5 Iconic Eats Savannah

Why it made the list: Savannah's most famous meal: you sit elbow-to-elbow at a big communal table and pass around fried chicken and a dozen Southern sides. Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room has been doing exactly this since 1943, and the line down the block is part of the ritual.

Why it made the list: Sweet local shrimp over creamy grits is the Lowcountry standard, and there's no more atmospheric place to have it than The Olde Pink House, a 1771 mansion on Reynolds Square with candlelit rooms and a piano bar downstairs.

Why it made the list: The Gullah-Geechee heart of Savannah cooking: smothered pork chops, fried whiting, collards and red rice, served with warmth. Sisters of the New South is the beloved soul-food spot locals send you to for the real thing.

Why it made the list: Warm, buttery, pecan-studded pralines poured and cooled on marble slabs, a Savannah candy tradition you can smell from down the block. River Street Sweets has been making them since 1973 and hands out free samples still warm.

Why it made the list: Savannah does biscuits and old-fashioned Southern baking beautifully, and Back in the Day Bakery in the Starland District is the charming, scratch-made favorite for flaky biscuits, layer cakes and pie.