The Best Breakfast Restaurants in Savannah

The Emporium Kitchen and Wine Market, an eclectic French-inspired brasserie in the historic district, is a showcase for locally made artisanal products and a gathering place for the community. It hosts breakfast, lunch, dinner, and happy hour seven days a week, plus brunch on weekends. All feature the Emporium's own Bowerbird Coffee created in collaboration with Savannah's Perc Coffee Roasters. The breakfast menu includes some creative versions of the standards, including an omelette with house-made pimento cheese, a smoked chicken hash with sweet potatoes and a smoked jalapeno hollandaise, and an everything bagel with smoked fish rillettes and capers. On the sweet side is a fancy French toast with pecans, preserved peaches, sorghum syrup, and creme fraiche. There's also a plate of dessert-esque apple fritters with bourbon-maple anglaise.

An upscale Italian restaurant inside the Kimpton Brice Hotel, Pacci Italian Kitchen and Bar hosts breakfast Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. and weekend brunches from 8 a.m. Both breakfast and brunch menus include around half a dozen coffee drinks plus creatively blended smoothies and fresh-pressed juices. On the lighter side are items like house-made granola with yogurt and fresh fruit, seasonal fruit bowls with toasted coconut, and avocado toast with soft egg, tomato, and a herb salad. Another healthy highlight is a farro breakfast bowl with sweet potatoes, greens, pumpkin seeds, poached egg, and a lemon vinaigrette. Sweet items include a tempting bananas Foster French toast.

Rocks on the River at the Bohemian Hotel, a sophisticated venue with glossy woods, marble, and bold red accents inside exposed brick walls, offers panoramic river views to augment its tempting Southern comfort cuisine. The restaurant serves breakfast daily from 7 to 11 a.m., followed on weekends by brunch. Among its breakfast classics are stacks of pancakes and cast-iron waffles, both with pure maple syrup and butter, plus a breakfast sandwich and an eggs Benedict. There are several different omelets served with a side of roasted fingerling potatoes, and healthy choices including avocado toast on multigrain bread with fresh watercress. Mimosas in various fruit flavors are available by the glass or carafe.

Breakfast at 700 Drayton at The Mansion on Forsyth Park, served daily from 7 to 11 a.m., followed on Sundays by brunch, is a somewhat fancy affair. The restaurant specializing in regionally inspired cuisine is a traditional fine-dining space with wood-paneled walls, dark leather seats, white tablecloths, and crystal chandeliers. The cuisine also leans toward the traditional. Consider breakfast items like country biscuits with thyme sausage gravy, poached eggs, and roasted fingerling potatoes, a ruby-red grapefruit sweetened with brown sugar, several omelets, and a couple of eggs Benedict, among other options.

Gorgeous views of the Savannah River and fine cuisine showcasing locally sourced ingredients draw a breakfast crowd to Aqua Star Southern Coastal Kitchen at The Westin Savannah Golf Resort and Spa. Many of its daily breakfast offerings appeal to a wellness-minded crowd. Fresh-pressed juices and smoothies, banana-cranberry oatmeal, and a coconut-ginger chia pudding with blood orange and seasonal berries feature on the "Eat Well" section of the breakfast menu. On the opposite side are some sweet indulgences like buttermilk pancakes with Nutella ganache and berry compote, bananas Foster French toast, and Belgian waffles with strawberries and fresh cream. Rounding out the options are craft-your-own omelet, a classic eggs Benedict, and a Southern breakfast buffet that includes juice and coffee.

A hip venue inspired by an Australian pub, the Fitzroy Savannah presents elevated pub fare at its weekend brunches from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Breakfast-type items on the brunch menu include several toasts -- smashed avocado and feta with pickled radish, citrus-cured salmon with goat cheese, beetroot relish and poached eggs, and whipped goat cheese with sauteed mixed mushrooms and sunny-side up egg. Another tempting savory item is the breakfast sandwich comprised of fried egg, bacon, and sweet pepper-bacon jam on a cheddar roll. Sweet breakfast dishes include a ricotta hotcake with mascarpone, granola, fruits, and maple syrup, and a French toast with mango tea-poached pear, cinnamon mascarpone, seasonal fruit, and homemade Australian honeycomb.

Southern traditions and exclusively local Southern ingredients characterize the weekend brunches at Husk, housed in a late 19th-century home in Savannah's historic district. The menu changes every week, but always showcases artisanal and sustainable ingredients from local producers. Past brunches have featured some version of biscuits with two-year-aged Bob Woods' country ham and Sapelo Island cane syrup; sometimes the same ham goes into a Monte Cristo with fresh berries on the side. Eggs Benedict on a sourdough English muffin is another signature, whether with chicken sausage, smoked pecan mortadella, or house bologna. Sweet treats have included cornmeal shortcake with Georgia strawberries and fennel, cider-glazed apple fritters, and a pecan sticky bun with sage butterscotch.

The Collins Quarter, a casual venue inspired by the iconic cafes of Collins Street in Melbourne, Australia, is known locally for its amazing coffee and daily brunches starting at 8 a.m. Before 11 a.m. the menu is dedicated to breakfast fare, such as three-seeded toast topped with minted-smashed peas, beet hummus, whipped feta, halloumi cheese, and poached egg, and an avocado toast with similar toppings. Other tempting items include CQ biscuits with apple-raisin-chicken sausage, bacon gravy, poached eggs, and a shaved fennel and apple slaw on the side, and a hearty short rib hash. All exemplify a creative approach that makes the Collins Quarter a serious contender among the best breakfasts in Savannah.

Ordinary Pub presents an extensive brunch menu seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., including a lengthy list of brunch cocktails, bottomless mimosas, and Perc Cold Brew concoctions. A highlight of the sweeter selections is bananas Foster French toast, while ample sweet-meets-savory choices include pork belly donut sliders and a chicken and waffle gyro with herb mascarpone cream cheese and a honey-poblano drizzle on soft waffle flatbread. Diners looking for a savory breakfast might consider the seared flank steak with gouda grits, chimichurri, and sunny-side-up egg, or the bacon brunch bowl with fritter tots, cheese sauce, sausage, eggs, and peppers under a bacon weave.

The light and bright 22 Square Restaurant at the Hyatt Andaz Savannah, a hip boutique hotel in the historic district, presents breakfast daily from 6:30 a.m. Its focus is on local, sustainable ingredients and Southern-inspired cuisine. On the breakfast menu, this means classics like cinnamon buttermilk pancakes with peach butter, bacon and maple cream syrup, and shrimp and grits with pork belly, leeks, and maple smoked cheddar. Other highlights are the avocado toast with poached eggs in a spiced tomato sauce, and the swine and fowl Benedict, which is Southern-style biscuits piled with pulled pork, poached eggs, and BBQ hollandaise. Smoothies and natural juices, including green machine and turmeric tiger, are another 22 Square specialty.

Moss + Oak Eatery at the Hyatt Regency boasts outdoor seating with Savannah River views, while those dining indoors get a glimpse of the chefs at work in the exhibition kitchen. The restaurant specializes in Southern classics and cast-iron techniques, and works with local Georgia farms to supply its top-quality organic ingredients. It also has its own rooftop garden and honeybee hives. Breakfast is available daily from 6:30 a.m., with a choice of buffet, continental, or a la carte menus. Among the latter are bread-y breakfasts like smoked salmon herb biscuits, ham, Swiss and egg panini, and Georgia white shrimp avocado toast on a crisp baguette. The restaurant's own honey sweetens the Greek yogurt parfait with cinnamon peaches along with cottage cheese and oatmeal bowls.

Within Prohibition-era speakeasy-inspired space, Prohibition presents contemporary twists on classic Southern cuisine. Its popular weekend brunches feature creative dishes like pimento cheese toad in the hole with fermented green tomato and bacon remoulade, poached egg and arugula, and a a shrimp Benedict with Savannah River Farms pork belly and roasted tomato hollandaise. On the sweet side there's a caramel-y banana French toast, and representing a sweet-savory hybrid is chicken and sweetcorn-chive waffle with sorghum butter. Prohibition's brunch-time drinks are creative too, among them a Gran Rosta coffee with Irish whiskey, a touch of demerara, and topping of fresh whipped cream and popcorn powder.