Savannah just got a proper po’ boy shop, and I’m already thinking about my next visit.

Pauline’s Po’ Boys opened this week on Abercorn, and this is the real deal — local ownership, but the chef comes straight from New Orleans, which matters when you’re talking about a sandwich this specific. The bread Leidenheimer’s is brought in from NOLA, because it has to be. There’s no faking a po’ boy loaf. Get that wrong and nothing else matters.

The menu reads like it was lifted straight off Tchoupitoulas Street — roast beef, debris, grilled andouille sausage, all the classics done the way they’re supposed to be done. I didn’t get a sandwich on this trip — already had a burger for lunch when I stopped by. Rookie mistake on my part. But I did bring home some gumbo, and let me tell you, it’s legit. That’s usually the tell with a place like this, and Pauline’s passes.

They’re at 1705 Abercorn, directly across from Sly’s Sliders and Fries near Anderson, open Tuesday through Sunday, 11am to 9pm.

I’ll be back — and next time, I’m making room for the sandwich.

# # #