Savannah Beer, Wine & Booze

Historic District South · american, burgers, southern

The building at Jones and Jefferson opened in the early 1900s as the Gerken Family Grocery Store. William 'Blocko' Manning and his wife Connie bought it in the early 1930s, and the house history says it is rumored Blocko ran illegal hooch and a speakeasy during Prohibition. The Crystal calls itself one of the first American eating establishments to serve alcohol after repeal ... burgers were 30 cents and draft beer a dime. The Monroe Room is named for Monroe Whitlock, who worked there about 45 years. John Nichols runs it now, and Savannah Magazine readers picked it for the best burger in 2026.

Thunderbolt · seafood, lowcountry

Desposito's is the fish shack under the Thunderbolt bridge, serving since the 1960s. Connect Savannah traces it to a market run by the Walton family that Carlo Desposito bought in 1968 and put his name on; after he died in 1982, Walton Boone ran it with his son David for more than 30 years. Michelle Smith bought it in October 2020, rebuilt it over two years and reopened on August 28, 2023 with a riverside pavilion and room for about 130. The front bar is still lined with beer bottles found during the renovation. In December 2025 it closed after a staff walkout over unpaid wages, and parent company River Street Hospitality set a reopening for January 10, 2026 with new management and a menu it says goes back to fresh, local seafood.