Savannah Beer, Wine & Booze

Whitemarsh Island · brunch, bakery

Bread & Butter is the brunch restaurant Auspicious Baking Co. opened inside the former Paula Deen's Creek House on Whitemarsh Island, which closed in January 2023 and sat empty until Katie Bryant and Mark Ekstrom bought it in March 2024. It shares the building with a second Auspicious bakery counter and has what the site calls a creative bar menu. A fall festival is on the calendar for Friday, October 23.

Starland District · southern, fried chicken, oysters, seafood

Andrew and Sophie Brochu opened this room with partners Georgia and Dave Baker and Jessica Kimbrough. Andrew came back to the Southeast after more than a decade running Chicago kitchens, and Sophie is a Savannah native who came home after 13 years away ... the two met working in a Chicago restaurant. The site says the place is modeled on the family gatherings Andrew grew up with. Savannah Magazine readers named it best Oysters and runner-up for Fried Chicken in 2026. Walk-ins are welcome and it opens every day at 5.

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.

Sandfly · seafood, coastal, caribbean

Driftaway has been in Sandfly since 2001, run by the husband-and-wife team of Robyn and Michele Quattlebaum. They call the cooking 'Casual Coastal Cuisine' ... fresh catch specials with some Caribbean influence ... and the motto is 'good food, good company, Savannah style'. There are patios, live music, brunch, and a private room for gatherings.

Wilmington Island · seafood

Savannah native Mike McMahon opened the Flying Fish in 2007 after years in the seafood business, aiming for local traditional flavors in a relaxed room. It sits on US 80 on the way to the beach with a patio and live music on weekends. Savannah Magazine lists it for families whose children are happy with fried shrimp, the screens and the patio.

Historic District North · desserts, dessert

A dessert bar that pairs baking with bartending: cakes, chocolates, coffee drinks and cocktails late into the evening. Rebecca Radovich and Janine Finn opened it in 2007, and the bar says it has won a local best desserts award 16 years in a row. A second, smaller Lulu's is on Whitemarsh Island at 4700 US Hwy 80 E.

Historic District North

A small Irish pub owned by Dan O'Connell. Savannah Magazine describes a room built for talking, with no TVs and no DJ, Gaelic football jerseys and Irish road signs on the walls, a five dollar pint of Guinness and visits from traditional fiddle players. Visit Savannah points to its 'traditional snugs and an impressive display of Irish sports memorabilia.'

Tybee Island · seafood, steak, burgers

Pier 16 is a family-owned seafood restaurant that opened in September 2020, one block from the beach. Visit Tybee describes two outdoor decks and a rooftop bar looking over Tybrisa Street, with cornhole and giant Jenga. The menu runs from Georgia shrimp and fresh fish to USDA Prime steak, and the listing says it serves in biodegradable cups, straws and to-go boxes.

Starland District · new american, wine

A neighborhood restaurant and wine bar in the Starland District. Ryan Ribeiro and Jason Restivo became partners here in September 2023 ... the site says Ryan had been one of the most loyal customers at Jason's restaurant Atlantic, which closed in 2020. Ryan, who is of Portuguese descent, chose the name, a word for the time spent lingering at the table after a meal. Savannah Magazine readers voted it best wine list in 2026.

Starland District · irish, pub food

Brothers Joshua and Michael Sexton opened this Irish pub on 10 October 2025 in a 1930s house that used to hold Troupial Cafe. The kitchen cooks Irish street food ... fish and chips, bangers and mash, sausage rolls, pasties and a spice bag of fried chicken, fries and vegetables tossed in a curry five-spice mix. There is a smaller room upstairs and a big backyard. The pub says it cooks without seed or vegetable oils.

southern, caribbean

Tortuga's has been family owned in Thunderbolt since 2008, on the Intracoastal Waterway. Its line is 'Southern Fare with a Caribbean Flare'. It serves dinner Wednesday through Saturday, lunch on Thursday and Friday and brunch on weekends, and has a banquet room for private parties.

Historic District South · korean, southern, soul food

The room's line is 'Where Soul Meets Seoul'. It was founded by Tanika Hamilton, who was born in Seoul, and Chef Romie Cummings, who cooks from his Gullah Geechee roots. The name looks back to West Broad Street, the old name of this boulevard: the restaurant says it sits 'on ground that once served as the heartbeat of Black commerce, culture, and community'. The menu runs from KTX Chicken and house dumplings to seared shrimp and grits.