Tybee Island celebrates restaurant week and more from the coastal dining scene
In this month’s dining dispatch from the Georgia coast, the 2026 Tybee Island Restaurant Week lineup is revealed; The Frederica brings a new fine dining option to St. Simons Island; Tricks BBQ finds a new home on Waters Avenue in Savannah and the Greek restaurant Limani opens on Savannah’s famed River Street.
Tybee Island Restaurant Week returns
Eight establishments are participating in the 2026 Tybee Island Restaurant Week, which actually runs for two weeks from Aug. 3-17.
Participating businesses will offer exclusive food and drink specials, featured menu items and limited-time selections available only during the event.
“Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to showcase the incredible variety of food and beverage businesses we have on Tybee Island,” said Maggie Lannon, Main Street and Downtown Development Authority coordinator. “Whether you’re visiting a longtime favorite or discovering a new spot, Restaurant Week encourages everyone to eat local and support the businesses that help make our community so special.”
Participating businesses span the length of the island, from Sea Wolf Tybee at the north end to Wind Rose Bar & Grill and others near the Tybee Pier & Pavillion at the south end. An interactive map and more information can be found on the event’s website.
Tybee Island Restaurant Week. Aug. 3-17, tybeeislandmainstreet.org/tybee-restaurant-week
The Frederica brings another fine dining option to St. Simons
The Frederica opened in St. Simons Island in July in the space that was home to Frederica House for more than 45 years.
Founded in 1980, Frederica House served a hearty menu that included steak, seafood, chicken and pasta entrees.
“We have been fortunate to serve multiple generations of guests, those whose parents and grandparents brought them and now bring their children and grandchildren,” the Frederica House team wrote in a Facebook post announcing the closing. “Though we will miss serving you all, we will cherish the memories we made together for years to come.”
Mayte Cruz, owner of The Frederica, said that she wants to honor the legacy of the Mitchell family who made Frederica House into a staple of the island. After acquiring the restaurant in 2025, she spent almost a year developing the new restaurant but left the original wood interior largely untouched.
“I had the feeling that St. Simons needed some upscale fine dining,” Cruz said, listing a handful of existing higher-end restaurants. Cruz has lived in St. Simons for almost 30 years and also owns Chile Peppers Island Cantina and Sea Salt Healthy Kitchen.
The Frederica menu includes a range of starters and entrees, including several Wagyu steaks, a spiced duck breast and Chilean sea bass.
Cruz said that the menu will evolve and that brunch service will be added.
Cruz also said that St. Simons has enough restaurants that cater to beachgoers, so The Frederica maintains a dress code that restricts various types of casual wear.
“My clientele loves it,” Cruz said.
The Frederica. 3611 Frederica Rd., St. Simons Island. 912-638-6789, thefrederica.com
Tricks BBQ opens in new location on Savannah’s east side
Tricks BBQ reopened in mid-July on Waters Avenue on Savannah’s east side, about a mile east of Forsyth Park.
The first incarnation of Tricks BBQ operated for about 25 years on Bull Street but moved in 2024 to West Bay Street. The restaurant closed that location in late 2025.
Taylor Middleton, daughter of owner Ricky “Trick” Walker, said the family spent a few months looking for new locations before finding its new space at the intersection of Waters Avenue and Henry Street. The building needed relatively little work beyond the construction of a screened area for grilling.
“We love it here,” said Middleton. “We’re seeing new faces — and a lot of old faces obviously.”
The new location has a small area for indoor dining, but most of the business is takeout. The menu includes pork ribs, chicken, beef ribs and lamb chops. Full slabs of pork ribs are available. All dinners are served with baked beans and potato salad.
Tricks BBQ opens at 11 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday and closes when the food runs low.
Tricks BBQ. 1218 Waters Ave., Savannah. 912-643-2182, instagram.com/tricksbbq.
Limani now open on River Street in Savannah
The Greek restaurant Limani opened in mid-July on East River Street in Savannah.
Owner Vasilis Varlagas previously owned Olympia Cafe, a staple of the Savannah dining scene for more than 30 years. Olympia closed at the end of 2025 because of impending renovations to the city-owned Gamble Building. It seemed at the time that Olympia would eventually reopen in that space, but the restaurant chose not to renew its lease.
The menu at Limani offers a wide range of starters, seafood, gyros, salads, entrees and desserts. The space features a street-level bar and dining room, with more dining areas on the second floor. Three balconies offer views down onto River Street and across the Savannah River.
Limani. 417 East River St., Savannah. 912-675-7759, limanisavannah.com