4. Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room

Wow!....what a great suprise!!
It seems to be getting harder and harder to find good restaurants these days...esp ones that aren't high dollar fancy food kind of places.. Mrs. Wilkes was EVEN BETTER THAN I EXPECTED! I hate standing in lines to eat, but this was worth the wait! The food was EXCELLENT and service was wonderful. I did not feel rushed or cattled in and out like many busy restaurants tend to do. These are the types of places that make a vacation great- not like the chains that are taking over our country. It is worth the wait!

Best Restaurant in Old Savannah
My husband and I were fortunate to eat at Mrs. Wilke's Dining Room in 1985, while visiting Savannah on a long weekend. Mrs. Wilkes would go all around the dining room and visit with all of the guests. This was the first time my husband (of 40 years) and I had sat down to a large dining table with, at first, complete strangers, but before you left, you knew everyone who ate with you; you were elbow-to-elbow to your fellow diner. The food was to die for and the tables were groaning from the large, full platters of everything. If a platter looked as if it was about to get low, all of a sudden another platter was there to replace it. The desserts were so mouth watering. The only thing was that everyone was so stuffed, it was all we could do to have room for scrumptious desserts. I didn't get one of her cookboods while we were there, but after we returned home to Tallahassee, Florida, I sent off for one. Mrs. Wilkes wrote "Best Wishes and signed her name". I feel so honored and lucky to have this wonderful cookbook with all of her GREAT recipes in it. I keep it on my shelf out in the open and whenever I need a really good recipe, I grab her cookbook. I'm never at a loss for a really good recipe. I encourage anyone who ever goes to Savannah to go to her restaurant. And true to what is written above, even if you get there early, or what you think is early, you still have to stand outside in a long line. It is well worth the wait; even in the heat! I cannot even begin to imagine how many people go there from noon to 2:00 p.m., but everyone comes out with a big SMILE on their faces and a stuffed belly. Sandy Preston

A hidden gem, this is REAL Southern cooking at a place that feels like Grandma's house. Sit family-style and eat the best (and most) food you've ever had for lunch! It's only open weekdays 11-2, you'll wait in line, but it's $11 total and DELICIOUS. (Skip breakfast and wear elastic waistband pants!)