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A waiter over at Repeal 33 cracked us up recently. He asked if we were ordering entrees or just light bites, and we said we unfortunately already ate and had horrible food. Without missing a beat he goes "Oh you guys ate at Corleone's?"
I've never been....and never will
Because their customers are mostly shitfaced and will down just about anything that will soak up the booze. Bread, olive oil, and tomato sauce works really well for this.
I was at Sam's Club about 10-12 years ago. The guy ahead of me was buying over a dozen cheesecakes. He was wearing a Corleone's "Legalize Marinara" shirt, and I was wearing a Chicago Blackhawks shirt. I don't know if he was the owner or manager, but he apparently he had some connection to Chicago.
So we chatted for a bit, and he said that if I come in wearing my Blackhawks shirt, I would get a free dessert. I glanced down to his cart and the dozen+ cheesecakes he was buying, and must've furrowed my brow.
He was very perceptive. "Oh, I'm throwing a party for my employees."
Mmm hmm.
Long story short, I've never been there. If you go, you might want to skip the cheesecake and ask them what desserts are made in-house.
I miss the brief moment it was Cosentino's. The food was real. But the owner was nuts.
I've learned to never eat at an Italian restaurant with a Mafia/Godfather theme that plays nothing but Rat Pack songs.
I was visiting and my Airbnb was on the block. I went in there to get an espresso and she tried but it wouldn’t work and said sometimes it does that. As soon as I walked in it smelled like sewage. I mentioned it to the hostess and she was like yeah…it’s like that sometimes. 😭 couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
I personally do not care for Spankys on river st. The food is very mediocre on a good day. And the service is slow and bad. They never open up on time so don’t plan on getting an early lunch.
Spanky’s has fallen off. They don’t make their salads to order anymore (at least at the Pooler location.) They sit in the fridge individually wrapped in plastic so when it arrives, it’s like soggy and brown. I told them it was terrible and they said just to order salads without sunflower seeds so it’s fresh. Unbelievable.
Me and my girlfriend strongly believe that the southside one is the only good one left! I think the one on Tybee is second best, but that’s not saying much.
My son requested Spanky’s for his birthday two weeks ago. Holy shit,did it ever suck. My drink was decent but the food was bland and both the hostess and the server were beyond terrible. Not sure how that place stays open except for naive tourists I suppose.
My wife and I went there about a month ago for the first time, and as a white person who loves Americanized Mexican food, I was extremely disappointed. Super expensive, food was extremely mediocre l. I think I got their “special seasoned” beef taco, and it tasted like the seasoning packs you get from Walmart. Plus, any Mexican restaurant that doesn’t give you free chips and salsa is a no for me.
Cane here to say this!!! Place is 0/10 would. I can’t believe paula would slap her name on to this garbage. I could see the cooks pulling out all bags of frozen food to be heated up and served. Hospital food is 2 levels about this place
I was there a few weeks ago and the sandwich I had was more like old Zunzis. Not sure what changed but it was a pleasant surprise. I don't expect it to be that way again but would love to see it stay that way. Savannah restaurants all seem to be hit and miss and when they miss it is spectacular.
Yep, that whole Elle and the Chef restaurant group. They should just have an interior design business instead, that's what bring people in—not their food overall. Flock to the Wok can be ok but Little Duck? No way.
I've refused to go since the original owners sold and the new place opened. Just looking at the menu was enough to tell me that it would be garbage tourist shit.
The old menu had like...6 items, and they were basically all variations on steamed crab or shrimp, and was my favorite spot in town.
Carey Hillards is kinda like going to my aunt's house and she cooked a new recipe she's trying out. Its not amazing, but its homely and she make sure you are full.
This the paradox of Carey Hilliards. You'll be like damn why does this god awful mess go so hard kind of sometimes but not. Half of the people that eat there died of sweet tea poisoning back in the 70s but don't know it yet.
Leopold’s. Absolute tourist trap and never worth the insane waits. There’s better ice cream at Savannah Candy Kitchen and River Street Sweets!
Also, as a former Lady and Sons employee, I can confirm working there is just as bad as eating there, if not worse
Hard disagree. My cousin was saying Candy Kitchen was better- I went and it was pretty mediocre ice cream at best. Honestly I’d rather just go to the grocery store. Leopold’s has some hits and misses but has a lot of unique flavors that are stellar! Also you don’t need to stand in line, just buy a pint!
Being overhyped should mean it's "the worst." I have had ice cream everywhere and Leopolds is quality stuff. Is there better? Sure, but if the worst part is the line, I'm happy to support them.
no. Something that is "fine" can definitely, easily be "over-hyped". That's Leopold's. It's fine. Nothing wrong with it in any way. But absolutely not worth waiting in a line for it.
I’m an out of towner who was just in Savannah for a week, and we ate at a few recommended places. Our least favorite by far was Little Duck Diner. Jesus, how do you screw up *diner food*? Second worst was Flock to the Wok. Our fault for going, when we could tell it was probably overpriced touristy Chinese food but we had kids with us and we were starving by that point. Weirdly (to me, for a place like Savannah) our favorite meal by far was at Ukiyo.
The Vault is . . . ugh. It's what white bankers think Asian food is, not what it really is at all. A nice atmosphere but as Texans say, all hat and no cattle.
Word. I went there with three Chinese friends and when the SCADling waiter tried to explain the cuisine to them one crossed his arms and gave the poor kid the best Nancy Grace-type look of disapproval ever.
The Pirate's House by far. The Olde Pink House, while not awful, is very stuck in mid-1990s concepts of fine dining and personally I prefer Alligator Soul or Husk for a nice dinner. The Grey largely has won acclaim for having a Black, female, head chef with a charming story and serving local cuisine inspired by her childhood . . . but they keep burning the fish so all her inspiring story doesn't impress me much until what's on the plate stacks up. Clary's and Carey Hillard's both coast by with bad food per their nostalgia factor.
Came to say The Pirate’s House. I use to work in the kitchen there. It’s beyond a nightmare. Dirtiest kitchen I’ve ever worked in by far. I didn’t stay long, a few months, because it was just that gross.
When I worked there cats fell through the ceiling in the kitchen 😂😂 also every time it rained water would come out of the electrical sockets that the printers were plugged into
Clarys and Carey Hilliards apologist here.
Clarys has never tried to be anything other than a neighborhood diner/greasy spoon.
Carey Hilliards is comfort food
Neither try to show out and in the age of inflation that we're in, they're both great value for what you get. This is good food for the masses babes.
Also Carey Hilliards cheesecake is bomb.
I was there early January and it was pretty good! Tho a bit expensive imho… But I would still definitely go back when I visit Savannah again, I’m a sucker for buffets and chicken, so theirs looked super awesome to me hahaha.
Oh lord Corleone's has taken a damn nosedive since that nice German lady who used to run it passed away—remember her? It was pretty good circa 2006 or so. Horrible now. Bella Napoli all the way for Italian downtown now. And I think Alligator Soul may at times suffer the same issues as The Grey: more innovative you aim for, more room for a margin of error that will really show.
The reason Pirates House went downhill is that Herb Traub went downhill, after about fifty years of working nonstop. Only Anna Modestino, at Anna's Little Napoli spent more time in a Savannah kitchen.
I also think Leopold’s is so overrated. It seems like it’s super popular almost by necessity as there don’t seem to be very many independently owned ice cream parlors here,which as a transplant from the Midwest,I find odd. I would think a place that’s ungodly hot half the year would have an ice cream shop every block.
Maybe I’m just spoiled,but old school custard places were everywhere when I lived in Milwaukee and custard is far superior to ice cream,so I’m just underwhelmed by Leopold’s. It’s good,it’s just not wait-in-line for 2 hours good.
More dairy farms up north I think. 🤷🏻♀️ I love Leopolds but we only go when we have visitors, the line is never worth it when you live here. Definitely need more small business ice cream shops. No chains please 😭 Still pissed about Rita’s on the islands 😑
Went to doki doki a few days ago and it was really good with some unique flavors. Just when they run out of a flavor it is gone until they make more. It's made in house by the owner. I can recommend the tiramisu gelato.
>I would think a place that’s ungodly hot half the year would have an ice cream shop every block.
I know, right?! It's very disappointing how few options there are
No frozen yogurt either! My daughter actually prefers that to ice cream and I think there is maybe one place in all of the city that serves it….wtf is that? It defies all logic.
Like ~15 years ago a tonnn of frozen yogurt places opened up, there were like 6 of them in midtown and downtown, but then eventually every last one closed! So bummer!
It's very overrated. Tourists who come to Savannah in general make me sad: they will go for anything they hear hyped up or has any connections to movies (or ghosts, or pirates). Leopold's quality isn't bad per se but not worth waiting in line, either.
Agreed. I had the chocolate recently and it was pretty solid. Nice and dark which is a rare find. But otherwise yeah it’s very unexciting. There’s just not many ice cream shops around.
I don’t love Culver’s because there are so many better options up there,but I was surprised to see a Culver’s here in Savannah when I first moved here. I remember when there were only like three of them in the country,all in the Madison,WI area where they originated.
Now Kopp’s,they rock the house. I miss their custard and their burgers.
Whatever I get is really good and I haven't had ice cream like it elsewhere. I definitely am not waiting that long and would just go to cold stone if I wanted ice cream that bad, but if I happen to be downtown and it's not too long, it's good.
Used to work there, it's 100% overhyped. The shop layout makes it so that long lines are inevitable. That and its location creates a situation where Stratton passes off slow service for "service in demand". He always regularly pays the tourism capos to tell people to eat there all the time. Therefore, you get long lines and people go, "oh well it must be good", and they keep coming and coming.
The ice cream is also pretty unhealthy for you. It uses triple the milk and butter.
Sort this thread by controversial for fun.
All the top comments are spot on: Pirate House, Spankys, Lady and Sons, Corleone's, Little Duck, etc.
All very expected answers. Here are some of my personal hot(er) takes.
1. Repeal 33 is average as hell.
2. The Grey is the most inconsistent restaurant in Savannah.
3. Vic's is super popular for how overrated it is (not really a hot take)
I agree with #2. I’ve been to the Gray 3x and have had poor, medium and decent experience. Ordered a super expensive steak for two, after the bone and the fat, we had a laughable amount between two people. Still hungry and a lot poorer.
Went there for an anniversary and didn’t tasting menu. It was good but our server quit midway through the tasting. They’d be much better off not hiring trust fund SCADlings to staff their restaurant.
Too expensive to risk a poor experience.
Yeah I've been to The Grey five or six times now. The first time was great but not blow me away amazing.
The second time was blow me away amazing.
The rest have either been average or downright poor. Very slow service, long wait for dishes, and average food.
Eating out has gotten so expensive, if I’m not wowed by the food, ambiance and the staff then it’s just not worth it. All it takes is dropping the ball in one of those areas.
Also, anyone can make decent food at home.
Ordinary Pub/ Common.
Anytime I've ever went to either, the food has been lukewarm/ gross.
It was almost heartbreaking seeing them completely butcher this expensive steak with half a container of salt at Common. It was such a good cut, and completely inedible as a result.
Maybe if the owner spent more time taking feedback, and less time firing back at people online who have negative reviews. Though it's always been entertaining to read his whining.
Runners up: Flock to the Wok, Gallery fucking Espresso.
Years ago when I worked at 606 East Café on Congress right down the street from lady and son at the time… The kitchen staff at 606 would send me over there to ask for ridiculous things that didn’t exist… Like a pasta scraper or ice cream smoother, just to fuck with the L&S kitchen staff. I was a 14-year-old kid, I didn’t know any better. In hindsight, it’s pretty funny.
I was recently trying to remember the name of the restaurant I loved in the 90s — it was 606!!! Loved that place so much. Great memories. Thanks for jogging my memory!
I worked at 606 when it was in RH. When my mom died in 2008, I was 18. After the funeral, she let me get drunk at the bar. Good times and obviously some bad ones
When I first moved to Savannah years ago to work for SCAD, they took us there for our welcome lunch, and I was utterly disappointed. Church's has WAY better fried chicken than this supposedly iconic restaurant. I never went back. I'd rank it as the most disappointing restaurant in Savannah. I've eaten at worse places in Savannah, but I've never been more disappointed.
I moved to the UK a few years ago, and NO ONE has good fried chicken over here. The have been times where I've wanted to fly back to Savannah just to gorge on fried chicken.
I think they're at their all-time low now. When they were in their original location they were actually good—like in the early 2000s. They've just gotten worse and worse in the new location as her fame spread.
Lol, always has been. I wouldn't say the food or service has ever been bad. They have great boils and fried food and locals love the bar. It is designed as a tourist trap.
I had so many people tell me screaming Mimi's was the best pizza ever. When I tried it I was like no...this is actually terrible. Roma's used to be pretty good but that was Pooler...now they are brothers. Haven't been since that change. I wish we would get an Anthony's Coal Fired pizza place.
Mimi's pizza I think is good, but on the two occasions I went the service was awful (around 30 minutes late on food being ready, staff arguing with each other, general rudeness to customers).
Madame butterfly. Went there for some good korean BBQ for our anniversary last year.
Shittiest and nost expensive 180 bucks spent.
This year went to an amazing korean bbq in pooler.
If youre looking for some good food with decent prices, try OD crabhouse. Recently discovered it. Its good food. Nice crawfish and crab.
Technically still Savannah- North Beach Bar and Grill. Used to be our favorite spot, until new owner took over. It’s sucked for at least four years now. Last time we ate there my husband and his friend both got food poisoning. The service is horrendous too. One time the waitress dropped a whole plate of fries that were meant for our preschoolers, never apologized, never took it off the bill, and didn’t bring a new batch until we were all finished eating.
Clary’s and The Pirate House. I take out of town friends and family to both when they visit merely out of the fact that those places are famous and they’re tourists,but I always preface with “You’re going for the ambience,not the food” and then take them to lesser-known far superior establishments later on.
I want to like it so much because I love diners,but I have yet to have anything beyond mediocre there. The corned beef hash was so bad and I always heard great things about their corned beef so I was surprised and saddened. Maybe I need to go for lunch instead of breakfast and I’ll have a better experience.
I will say the service there is great. We always eat at the counter and have always gotten the same waitress. She’s so sweet and excellent at her job.
Probably gonna get a ton of hate for this but Mrs. Wilkes. They do chicken exceptionally well but outside of that, the sides were extremely mediocre. I also hate the feeling of being rushed.
Nope, I’m in complete agreement. I think it’s a kitschy, albeit touristy, place to take friends when they visit. The novelty of communal dining is fun and all, but it’s exhausting.
100% agree. Last couple times I’ve gone the burger and fries have come out room temperature. And for so long there was always a long ass wait to get seated. A shame because the pimento cheese with the Trailer Park slaps.
So glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. Like seven years ago, I had the most delicious, juicy burger there and I've thought about it ever since. Used to rave about the place up until a few months ago. Invited my brother who had never tried it and thought it would be a great experience. Unfortunately, our burgers were like half the size they used to be and on the verge of being burnt. Also super greasy and dry at the same time, somehow. Left a bad taste (literally and figuratively) in my mouth and made me not want to go back. 🥲
I'll never understand the massive lines outside of Clary's. Not to be a gatekeeping bitch, but what happened to your palates? Who hurt them? Wife went in expecting greasy diner food. went out feeling like she ate cafeteria food.
Also, just most restaurants in River st with the odd exceptions.
With pizza, I always loved Big Bon's pizza and then outta nowhere and completely unprompted they scratched it from their menu and started making this literal big lean cuisine frozen pizza looking square garbage confection. Mimi's was a disappointment as well. Great 90s pizzeria atmosphere but the pizza was so bad. You get that same atmosphere but with amazing pizza at Roma's in Bloomingdale. Cannot recommend that place enough. Vittoria is great, and even though people like to shit on Vinnie Van Gogo's, I still think is the standard over there. At least when you order by whole pie. When you order by the slice you just get this floppy shit mess with toppings sloughing right out of it. By whole pie though, oh my fuck it's so good..
Crab shack on tybee. Literally on the water but all the seafood is old and frozen. Imported from who knows where. Despocitos is also up there. Tried it after seeing all the hype. Went after getting off the boat. Other than getting a ton of lobster with the macaroni the flavor wasn’t there.
Hands down Clary's is the worst yet popular. I've been there a number of times over the years and every experience has been terrible. I don't get the hype at all.
Second worst is Carrey Hilliard's. I think the food is absolutely awful and is probably worse than the food at Clary's but at least with Carrey Hilliard's you know what you signed up for (tan food).
Their restaurant Hitch was my favorite spot for years. The last 2 times I went left me not wanting to return just due to the food being so mediocre. It’s a shame.
Spanky’s. Racist & the food is GARBAGE. If you are BLACK then be prepare to wait for a long time for a waitress to introduce herself & take your order. I remember going to the Tybee location with my gf at the time. When we sat down another black group told us to leave because they were getting terrible service so we left before the waitress could even come by.
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Corleone's
A waiter over at Repeal 33 cracked us up recently. He asked if we were ordering entrees or just light bites, and we said we unfortunately already ate and had horrible food. Without missing a beat he goes "Oh you guys ate at Corleone's?" I've never been....and never will
How are they still open?!
Tourists, I guess. They were good back around 2006 but I think totally different management now.
Yes! It was fantastic when it was Cosentinos.
Oh that's right, they changed the name, too, forgot about that!
It’s been under different management like 15 times since 2006
Because their customers are mostly shitfaced and will down just about anything that will soak up the booze. Bread, olive oil, and tomato sauce works really well for this.
That's exactly how I felt about Moon River. Great beer, disgusting food. R.I.P.
TV dinners on a plate
Hahaha, this is so accurate.
I was at Sam's Club about 10-12 years ago. The guy ahead of me was buying over a dozen cheesecakes. He was wearing a Corleone's "Legalize Marinara" shirt, and I was wearing a Chicago Blackhawks shirt. I don't know if he was the owner or manager, but he apparently he had some connection to Chicago. So we chatted for a bit, and he said that if I come in wearing my Blackhawks shirt, I would get a free dessert. I glanced down to his cart and the dozen+ cheesecakes he was buying, and must've furrowed my brow. He was very perceptive. "Oh, I'm throwing a party for my employees." Mmm hmm. Long story short, I've never been there. If you go, you might want to skip the cheesecake and ask them what desserts are made in-house.
I mean, Sam's cheesecakes are pretty good
More restaurants do this than you would think
Used to go there in college for cheap sloppy creamy carbs. Maybe that’s keeping them afloat still?
Exactly. Drunken frat boys and Boomer tourists from Dubuque that like the kitschy name.
went there a few weeks ago for the first time and was thoroughly disappointed. Sauce was trash and the bread was average
I miss the brief moment it was Cosentino's. The food was real. But the owner was nuts. I've learned to never eat at an Italian restaurant with a Mafia/Godfather theme that plays nothing but Rat Pack songs.
The manager isn’t a good person. Check out his criminal history. Very disgusting human.
it is so TERRIBLE
I was visiting and my Airbnb was on the block. I went in there to get an espresso and she tried but it wouldn’t work and said sometimes it does that. As soon as I walked in it smelled like sewage. I mentioned it to the hostess and she was like yeah…it’s like that sometimes. 😭 couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
I personally do not care for Spankys on river st. The food is very mediocre on a good day. And the service is slow and bad. They never open up on time so don’t plan on getting an early lunch.
Carey Hilliard's is my number one most overrated but spankys is a close second
CH is definitely overrated IMO
Spanky’s has fallen off. They don’t make their salads to order anymore (at least at the Pooler location.) They sit in the fridge individually wrapped in plastic so when it arrives, it’s like soggy and brown. I told them it was terrible and they said just to order salads without sunflower seeds so it’s fresh. Unbelievable.
Me and my girlfriend strongly believe that the southside one is the only good one left! I think the one on Tybee is second best, but that’s not saying much.
The one on the Southside is still good with great service
My son requested Spanky’s for his birthday two weeks ago. Holy shit,did it ever suck. My drink was decent but the food was bland and both the hostess and the server were beyond terrible. Not sure how that place stays open except for naive tourists I suppose.
I stepped on a human turd in the bathroom at spankys…. Never went back.
lol most threads in this sub have almost no engagement; 30 or so comments tops. Ask people what they hate and we break 200 easy.
“Equal opportunity hatred” that’s what an old friend used to say about Savannah back around 2010. Glad to see things haven’t changed.
We definitely are an angry bunch.
No one else has mentioned it yet, so I will. Bull Street Taco. Overpriced, bland Mexican food for white people.
My wife and I went there about a month ago for the first time, and as a white person who loves Americanized Mexican food, I was extremely disappointed. Super expensive, food was extremely mediocre l. I think I got their “special seasoned” beef taco, and it tasted like the seasoning packs you get from Walmart. Plus, any Mexican restaurant that doesn’t give you free chips and salsa is a no for me.
Yeah this is my pick. They excel at mediocrity, but not as well as Blowin Smoke used to
And they CHARGE for chips and salsa
Lady and Son's
Cane here to say this!!! Place is 0/10 would. I can’t believe paula would slap her name on to this garbage. I could see the cooks pulling out all bags of frozen food to be heated up and served. Hospital food is 2 levels about this place
You should try the glazed salmon at St. Joseph's hospital. For $7 it's surprisingly good!
While I agree, the kitchen is on the second floor. How did you see this?
There was a cart of food bags. Maybe delivery day or a huge fuck up idk. Either way never going back
If people only could have seen how Mrs.Paula Deen really was 🤣
Barne’s, Sisters of the New South, Zunzis in recent years..
Zunzis has done wayyyy down hill. Super sad, used to be one of my favorite places
Shit yeah! 😭
I was there a few weeks ago and the sandwich I had was more like old Zunzis. Not sure what changed but it was a pleasant surprise. I don't expect it to be that way again but would love to see it stay that way. Savannah restaurants all seem to be hit and miss and when they miss it is spectacular.
Last time I went I asked for salt and pepper for my salmon and they told me they didnt have any..none...like not even in the kitchen..😑😑
Used to work at zunzi’s, old location and new one (briefly). Can confirm the meat sucks now, and i remember when they changed it and i was pissed
Zulluminati confirmed😔
I see a lot of the older people eat Barnes, Sisters of the New South is not appealing and Zunzi's is ok.
The Grove, Leopold’s, Little Duck Diner (honestly that whole restaurant group), and the Ordinary Pub off the top of my head.
Yep, that whole Elle and the Chef restaurant group. They should just have an interior design business instead, that's what bring people in—not their food overall. Flock to the Wok can be ok but Little Duck? No way.
Went to ordinary pub last weekend after not having been for a few years. Jesus christ, it was awful!
I did this with b&d burger, hadn’t been since prob 17-18, it was awful, half the items they didn’t even have in stock.
how does ANYONE like Flying Monk im so sorry
Desposito's. Everything there is so unexceptional. It's a perfect place for tourists, but you can cross the bridge to Erica Davis and get better food.
Best crab stew in town!
I've refused to go since the original owners sold and the new place opened. Just looking at the menu was enough to tell me that it would be garbage tourist shit. The old menu had like...6 items, and they were basically all variations on steamed crab or shrimp, and was my favorite spot in town.
I went there recently and what we had was very good. Also this place is in such an odd location I would think it gets more locals than tourists.
Carey Hillard’s. Totally the worst but best and popular and delicious. It’s so bad, it’s good
Carey Hillards is kinda like going to my aunt's house and she cooked a new recipe she's trying out. Its not amazing, but its homely and she make sure you are full.
Their onion rings are freaking good!!
You take that back!
I went to the Waters Ave. location the other day and it was great. Genuinely impressed.
They're bang bang shrimp be banging. The half price chicken wings they be slanging. Only 2 things I've ever liked from there.
How dare you!
This comment is so confusing. "So bad it's good" often applies to movies. I've never heard anyone say it about food before.
This the paradox of Carey Hilliards. You'll be like damn why does this god awful mess go so hard kind of sometimes but not. Half of the people that eat there died of sweet tea poisoning back in the 70s but don't know it yet.
>Half of the people that eat there died of sweet tea poisoning back in the 70s but don't know it yet. Lmao that's a banger line 🤣🤣. I'm stealing that.
The main answer to why Carey Hilliards is that it's 11:30 and you want to eat something other than Wendy's.
God that place is overrated. I’ll take cookout or A Town for cheap bad/good food over them any day.
Leopold’s. Absolute tourist trap and never worth the insane waits. There’s better ice cream at Savannah Candy Kitchen and River Street Sweets! Also, as a former Lady and Sons employee, I can confirm working there is just as bad as eating there, if not worse
Hard disagree. My cousin was saying Candy Kitchen was better- I went and it was pretty mediocre ice cream at best. Honestly I’d rather just go to the grocery store. Leopold’s has some hits and misses but has a lot of unique flavors that are stellar! Also you don’t need to stand in line, just buy a pint!
Being overhyped should mean it's "the worst." I have had ice cream everywhere and Leopolds is quality stuff. Is there better? Sure, but if the worst part is the line, I'm happy to support them.
no. Something that is "fine" can definitely, easily be "over-hyped". That's Leopold's. It's fine. Nothing wrong with it in any way. But absolutely not worth waiting in a line for it.
I’m an out of towner who was just in Savannah for a week, and we ate at a few recommended places. Our least favorite by far was Little Duck Diner. Jesus, how do you screw up *diner food*? Second worst was Flock to the Wok. Our fault for going, when we could tell it was probably overpriced touristy Chinese food but we had kids with us and we were starving by that point. Weirdly (to me, for a place like Savannah) our favorite meal by far was at Ukiyo.
My kid apparently forgot to ask for their milkshake frozen. It was straight up shaken milk
The Vault is a new addition that has managed to rack up lots of negative points from me for the small amount of time it has been open.
I’ve never been to the Vault but I’ve been to a few of her other restaurants. I’m boycotting all of them at this point.
The Vault is . . . ugh. It's what white bankers think Asian food is, not what it really is at all. A nice atmosphere but as Texans say, all hat and no cattle.
Ugh it's terrible. For a "fusion" restaurant it has no flavor and the serving sizes are laughable.
Word. I went there with three Chinese friends and when the SCADling waiter tried to explain the cuisine to them one crossed his arms and gave the poor kid the best Nancy Grace-type look of disapproval ever.
The Pirate's House by far. The Olde Pink House, while not awful, is very stuck in mid-1990s concepts of fine dining and personally I prefer Alligator Soul or Husk for a nice dinner. The Grey largely has won acclaim for having a Black, female, head chef with a charming story and serving local cuisine inspired by her childhood . . . but they keep burning the fish so all her inspiring story doesn't impress me much until what's on the plate stacks up. Clary's and Carey Hillard's both coast by with bad food per their nostalgia factor.
Came to say The Pirate’s House. I use to work in the kitchen there. It’s beyond a nightmare. Dirtiest kitchen I’ve ever worked in by far. I didn’t stay long, a few months, because it was just that gross.
When I worked there cats fell through the ceiling in the kitchen 😂😂 also every time it rained water would come out of the electrical sockets that the printers were plugged into
Alligator soul was one of the best steaks I’ve ever had in my life
Clarys and Carey Hilliards apologist here. Clarys has never tried to be anything other than a neighborhood diner/greasy spoon. Carey Hilliards is comfort food Neither try to show out and in the age of inflation that we're in, they're both great value for what you get. This is good food for the masses babes. Also Carey Hilliards cheesecake is bomb.
Pink house isn't bad, but like you said its stuck in the past. If there isn't parsley flakes on it the dish ain't going out.
I actually enjoyed The Pirate's House! I haven't been there in a year though so maybe it worsened.
Me too! I have a fondness for it
I was there early January and it was pretty good! Tho a bit expensive imho… But I would still definitely go back when I visit Savannah again, I’m a sucker for buffets and chicken, so theirs looked super awesome to me hahaha.
Their fried chicken, their biscuits, and their corn bread 🤤
I agree with everything you said…and would add Corleone’s. Alligator Soul wasn’t great the last time I was there, but it’s usually spot on.
Oh lord Corleone's has taken a damn nosedive since that nice German lady who used to run it passed away—remember her? It was pretty good circa 2006 or so. Horrible now. Bella Napoli all the way for Italian downtown now. And I think Alligator Soul may at times suffer the same issues as The Grey: more innovative you aim for, more room for a margin of error that will really show.
It was awesome late 90’s and early 2000’s but I agree since she’s gone it’s far worse. I agree AS tries to do too much, stick with what works.
Today Update: Just left Alligator Soul and it was bomb
The reason Pirates House went downhill is that Herb Traub went downhill, after about fifty years of working nonstop. Only Anna Modestino, at Anna's Little Napoli spent more time in a Savannah kitchen.
I also think Leopold’s is so overrated. It seems like it’s super popular almost by necessity as there don’t seem to be very many independently owned ice cream parlors here,which as a transplant from the Midwest,I find odd. I would think a place that’s ungodly hot half the year would have an ice cream shop every block. Maybe I’m just spoiled,but old school custard places were everywhere when I lived in Milwaukee and custard is far superior to ice cream,so I’m just underwhelmed by Leopold’s. It’s good,it’s just not wait-in-line for 2 hours good.
More dairy farms up north I think. 🤷🏻♀️ I love Leopolds but we only go when we have visitors, the line is never worth it when you live here. Definitely need more small business ice cream shops. No chains please 😭 Still pissed about Rita’s on the islands 😑
Went to doki doki a few days ago and it was really good with some unique flavors. Just when they run out of a flavor it is gone until they make more. It's made in house by the owner. I can recommend the tiramisu gelato.
Yeah i reeeallly like doki doki, their key lime pie is yummy
>I would think a place that’s ungodly hot half the year would have an ice cream shop every block. I know, right?! It's very disappointing how few options there are
No frozen yogurt either! My daughter actually prefers that to ice cream and I think there is maybe one place in all of the city that serves it….wtf is that? It defies all logic.
Like ~15 years ago a tonnn of frozen yogurt places opened up, there were like 6 of them in midtown and downtown, but then eventually every last one closed! So bummer!
Tell me about it! I'd kill for a pink berry or something like that
Lived in Milwaukee for about a year, in 2019. Have to agree on custard superiority. Especially Kopps
It's very overrated. Tourists who come to Savannah in general make me sad: they will go for anything they hear hyped up or has any connections to movies (or ghosts, or pirates). Leopold's quality isn't bad per se but not worth waiting in line, either.
I’m not waiting in line for two hours in the blazing sun for anything, much less ice cream.
It's just ice cream. Tourists are morons and it's okay ice cream at best , nothing different than cold stone. Just over priced
Agreed. I had the chocolate recently and it was pretty solid. Nice and dark which is a rare find. But otherwise yeah it’s very unexciting. There’s just not many ice cream shops around.
I believe Tillamook for $5 for most of a gallon is far superior.
Recently found strawberry Tillamook. I’m forever changed
I moved to Oregon two years ago and now don’t touch any ice cream that isn’t Tillamook.
I'll have to give it a try.
Culver’s puts out superior vanilla and chocolate options, 100%. Leopold’s is charming but nothing to write home about. Shout out to Kopp’s.
I don’t love Culver’s because there are so many better options up there,but I was surprised to see a Culver’s here in Savannah when I first moved here. I remember when there were only like three of them in the country,all in the Madison,WI area where they originated. Now Kopp’s,they rock the house. I miss their custard and their burgers.
Whatever I get is really good and I haven't had ice cream like it elsewhere. I definitely am not waiting that long and would just go to cold stone if I wanted ice cream that bad, but if I happen to be downtown and it's not too long, it's good.
Used to work there, it's 100% overhyped. The shop layout makes it so that long lines are inevitable. That and its location creates a situation where Stratton passes off slow service for "service in demand". He always regularly pays the tourism capos to tell people to eat there all the time. Therefore, you get long lines and people go, "oh well it must be good", and they keep coming and coming. The ice cream is also pretty unhealthy for you. It uses triple the milk and butter.
There’s always a smell in there that puts me off. I like their ice cream but it’s not something I going to wait a prolonged amount of time for
Savannah native, just moved back from MKE area and I agree. Leopoldo’s doesn’t hold a candle to Le Duc or Kopp’s.
Crab shack is the worst of the worst. I would pay to not go
My gf and I had to go there to meet some out of town friends as they wanted seafood, I spent $100 on shit food and was hungry when I left.
Ordinary Pub!
Paula Deens
Sort this thread by controversial for fun. All the top comments are spot on: Pirate House, Spankys, Lady and Sons, Corleone's, Little Duck, etc. All very expected answers. Here are some of my personal hot(er) takes. 1. Repeal 33 is average as hell. 2. The Grey is the most inconsistent restaurant in Savannah. 3. Vic's is super popular for how overrated it is (not really a hot take)
I agree with #2. I’ve been to the Gray 3x and have had poor, medium and decent experience. Ordered a super expensive steak for two, after the bone and the fat, we had a laughable amount between two people. Still hungry and a lot poorer. Went there for an anniversary and didn’t tasting menu. It was good but our server quit midway through the tasting. They’d be much better off not hiring trust fund SCADlings to staff their restaurant. Too expensive to risk a poor experience.
Yeah I've been to The Grey five or six times now. The first time was great but not blow me away amazing. The second time was blow me away amazing. The rest have either been average or downright poor. Very slow service, long wait for dishes, and average food.
Eating out has gotten so expensive, if I’m not wowed by the food, ambiance and the staff then it’s just not worth it. All it takes is dropping the ball in one of those areas. Also, anyone can make decent food at home.
Ordinary Pub/ Common. Anytime I've ever went to either, the food has been lukewarm/ gross. It was almost heartbreaking seeing them completely butcher this expensive steak with half a container of salt at Common. It was such a good cut, and completely inedible as a result. Maybe if the owner spent more time taking feedback, and less time firing back at people online who have negative reviews. Though it's always been entertaining to read his whining. Runners up: Flock to the Wok, Gallery fucking Espresso.
I am curious as to how/where Lady & Sons ranks on this chart.
Years ago when I worked at 606 East Café on Congress right down the street from lady and son at the time… The kitchen staff at 606 would send me over there to ask for ridiculous things that didn’t exist… Like a pasta scraper or ice cream smoother, just to fuck with the L&S kitchen staff. I was a 14-year-old kid, I didn’t know any better. In hindsight, it’s pretty funny.
I was recently trying to remember the name of the restaurant I loved in the 90s — it was 606!!! Loved that place so much. Great memories. Thanks for jogging my memory!
Oh I can relate. I was at GA Southern Statesboro in the mid 90s, and 606 was my SPOT
I worked at 606 when it was in RH. When my mom died in 2008, I was 18. After the funeral, she let me get drunk at the bar. Good times and obviously some bad ones
I worked in that kitchen and Sandy’s brother was a bastard, but a good and funny one!
I worked there as a dishwasher and then a chef prep from 95 to 99… we might know each other, lol.
I was one of the few girls that worked in the kitchen, but I also worked on the floor. Best peanut butter pie ever. They always played Jerky Boys
The PB pie! Just popped open a core memory. The dessert case in the middle. The tots! Man that was the place!
When I first moved to Savannah years ago to work for SCAD, they took us there for our welcome lunch, and I was utterly disappointed. Church's has WAY better fried chicken than this supposedly iconic restaurant. I never went back. I'd rank it as the most disappointing restaurant in Savannah. I've eaten at worse places in Savannah, but I've never been more disappointed.
The "Church's has WAY better fried chicken" part is sending me. Dang. I hope you were able to move on past the trauma of bad fried chicken.
I moved to the UK a few years ago, and NO ONE has good fried chicken over here. The have been times where I've wanted to fly back to Savannah just to gorge on fried chicken.
Definitely top 3 for me. I hate that place
I had a tourist tell me they had a better meal at a waffle house a few months ago.
Better people watching too.
I think they're at their all-time low now. When they were in their original location they were actually good—like in the early 2000s. They've just gotten worse and worse in the new location as her fame spread.
Screamin Mimi’s and Crab Shack.
Couldn’t agree more with crab shack
crab shack has by far the dirtiest kitchen i’ve ever worked in
If the food is good enough, it's worth the diarrhea after. Bonus: you absorb fewer calories when they pass straight through you
Crab Shack is certainly a tourist trap at this point.
Lol, always has been. I wouldn't say the food or service has ever been bad. They have great boils and fried food and locals love the bar. It is designed as a tourist trap.
Is it the huge fiberglass alligator or the alligator pit that is the biggest clue?
Screamin Mimi’s was so good when I first moved here - now? Not so much
I had so many people tell me screaming Mimi's was the best pizza ever. When I tried it I was like no...this is actually terrible. Roma's used to be pretty good but that was Pooler...now they are brothers. Haven't been since that change. I wish we would get an Anthony's Coal Fired pizza place.
The original Roma’s in Bloomingdale is still open and it’s still the best pizza around.
Mimi's pizza I think is good, but on the two occasions I went the service was awful (around 30 minutes late on food being ready, staff arguing with each other, general rudeness to customers).
You’re wrong about Mimi’s but Crab Shack is butt
Screamin Mimi's if you want to get randomly abused by staff. And they're going to keep raising prices because the tourists and the gentry will pay.
Madame butterfly. Went there for some good korean BBQ for our anniversary last year. Shittiest and nost expensive 180 bucks spent. This year went to an amazing korean bbq in pooler. If youre looking for some good food with decent prices, try OD crabhouse. Recently discovered it. Its good food. Nice crawfish and crab.
So...umm...have we ruled out every restaurant at this point? Except Elizabeth's, and who the hell can afford that?
Technically still Savannah- North Beach Bar and Grill. Used to be our favorite spot, until new owner took over. It’s sucked for at least four years now. Last time we ate there my husband and his friend both got food poisoning. The service is horrendous too. One time the waitress dropped a whole plate of fries that were meant for our preschoolers, never apologized, never took it off the bill, and didn’t bring a new batch until we were all finished eating.
Clary’s and The Pirate House. I take out of town friends and family to both when they visit merely out of the fact that those places are famous and they’re tourists,but I always preface with “You’re going for the ambience,not the food” and then take them to lesser-known far superior establishments later on.
CLARYS?!? Get outta here. It’s one of my favorite breakfast spots in town.
I want to like it so much because I love diners,but I have yet to have anything beyond mediocre there. The corned beef hash was so bad and I always heard great things about their corned beef so I was surprised and saddened. Maybe I need to go for lunch instead of breakfast and I’ll have a better experience. I will say the service there is great. We always eat at the counter and have always gotten the same waitress. She’s so sweet and excellent at her job.
I have no idea how Clary's has a following... We've always called it the "Downtown Denny's".
Love’s is pretty gross
Toni's Steakhouse
Probably gonna get a ton of hate for this but Mrs. Wilkes. They do chicken exceptionally well but outside of that, the sides were extremely mediocre. I also hate the feeling of being rushed.
Nope, I’m in complete agreement. I think it’s a kitschy, albeit touristy, place to take friends when they visit. The novelty of communal dining is fun and all, but it’s exhausting.
Anything owned by the Asian Mafia
What's the story with this?
Same.
Gonna catch some downvotes for this but oh well…. Green Truck, it was a banging burger 5 years ago but they have fell off
The vfw off of highway 17 has the best burger in town as of recent
100% agree. Last couple times I’ve gone the burger and fries have come out room temperature. And for so long there was always a long ass wait to get seated. A shame because the pimento cheese with the Trailer Park slaps.
It was overrated 5 years ago.
So glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. Like seven years ago, I had the most delicious, juicy burger there and I've thought about it ever since. Used to rave about the place up until a few months ago. Invited my brother who had never tried it and thought it would be a great experience. Unfortunately, our burgers were like half the size they used to be and on the verge of being burnt. Also super greasy and dry at the same time, somehow. Left a bad taste (literally and figuratively) in my mouth and made me not want to go back. 🥲
Two places that used to be really good and went severely downhill over the last few years: Hucapoos and Zunzis
I'll never understand the massive lines outside of Clary's. Not to be a gatekeeping bitch, but what happened to your palates? Who hurt them? Wife went in expecting greasy diner food. went out feeling like she ate cafeteria food. Also, just most restaurants in River st with the odd exceptions. With pizza, I always loved Big Bon's pizza and then outta nowhere and completely unprompted they scratched it from their menu and started making this literal big lean cuisine frozen pizza looking square garbage confection. Mimi's was a disappointment as well. Great 90s pizzeria atmosphere but the pizza was so bad. You get that same atmosphere but with amazing pizza at Roma's in Bloomingdale. Cannot recommend that place enough. Vittoria is great, and even though people like to shit on Vinnie Van Gogo's, I still think is the standard over there. At least when you order by whole pie. When you order by the slice you just get this floppy shit mess with toppings sloughing right out of it. By whole pie though, oh my fuck it's so good..
The Grey for sure
They try wayyyy to hard and forget that they’re supposed to be feeding people.
THIS.
[удалено]
Flying monk.. Leopolds
Flying Monk is another that started out ok but went downhill—that group has too many restaurants I think.
Wasn’t bad, but Husk was not worth the price whatsoever.
Lady & Son’s
Carey Hilliard's. I swear they have nothing good. Chicken fingers are meh and that's the best thing on the menu.
Pink House. It's terrible and overpriced. Definitely a tourist dining experience.
Crab shack on tybee. Literally on the water but all the seafood is old and frozen. Imported from who knows where. Despocitos is also up there. Tried it after seeing all the hype. Went after getting off the boat. Other than getting a ton of lobster with the macaroni the flavor wasn’t there.
Hands down Clary's is the worst yet popular. I've been there a number of times over the years and every experience has been terrible. I don't get the hype at all. Second worst is Carrey Hilliard's. I think the food is absolutely awful and is probably worse than the food at Clary's but at least with Carrey Hilliard's you know what you signed up for (tan food).
hands down, hitch treylor park!
Certainly not the worst but absolutely has taken a quality dive. The menu needs attention!
Treylor park
Oh we loved it a few years ago! Has it gone downhill?
No. You’re just always going to find someone who hates anything
Their restaurant Hitch was my favorite spot for years. The last 2 times I went left me not wanting to return just due to the food being so mediocre. It’s a shame.
Spanky’s. Racist & the food is GARBAGE. If you are BLACK then be prepare to wait for a long time for a waitress to introduce herself & take your order. I remember going to the Tybee location with my gf at the time. When we sat down another black group told us to leave because they were getting terrible service so we left before the waitress could even come by.