Savannah Restaurants
- Jeffrey Dunn
- Dec 26, 2022
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 16
Driftaway Cafe’
Vinny VanGoGo's
Vic’s Coffee Bar
Poe’s Tavern
Cha Bella
Myrtle and Rose
Two Cracked Eggs
The Bootlegger
DRIFTAWAY CAFE’
(912)303-0999
Driving for Lift one day, I stumbled across two of my new favorite places. Driftaway Cafe’ and Wormsloe Park.
The Driftaway Cafe is very close to the park and a frequent oasis after a long walk on a hot summer day.
The entrance has a ramp, and the dining area is spacious with a variety of table configurations. There is indoor garden side dining in the back, a bar inside and an outdoor deck.
It made me feel like I was on CapeCod. I had the crab dip with pita and home made potato chips. Delicious.
The waitstaff is SO friendly. Not just cordial, genuinely friendly and fully attentive to their guests. It’s that place you can make it what you want.
Dress up and eat from the top of the menu, or go in shorts and eat from the middle or sample the starters. This place fits everyone.
DDRIFTAWAY CAFE’
(912)303-0999
Check out the Driftaway Cafe’. And tell them Jeff from MAHI Media sent you.
VINNY VAN GOGO's
912.233.6394
Vinny Van GoGo's
The iconic Pizzaria, is THE place for a slice in the City Market plaza. I got two. Not fully knowing what I was getting.
Then this happened.
Two GIANT pieces of New York style pizza. One sausage and a Hawaiian(this covers the fruits and vegetables part of my new diet).
I had JUST finished a 10 mile hike for Stop Soldier Suicide , had a massive bowl of fruit on the way back. I had my doubts that I'd be able to conquer two giant slices of pie.
But with effort, concentration, dedication, and the support of my good friend keeping my soda topped off........
VICTORY!!!
Vinny VanGoGos is one of my favorites. Can't wait to go back. They have outdoor seating and lots of air conditioned indoor space as well.
VINNY VAN GOGO's
912.233.6394
VIC'S COFFEE BAR
(Coffee .....and Beer Bar)
Opens around 9am.
This is a VERY cool place to get a cup of Joe with a few friends.
I'd been ordering coffee from my other neighborhood for years. So I know how they make it and they know how I like it.
I LOVE not waiting in line for phone orders. It's first come first served.
When you try a new shop, there's sometimes that break in period. This was not one of those times. I simply described what I liked. And she made it like McGyver. I wanted a dark roast iced. They didn't have it made. So she fired up the espresso machine and voila!!! Poured over ice and a little water, it was a perfect bold iced coffee.
The atmosphere is swanky. You can have a beer or soft drinks there as well.
One door down is their award winning wine menu and restaurant. THAT is on my to do list as I watched the transformation unfold over the last few months.
Check out Vic's. Coffee Bar, Internet Cafe and Restaurant. Tell 'em Jeff from MAHI Outfitters sent you.
VIC's COFFEE BAR
(Coffee .....and Beer?? Bar)
POE'S TAVERN
Poe’s Tavern unfolds like a great story. A former Fire House, Poe's walls literally served the town before it even opened the doors. The chef continues the story of this historic structure. Like an author choosing the exact words, the restaurant combines ingredients of smiling staff, cold beer, great music and *Good* food.
Tons of outdoor seating under a rain and sun proof canopy. Conveniently located on the corner of MLK and River Street, Poes has local parking either in the hotel, across the street in the one level lot or right out front.
I really enjoyed this venu. Lots of TVs for game night and room for good sized groups. I think the outside part of it is dog friendly as well.
No need for reservations, and they don't do call ahead seating. I always call for large groups just to get a feel for it.
Check 'em out. Burgers are fantastic!
Poe's Tavern
(912)561-7637
Cha Bella
(912)790-7888
Grazioso!
Its not easy to feel home when so far from it. Thats what made this experience so unique.
I had a few pilot friends in town for dinner. And as these things go, the more we talk the more people happen to be around from far away places.
We make plans at the last minute, but never waste an opportunity to get together. Some home grown New Englanders were in town. And I missed that very much.
Cha Bella was the perfect choice.
Its a farm to table restaurant. Ingredients are fresh and local every day.
Not far from East Bay Street, Cha Bella is a beautifully appointed Italian home, dressed up like a restaurant.
Full of authentic character, the brick and wood sconce appointed dining room felt spacious with high ceilings and plenty of windows throughout.
The people are amazing. Service was perfectly timed. The waiter even made sure to take the ladies orders first.
Beautiful stemware, plates and flatware all gathered on the table, glistening by the light of the chandelier.
I had the “Hog”, a giant pork chop, perfectly cooked with herbs and spices. The chef even found a way to get delicious vegetables into the gullet of this carnivore. I didn’t -try- them.….I devoured them
My first bite of the pork chop transported me back to my parents dining room on a Sunday afternoon. Every Sunday my mother and father would cook a pork roast. My grandparents would come over and we’d all watch football.….and eat….and sleep…
I barely scratched the surface of Cha Bella. There is far more on the menu than my stomach had time to appreciate.
New friends, old friends and a new memory.
Cha Bella didn’t just fill my stomach.
Cha Bella filled my heart …..and my soul.
Cha Bella
912-790-7888
MYRTLE AND ROSE
Take the Elevator to 4
Careful not to push the wrong button.
Fun, clean, classy, architectural monarch with a petit menu.
I wandered the resort end of River Street. Wanted to try something different. I’m usually a Rocks on the Roof guy (top of the Bohemian) on nights when I just want to chill and stare at the river.
This time of year there’s lots of weddings. Rocks on the Roof is a must for groomsmen, so I figured I’d try something maybe less crowded.
Savannah is a well known Wedding Destination. The climate in October here is just so nice. 27°C and a light breeze make it perfect weather.
There‘s hundreds of restaurants and function halls. Even more churches. And the accommodations are plentiful and fairly priced. There’s entertainment around every corner.
I walked through a small alley in the resort district and saw the sign for the Myrtle and Rose.
Take the elevator to 4.
I liked it because you could see the ground level fairly close and still have the privacy of the acoustic vertical separation.
It’s eclectic. The value is in the staff. They are convenient but not invasive.
Loft style open floor plan patio garden setting. It felt like a roof deck I went to one time in Boston.
The walls on the north and east sides open like glass bifold airplane hangar doors. If the rain came, it wouldn’t have gotten me because of how they open.
The menu is fairly priced. The dining here is quality over calories. I didn’t leave there feeling like I over ate. The plates are lighter fare and portioned perfectly. It’s a Tapas style menu perfect for hours of grazing and dazing at the view.
Excellent staff and good food. look forward to an afternoon in the garden area next time.
Two Cracked Eggs
It is definitely all that it’s cracked up to be.
912.231.3604
My jaw dropped when I walked into this place for the first time. The artistically elegant setting packs a powerful brunch in a small package.
Nestled into a beautiful stone and brick building, TwoCrackedEggs is an understatement of what this masterful chef is capable of. I had the Eggs Benedict. I was on my plate so briefly I never got a picture.
Every element of breakfast dining was present. Tableware, ambiance, music, and cuisine. And the icing on the cake?
Dark
Bold
Strong
Rich
Hot
Fresh
coffee.
As good as the menu itself.
Don’t miss this experience.
912.231.3604
and
912.201.1319
The Bootlegger
Speakeasy
+1 (912) 480-6216
This is the real deal! The uncheesy speakeasy.
Where to begin. Growing up in the Great Depression, my grandparents parents’, dog’s, cousin’s brother….may or may not have made their own “holy water.”
I never knew them. Passed down just two generations to my parents….was the absolute necessity of a basement bar. The suburban speakeasy was in nearly every house of every kid that was born between the 50’s and the 70’s. It was just the evolution of the speakeasy itself. Probably because no one had any money to go out.
The one my grandmother had in Jamaica Plain was my favorite. Dirt floors and a stone foundation. Light bulbs hot enough to light a cigarette off of.
And with a family like mine, going out was never as entertaining as staying in together. But we did plenty of both.
Red lights were popular. The hue changed everything. You were transported in time…
The Bootlegger on River Street made me feel something I haven’t felt since I was 8 or 9. The red velvet bench and the brick walls. The music! And the images on the monitors.
The MENU!! My god the menu. All I had was a meatball appetizer and I was blown away at the flavors.
This place leaves NOTHING out of the experience. The Bootlegger feels like you walked into an actual speakeasy that, at a certain point in its life, decided to go legit.
“Bubbles” was my bartender. A proper villain named for the fact that, according to “the boys”, the “job”isn’t over until there’s no bubbles. Capiche?
The prankster gangster prepared my Diet Coke like it was a complex cocktail. Real crystal glass and all. That was a giant display of The Bootlegger standards of quality service. I felt like royalty.
I’ve never seen more detail tended to in a single task….each one building on the next. Spectacular experience in a fun, relaxed atmosphere.
This is not a “show” and not a “gimmick.” This is a restaurateur a bit obsessed with authenticity over theme.
The Bootlegger is not just a name.
It is a way.
It brings back that time when we had nothing but each other. How wonderful that was.
I LOVE this place!!
Oh….order Roosevelt’s Smoked Old Fashioned.
Tell em Jeff from MAH
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