The most exciting Savannah-area food and drink experiences coming in 2026
Georgia’s first city experienced a buzzy year of restaurant openings in 2025, and Savannah’s momentum continues with more exciting, original concepts on the way.
Here are a several highly anticipated spots to put on your radar for 2026.
Eastern Wharf — Riverfront District
Construction progress at the Eastern Wharf is continuing slowly but surely. A spokesperson for the mixed-use community confirmed that previously announced dining concepts — including Michigan-based Bowdie’s Chophouse, Pittsburgh-export eatertainment destination Coop De Ville and a second location of Savannah’s own Mint To Be Mojito Kitchen — aim to swing their doors along the Savannah Riverfront open early this year, followed by Bowdie’s Chophouse in the second half of 2026. In addition, a forthcoming concept is in development to replace the parkside space previously occupied by Squirrel’s Pizza, which closed at the end of last year.
301 Passage Way, Savannah. easternwharfsavannah.com/retail.
Greenhouse at May River — Bluffton, S.C.
Across the bridge in South Carolina, a new restaurant from Jennifer and Melissa Perri is rising on the historic May River Road this winter. According to their website, Greenhouse will be an “urban oasis, infused with authentic Lowcountry vibes” and is inspired by the sisters’ experiences growing up in a family-owned restaurant. In collaboration with Lynch Associates, Shoreline Commercial and Innerworks Design Group, the 4,450-square-foot restaurant and speakeasy will take cues from 1800s Victorian decor, with plenty of lush plants to live up to the name. Savannahians who fondly remember chef Todd Harris’ creative plates at the former Garage at Victory North (which earned him a spot on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”) will be glad to know he is taking the helm as executive chef. Bluffton residents may also recall Harris from his African-inspired pop-ups with James Beard Award-nominated chef Bernard Bennett of nearby Okàn Bluffton.
1260 May River Road, Bluffton. greenhousebluffton.com.
La Vetta — Historic District
It’s been a long time coming for La Vetta, the upscale Italian concept coming to Broughton Street from Anthony Debreceny’s Southern Cross Hospitality Group (Collins Quarter, Deck Beach Bar & Kitchen, Doki Doki Ice Creamery, Fitzroy and Ukiyo). Meanwhile, SCH made a splash in 2025 with the addition of Fishbar, a live-fire seafood restaurant in the Starland District led by culinary director Daniel Rinehart and executive chef Charles Alexander Lowney, and designed by Chi-Thien Nguyen of Studio Tho.
While Debreceny and his team haven’t revealed the name of La Vetta’s chef yet, they did tease that he is from Puglia, Italy, previously operated a restaurant 40 miles outside Milan and is joining SCH in early January to begin menu development. Studio Tho is also outfitting the two-story interiors, which Nguyen describes as a theater for food, where guests enjoy each dish like a private performance.
15 W. Broughton St., Savannah. southerncrosshospitalitysav.com.
Lester’s — Historic District
Since debuting in August 2025, the Douglas, a well-appointed, 16-room boutique hotel, has received glowing recognition, both locally and in the national press. The culinary program has been lauded for its luxe, guest-only happy hours and elevated breakfast service by James Beard Award-nominated chef Jacques Larson (of Charleston’s Wild Olive, the Obstinate Daughter and Beardcat’s Sweet Shop).
Now, thanks to the hotel’s addition of Lester’s, more Savannah diners can get a taste of Larson’s food all day long — no room reservation necessary. Slated to open in spring 2026, Lester’s maritime-inspired menu will focus on fresh Lowcountry seafood with French-leaning preparations, alongside tinned selections and a dedicated caviar service. Designed by Reggie Gibson Architects, the vision for cozy interiors pulls from a real 1930s photograph of “Lester House,” a former boarding house once located at the same address.
14 E. Oglethorpe Ave., Savannah. thedouglas.com.
Marbled & Fin — Historic District
A short stroll from the Douglas, the corner of Oglethorpe Avenue and Houston Street has undergone a significant transformation to make way for the Savannah outpost of Charleston’s own Marbled & Fin in early 2026. A concept from Neighborhood Dining Group — the same group behind regional favorites like Husk, Minero, Delaney Oyster House and the James — Marbled & Fin boasts a strong reputation for original cocktails, a robust wine list, seafood towers and modern takes on steakhouse classics that earned it recognition as one of Southern Living’s Best New Restaurants in the South for 2025 and Wine Enthusiast’s Top 50 New Restaurants of 2025. For the Savannah iteration, diners can expect the same high-caliber service, luxury bites and refined interiors by Charleston-based design firm MB Within, housed in an 8,900-square-foot space across two stories.
520 E. Oglethorpe Ave., Savannah. marbledandfin.com.
SELA — Historic District
Daniel Reed Hospitality, a dedicated stalwart of Savannah’s dining scene responsible for mainstays like Artillery Bar, Franklin’s, Local 11Ten and the Public Kitchen & Bar, is at it again with Sueños Envuelven, Los Aromas, or SELA for short. Translating to “dreams enveloped in aromas,” the Spanish-inspired restaurant opens early in 2026 and will fill a void in Savannah, both in its physical space — the garden level of a townhouse recently vacated by Courtland & Co. on the highly visible intersection of Liberty and Bull streets — and its seasonal menu of tapas designed to pair with wines curated by advanced sommelier Caleb Poppell. Leading the kitchen are Colombia-native Marco Quiroz and New England-expat Jake Rogers, both chefs who have previously succeeded at Local 11Ten and will combine their talents at SELA with an emphasis on local purveyors and Old World techniques.
250 Bull St., Savannah. selasavannah.com.
Slow Fire Barbecue — Live Oak neighborhood
If good things, like traditional Texas-style barbecue, take time, then the lengthy wait for the brick-and-mortar location of Terren Williams’ popular food truck could be interpreted as a positive. True to its name, the realization of Slow Fire’s physical location on Waters Avenue is a slow burn. Optimism remains for the opening of a permanent home for painstakingly-sourced smoked meats and, of course, plenty of hearty, Southern-style sides conceived by Williams, a former chef de cuisine at the Grey Market. In the meantime, Williams notes the fans who continue to line up at the food truck “mean the world to him,” keeping the fire burning.
1902 Waters Ave., Savannah. slowfirebbq.com.
Specials Pizza — Starland District
On the heels of Late Air’s third anniversary, the hip team behind the wine bar is preparing to introduce their next endeavor: a New York-style pizzeria and bar, located only a few doors down. Led by husband-and-wife team Colin Breland and Madeline Ott, and chef Daniel Harthausen of HBO’s “The Big Brunch” fame, Specials Pizza is scheduled to debut in April with seats for 30 guests — further fortifying the Starland District’s red-hot culinary scene.
“We plan to be open daily from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., offering pizza by the slice or full pie alongside a focused cocktail menu and a curated list of natural wines,” Ott told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We will have an emphasis on music as well, with rotating DJ sets with friends from around the country and we have partnered with Automatic Audio in Montreal to build the sound system.”
Meanwhile, recipe development has been in the works for many months, following several research trips to New York, a pop-up collaboration with Queens-based Decades Pizza in early 2025 and ongoing experiments in Harthausen’s home kitchen, which he documents on his Instagram stories.
2517 Bull St., Savannah. instagram.com/specialspizza.
Strange Bird — Victorian District
After a fire suddenly shuttered the historic Streamliner that housed Strange Bird in February 2025, the beloved spot for Mexican-inspired plates of birria burgers and Georgia shrimp aguachile is getting ready to soar again.
“We are looking to reopen in the spring with all the SB classics and perhaps a few new things that our team has been cooking up on our hiatus,” chef Brandon Carter, a partner of Farm Hospitality Group (Farm Bluffton, Common Thread, Flora & Fauna), told the AJC. “We can’t wait to welcome guests back in!”
In the meantime, while renovations continue to restore the Streamliner to its former glory, the Strange Bird team is launching a “Phoenix Rising Tour,” with their food truck popping up at Service Brewing and more.
1220 Barnard St., Savannah. strangebirdsavannah.com.
Recess Hotel & Club — Historic District
Anyone who has ventured along Savannah’s high street lately knows it’s hard to miss the construction on the towering Manger Building — one of downtown’s taller structures, albeit only 10 floors. Still, Left Lane Hospitality (the same firm behind Savannah’s Hotel Bardo) is taking the former office building to new heights, and returning it to its hospitality origins as Recess Hotel & Club. Arriving in early 2026, the 221-room property will also include Kilter — a retro-inspired, sun-soaked rooftop bar meant for sipping spritzes — and a ground-floor, French brasserie dubbed Le Flâneur. For the latter, the Left Lane team is borrowing inspiration from astute restaurateur Keith McNally’s icons, Pastis and the Odeon, with a decidedly Savannah point of view.
Named for the French word for an urban stroller — someone on the move with a keen eye on the city unfolding around them — Le Flâneur will channel an all-day energy, from espresso drinks and a lunch program designed to fuel power-table conversations, to evenings with ice-cold oysters and martinis.
7 E. Congress St., Savannah. instagram.com/stayrecess.
Waving Girl — Riverfront
At the top of the soon-to-open Tempo by Hilton Savannah Historic District will be a rooftop bar serving cocktails along with waterfront views and Savannah lore. Branded as Waving Girl, the destination celebrates the welcoming spirit of Florence Martus, who earned her nickname for greeting passing ships for 44 years. While no chef is attached yet, a spokesperson for the hotel shared that the cuisine will be American, with Georgia-inspired bites like Vidalia onion fritters and burrata with grilled peaches. Bonus: The hotel’s arrival will also bring Savannah’s first location of the Australian-influenced Bluestone Lane cafe, popular for flat whites, matcha lattes and healthful breakfasts to fuel up before — or refuel after — some rooftop revelry.
220 E. Bryan St., Savannah. thewavinggirl.com.
