Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Savannah by diners
When you travel below the Mason-Dixon Line, you'll find some of the most mouthwatering, comforting cuisine in the U.S.: Southern food.
Southern dishes are a vital part of American cuisine, from hush puppies to ham hocks and beignets to barbecue. It's impossible to define a classic Southern meal, but a solid one starts with the sharp savory flavor of pimento cheese dip, followed by the delicious crunchiness of fried chicken or a spicy Louisiana étouffée, culminating with a sugary slice of chess pie that's best washed down with a tall glass of sweet tea.
What's unique about Southern fare is that multiple ethnic and cultural groups have influenced it. Spanish staples, such as potatoes and cocoa, are in many Southern dishes; the Acadians, who traveled to Louisiana from Nova Scotia and later became Louisiana Creoles, contributed their seafood to many Southern meals; African ingredients—okra, sorghum (an ancient grain), and black-eyed peas—became a part of the cuisine through the forced labor of enslaved people; French cooking methods, like braising and sautéing, are used for many Southern recipes; and Native Americans introduced corn to Southern recipes, yielding dishes like succotash and grits.
The Southern culinary scene is an explosion of cultures. To find out where you can sample some Southern offerings, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated Southern restaurants in Savannah using data from Yelp. Data is as of June 11, 2024. Businesses were selected using Yelp's ranking system, which calculates an adjusted rating value that takes into account the number of ratings as well as the rating score itself. Only restaurants with at least 10 reviews were considered. In an effort to highlight independent restaurants and local chains, restaurants with more than five locations nationally, based on the Yelp data, were not included.
Read on to find the perfect spot to get a taste of the South near you.
Note: The photos in this article are stock images and do not necessarily depict the specific restaurants listed or the dishes they serve.
#29. The Grove
- Rating: 3.7/5 (674 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 301 West Congress St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: bars, comfort food, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#28. Sisters of the New South
- Rating: 3.8/5 (768 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2605 Skidaway Road Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: southern, soul food, seafood
- Read more on Yelp
#27. Peggy Lynn's Country Cooking
- Rating: 3.8/5 (18 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 4119 Ogeechee Road Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#26. The Pirates' House
- Rating: 3.8/5 (2119 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 20 East Broad St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: southern, buffets
- Read more on Yelp
#25. BowTie Barbecue
- Rating: 3.9/5 (260 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 6724 Waters Ave. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: southern, american, barbeque
- Read more on Yelp
#24. Husk Savannah
- Rating: 3.9/5 (705 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 12 West Oglethorpe Ave. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: southern, desserts, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp
#23. Huey's On the River
- Rating: 3.9/5 (3477 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 115 East River St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: cajun/creole, new american, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#22. The Cotton Exchange Seafood Grill & Tavern
- Rating: 3.9/5 (1298 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 201 East River St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: american, southern, bars
- Read more on Yelp
#21. Fleeting
- Rating: 4.0/5 (54 reviews)
- Address: 201 Port St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: southern, new american, breakfast & brunch
- Read more on Yelp
#20. Vic's On the River
- Rating: 4.1/5 (2491 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 26 East Bay St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: seafood, southern, wine bars
- Read more on Yelp
#19. a.Lure
- Rating: 4.1/5 (550 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 309 West Congress St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: southern, new american, seafood
- Read more on Yelp
#18. 1540 Room
- Rating: 4.1/5 (102 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 15 East Liberty St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: southern, coffee & tea, seafood
- Read more on Yelp
#17. St. Neo's Brasserie
- Rating: 4.2/5 (141 reviews)
- Address: 7 Drayton St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: seafood, brasseries, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Debi's Restaurant
- Rating: 4.2/5 (292 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 225 East Bay St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: american, southern, breakfast & brunch
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Common Restaurant
- Rating: 4.3/5 (809 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 118 East Broughton St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: cocktail bars, new american, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Alligator Soul
- Rating: 4.3/5 (1253 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 114 Barnard St. Lower Level Lower Level Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: southern, cajun/creole, american
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Rhett
- Rating: 4.3/5 (502 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 412 Williamson St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: breakfast & brunch, seafood, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#12. The Olde Pink House
- Rating: 4.3/5 (6144 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 23 Abercorn St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: southern, bars
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Sweet Potatoes Kitchen
- Rating: 4.4/5 (1152 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 531 Stephenson Ave. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: southern, soul food, sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Wright Square Bistro
- Rating: 4.4/5 (179 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 21 West York St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: southern, comfort food, american
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Planters Tavern
- Rating: 4.4/5 (173 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 23 Abercorn St. Reynolds Sq Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: bars, southern, diners
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Geneva's Famous Chicken and Cornbread Co
- Rating: 4.4/5 (345 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1909 Victory Drive Ste 102 Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Toast! All Day
- Rating: 4.4/5 (173 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1 West Broughton St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: breakfast & brunch, american, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Narobia's Grits & Gravy
- Rating: 4.4/5 (680 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2019 Habersham St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: soul food, southern, breakfast & brunch
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Crystal Beer Parlor
- Rating: 4.4/5 (1842 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 301 West Jones St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: southern, american, bars
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Erica Davis Lowcountry
- Rating: 4.5/5 (197 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3209 East Victory Drive Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: barbeque, seafood, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#3. 2 Chefs Southern Kitchen
- Rating: 4.5/5 (17 reviews)
- Address: 2007 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: soul food, seafood, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room
- Rating: 4.6/5 (1621 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 107 West Jones St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: southern, american
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Masada Cafe at the United House of Prayer
- Rating: 4.6/5 (35 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2301 West Bay St. Savannah, Georgia
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Rasha Aly, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 143 metros.
