These winners were so much easier to choose 10 years ago when we started doing this. It is never easy, but it was most certainly easier. Choosing what we believe are the best in any number of categories isn’t as easy as you might think. Each judge has an opinion, sometimes they line up. Sometimes they do not. That’s when it gets interesting. First some ground rules:
JUDGES: Voting was done by 4 Savannah residents including Jesse Blanco. The other 3 will remain anonymous in an attempt to protect the integrity of the award. These are the only votes. There is no ‘popular vote’ category.
ELIGIBILITY: In order to be eligible for an award in 2023, a restaurant had to have been open no later than November 1, 2022. This gives judges ample time for random sampling/dining. We also don’t consider chain restaurants. These are strictly local awards.
CATEGORIES: Winners and runners up are named in 25 categories except for 3 awards were there is no runner up. In 2023, awards are for only for the Greater Savannah Area.
FOODIE AWARDS EVENT: What does this mean for our event on April 23rd? These are the winners that will be in attendance to enjoy an evening. They will not be preparing and/or offering food from their restaurants. Catering will be provided in part by The Darling Oyster Bar (coming to Savannah Summer 2023) and Atlanta’s Grand Champion BBQ. Foodie Awards FAQ here.
2023 Eat It and Like It Foodie Award Winners
Restaurant of the Year - Common Thread Common Thread is just simply a cut above the others. If it’s good enough to be one of Bon Appétit Magazines Best New Restaurants in America, then they must be doing something right. And they are.
Best New Restaurant - Fleeting The experiences at Fleeting have been exceptional. Meanwhile, after a shaky start, The Garage has leveled off very nicely. Two great additions to our scene to go along with a number of others including Late Air and Ukiyo. Runner up: The Garage at Victory North
Burger of the Year - Over Yonder There hasn’t been a burger in years that has created this much buzz. Ask anyone who has had it. They’ll agree. 100% solid. Runner up - Ardsley Station
Best Outdoor Eats - The Wyld Dock Bar We have a lot of options in Savannah these days, the views on a clear day make this quintessential outdoor eats in Savannah. Meanwhile, CQ Forsyth has made hanging out in the park on weekends much more enjoyable. With live music and good food, what more do you need in the heart of Savannah? Runner Up -The Collins Quarter Forsyth
Best place to nurse your hangover - Hop Atomica I think Hop got the nod because it is not in the heart of downtown Savannah and parking is easier, which is fair. Their pizzas have come a LONG way since they opened. The breakfast pizza is legit. Hitch’s menu goes a long way to squeezing them in as a runner up. The Chicken Biscuit and Sausage Gravy is the definition of hangover food. Each of them offering ample hair of the dog, which is important. Runner up - Hitch
Best Cocktail Bar - Lone Wolf Lounge We have some great options these days in Savannah. Surprisingly, this wasn’t as tough of a call as you would think. Lone Wolf was unanimous with Alley Cat Lounge also in the mix. Runner Up -Artillery
Best Place to Run into Someone you know - Starland Yard This might have been our biggest debate. Why? Most people have the path they wear out in their particular carpet. Their favorite spots to run into friends. Pretty much every part of town has a potential winner. Ultimately, Starland Yard was a solid consensus. With the options for food and drink within a block or two of the Yard, Starland Yard is this year's winner. Runners up - Ardsley Station or Savoy Society.
Best Brunch - The Collins Quarter Truth be told, I thought this would generate more debate than it did. At the end of the day, when you combine food, service, their coffee program, their cocktail program and location... CQ remains the best brunch in town 8 years later. Runner Up - B Matthew's Eatery
Best Rooftop for Locals - Peregrin Also a relatively easy choice. We have many great options in Savannah these days. Not all of them are convenient for locals. Still, the one you are most likely to see locals visiting is Peregrin. By far the best view of Savannah from a rooftop and located close enough to the Southern edge of the heart of downtown to make visiting easier. Our runner up, meanwhile, remains one of Savannah's best kept secrets. Runner up - Perch
Best of the Islands - Sea Wolf This could start a culture war across town. There are a lot of popular eateries on the islands (Whitemarsh, Wilmington, Tybee) to consider. They are slowly getting better. Wagyu hot dogs are only part of the story at Sea Wolf. The oyster program is solid. We also love the fact that the menu switches up frequently making it more appealing to visit. If there were an award for "Most likely place to find a chef on his day off" Sea Wolf would be it. Runner up - The Steakhouse on Whitemarsh
Leopold’s Ice Cream Best Ice Cream Award – Early on when developing this category, we realized there wasn’t much competition. So we named it for Savannah’s Legendary Ice Cream Parlor and called it a day. An easy choice. Mr. Leopold…we’ll see you at the party.
Best Coffee Shop - Java Burrito Company This was also a healthy debate. Our first and 2nd place finishers are both deserving, but for very different reasons. Troupial offers a solid product, their Venezuelan street food is a welcomed addition to the food scene, but the nod went to Java Burrito for variety and comfort. Runner Up - Troupial
Best Budget Eats - Al Salaam Deli It is almost impossible to get out of anywhere with a full meal for under $10 in this city. Or any other city for that matter. If you know what you are doing, you can lock that down at Al Salaam Deli. It's the reason why you will find neighborhood residents walking in there on a Saturday in their pajamas with the un-brushed hair. It's a Savannah classic. If you know you know. Cheap too. Our runner up is another Savannah classic. Runner up - Fancy Parkers
Best Pizza - Pizzeria Vittoria A few years ago when the pizza game picked up some speed in Savannah, the gap was significant. It was Vittoria and everyone else. We think it is fair to say these days that gap is shrinking. It comes down to preference, but we agreed, Kyle Jacovino is still driving the pizza bus in Savannah. Runner up - Squirrel's.
Best Ethnic Eats - La Casita Peruvian Restaurant, Richmond Hill The only reason this could generate controversy is because so many of our readers have yet to try it. If you have, it is hard to disagree. In a city that not all that long ago was dominated by Mexican and Thai food, it is great to see so much variety popping up on the horizon. There is quality depth growing on our food scene. These two eateries are proof of it. Richmond Hill is a haul, but our runner up is Midtown and worth your attention. Runner Up - The Narra Tree.
Best Place to take an Out of Towner - The Wyld Dock Bar The Wyld is one of two multiple award winners on the board and for very good reason. It's a near perfect outdoor scene and one of the most popular spots to enjoy an evening with friends or family from out of town. Oh yeah, the food is pretty good too. Choosing a runner up was tough the people watching alone made it so. Runners Up: The Collins Quarter/Vinnie Van Gogh Gogh's
Best Date Night Spot - Common Thread This also generated a lot of debate. We discussed all the way down to the actual definition of 'date night.' Is that a financial splurge? Or is that somewhere you are willing to try a few apps and a cocktail somewhere new? It could mean different things to different people. Ultimately, we think Common Thread fits the bill for both. You can eat a lot and spend a good chunk of change or you can nibble on a few plates and keep it reasonable. The staff at Common Thread is the best in town and make every experience comfortable and friendly. The full dinner menu available at the bar helps as well. Our runner up is one of more beautiful dinner spaces in town and is regularly overlooked because of how popular Brunch is. Check them out. Runner Up - The Collins Quarter Bull Street
Best Restaurant South of Derenne - Castaway's This was an interesting discussion as well. 'South of Derenne' covers a lot of ground. Casual eats and otherwise. At the end of the day our top 2 could be interchangeable, depending on who is doing the eating. We love them both for different reasons, but we went with the place you are most likely to stop in at after a long Summer day on a boat. That's Castaway's. Runner Up - Cohen's Retreat
Best Sandwich Shop - Rocky's of New York Deli Bill Vissichio and his staff had a solid line up of sandwiches day one at Rocky's. If you follow them on social media, you see that they are constantly pushing the envelope. Everything we've eaten here is fabulous. They've not only been rewarded with Savannah's loyalty, but it is a regular stop for a ton of regulars coming over the bridge from Bluffton and Hilton Head Island. This is easily Savannah's best sandwich shop. Runner Up - Black Rabbit
Best BBQ - Randy's BBQ A tough call here. There is a lot of good BBQ out there. We found, however, that the BBQ game in Savannah is compartmentalized a little bit. Our best pork butt you'll find over here. The best brisket over there. The best BBQ chicken is somewhere else altogether. There is no one spot where we love everything. Except Randy's. Ribs and Chicken? Done. Delicious. And cheap. All of the time. Oh by the way, the mac at cheese at our runner up could be the best in Savannah. Runner Up - Sandfly BBQ
Best Place to Bring your Dog - Finches Sandwiches and Sundries With a majority of their seating outdoors, it makes it somewhat easy to bring your dog along. The menu changes somewhat regularly. It is easy and fun and convenient. Oh and delicious and comfortable. Hard to vote against Finches when you want to pass some time with Fido. What's not to love? We will say that while there are many options for dog friendly dining downtown Savannah, the fact that Finches is removed from the noise and crowds was a big plus. Runner up - Starland Yard
Best Dessert Bar - Lulu's Chocolate Bar Consistent and delicious for over a decade, Lulu's still delivers the goods. Finding a runner up proved a challenge. Just because you serve dessert doesn't mean you are a dessert spot.
Best Bakery - Auspicious Baking Company Maybe the easiest choice on the list. When your goodies are carried in a majority of the coffee shops in town (seems like that anyway), then you know you've got the goods. Auspicious is consistent and fantastic. We are lucky to have them. Meanwhile, our runner up is a little different but still absolutely outstanding if you haven't tried it yet. Runner Up - Stevedore Bakery at Eastern Wharf.
Best Fried Chicken you don't have to wait in line for - Sisters Sisters has been doing their fried chicken consistently well for many years. They have a few of these awards in their possession already. For good reason. It's solid. Meanwhile, if you haven't visited our runner up, it should be on your short list. Though at lunch time there is most definitely a line. Which took points away. Runner up- Savannah Fried Chicken
Best Neighborhood Eats - Bull Street Taco With so many neighborhoods developing around Savannah, the choices were getting tough, but this was a no brainer. Bull Street Taco is practically the definition of neighborhood eats. Runner Up - Alexander's Bistro
