Charlie, the best bartender anywhere.
Driftaway - Neat very local spot in Sandfly, a historic neighborhood. Great seafood, fresh grouper always. Singer/guitarist on porch nightly.
45 Bistro - The old 45 South, now located in the Marshall House Inn on Broughton St.
Sapphire Grill - Nice, quiet dining, but pretty small.


There are many others, but this is my A list.

I think Mrs Wilkes is well worth the wait.

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My favorites among the better restaurants are The Pink House and Elizabeths.

If you want something of old Savannah charm, go to Johnny Harris. Not a great wine list, but the best barbeque sauce in the world (we use in in Maryland). Get their barbequed lamb sandwich.

Also, for great burgers, fries and onion rings, go to the Savannah Beer Parlor.

And, for iced cream, go to Leopold’s on Broughton Street. An absolutely classic old time iced cream place.

I think of this as a place to send Yankees to so that Southerners can get into the good places.

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#1 Local 11Ten. $15 corkage. Delicious food in a casual and trendy setting with big picture windows. Just a ways south of Forsyth Park.

#2 Elizabeth’s on 37th Street. We were told $35 corkage, so we had a couple of glasses of champagne. Beautiful setting in an old mansion in an un-congested part of the city.
http://www.elizabethon37th.net/

#3 Vic’s on the River. Corkage $10. Overlooking the water. The is a big old place that’s very spacious and has high ceilings. The food was delicious, considering we were right in the middle of things.

Dinner for 2 including tax/tip was between $100 - $135 at the above.

On our first night we decided to eat down by the river in one of those very casual tourist places. It made us appreciate the next 3 nights.

Leopold’s on Broughton Street was good for ice cream.
Mrs Wilkes was a great place for anyone that has big eyes around food. The last time our stomachs ate like this was the Jewish holidays. We did pay the price.
$18 includes tax and tip. Family style southern food featuring fried chicken and multiple bowls of assorted side dishes. Closed on the weekend. Open 11:00 - 2:00. Get there no alter than 10 if you don’t want to wait on a long line. http://mrswilkes.com/ We just had to go because everyone online and in Savannah said so. You’ll have to make your own decision.

If you want chain food (oh dear), you have Outback, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, and Tony Roma’s.

Edit… J Christophers on West Liberty Street is the place to go for breakfast or lunch. http://www.jchristophers.com/locations-results.php?searchzip=31401 The blueberry pancakes had a slight crunch which was only second to none compared to the blueberry pancakes at http://www.clintonstreetbaking.com/ in NYC.

The olde pink house was extremely solid when I went. Wine service was great and the tour of the wine cellar was fun. At a minimum, have a drink in the basement bar. For great pastries but alas no lattes, the Harris Baking Company is very nice.
Molly McPhereson’s for a beer and burger is solid. Lots of craft beers.
I’ll try to think of some others

Or J. Christopher’s.

Yes. This is a chain (so I found out). But it’s not a chain like the others. J. Christophers, at least to this northerner, felt like a local place.

We were in Savannah last week for a brief stay. Ate dinner at The Pink House. No regrets. Solid food and very enjoyable atmosphere/setting. Reminded me a little of Commander’s Palace in NOLA: large operation; visually pleasing food; personal service; not the most creative cooking, but enjoyable and a good value. (They had very little local seafood on the menu, surprisingly, as I assume there is a lot of it around.) We stayed down the block.

And, I have to say that the Masada CAfe was a real treat, that we wouldn’t , otherwise, have known about. So, thanks for the heads up. Great fried chicken. They were out of the unsweetened, though…and the sweetened was awful sweet; I couldn’t finish one glass. Very nice people there, too.

Why do they need unsweetened? Is that just for Yankees?

Glad you enjoyed it, Stuart.

I was there in the spring. Elizabeth’s on 37th still a notch above everything else. Others I would strongly recommend are Noble Fare and Local 11 ten. I brought my wine to all places. Corkage differed at all and don’t remember how much.

checking in on this old thread to see if anyone has recommended restaurants to check out for take out? obviously each restaurant has a different scenario given COVID, but curious if there are any updates on recent excellent spots?

I watched a recent show (Chef’s Table) on Chef Masama Bailey from The Grey and I can’t wait to go.