Waking up in Savannah, Georgia means having a
bevy of great meal options just steps away.
Savannah is lovely for many other reasons, of course. And there are far too many restaurants worthy
of mention to name here. But these
exquisite, welcoming, character-filled establishments are remembered fondly years after a wonderful visit. You should
not leave Savannah without giving them a try.
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| photo by Gail Shinsky |
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Start with Café M on Bay Street. This little café is one of the businesses
making good use of the retail space in the old cotton warehouses lining the
Savannah River. The young
husband-and-wife proprietors were passing through town a few years back and
thought this might be a good place to open a café and build a life
together. Fortunately, their French
cooking parents passed on their talents to the children and the result is
flaky, buttery croissants, delectable pastries and melts, and exceptional café
au lait. Pastel walls, small tables,
lots of natural light looking into a leafy green park, and lots of happy
morning chatter make this a really great breakfast stop.
Amble a few blocks away and you might find
yourself at the Wright Square Café just in time for brunch. As an aside, in Savannah practically
everything is a few blocks away. Whole travel guides ought to be written about Savannah. What a
welcoming, splendid place is the Wright Street Cafe. They’ll make
you a delicious Panini or a fresh salad here, and their dining room has the
touch of a wealthy aunt who was expecting you. They have desserty and gifty things here too,
and did I mention that they make their own chocolate? We found this place while surveying the
squares, and the terrific vibe drew us in.
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| photo by Brandon Bartosev (flickr) |
A few blocks west you will find City Market, with
several blocks closed to traffic and open to shops and restaurants and
pedestrians. You glimpse someone eating
a big slice of pizza and suddenly you are hankering for Vinnie Van Go Go’s. Good move.
You can get table service, of course, but slice customers get to see the
boiler-room-like kitchen operation. The
cooks manipulate manhole-cover-sized pies through the stack ovens with aplomb,
and I feel like I’m seeing secrets meant for no man’s eyes .
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| photo by Chris Barsam |
My massive slice arrives and all of a sudden
it’s almost like being in New York.
Almost.
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| photo by Gail Shinsky |
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By now you’ll be wanting a sweet treat, so walk
around the corner and find Lulu’s Chocolate Bar and their big selection of
cakes, pies, and designer cocktails. The
décor and the vibe are hip, and the staff is enthusiastic and happy that you
dropped by.
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| photo by dianp (flickr) |
Time for dinner and still at City Market? Consider Belford’s. It looks like it has been here for a hundred
years, and the folks at the outdoor tables were enjoying some good-looking
steaks and seared grouper like they didn't have a care in the world.
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| photo by US Dept of Agriculture |
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For dessert walk a few blocks up Broughton and
find Leopold’s Ice Cream, or just find the long line of customers on the
street. I know this is the sixth place
mentioned, but consider it a bonus.
Leopold’s is worth the wait. It
has been in the family for a hundred years, and the shop itself is a nostalgic
throwback to the fifties. I don’t think
I have ever seen ginger ice cream before, but what a find. Creamy, cold, gingery goodness melted in my
mouth with pieces of candied ginger throughout.
Don’t look at me like that – it is spectacular.
