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    Bayou Cafe

    3.3 (233 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Bayou Cafe Photos

    BAYOU CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Divey
    Casual
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - Bayou Cafe

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    Shrimp po boy
    Lucy M.

    Man I had an amazing night here. I ate elsewhere first, but made friends with someone who shared their shrimp po-boy and fries with me. It was OK, don't come here for just the food. They have great live music, I came in on Tuesday jam night with Eric Culberson. Think dirty blues. A woman whose name I cannot remember also got up and sang an original song called Catch & Release that had every person in the place up and dancing. They kept the energy up all night, the small space packed with smiling people. Crowd is eclectic, all ages, races, and types. Bartenders took great care of us - particularly Mike who helped me carry more beers than my little hands could manage outside to the eight strangers who all left as friends to go sing down by the river - only a good bar can bring people together like that. If you want a break from the usual on River Street, a place that's got all the character of a dive but without (much) sleaze, this is it.

    Low country bowl
    Peyton R.

    Husband and I went to savannah today and came to grab a bite to eat. We noticed the place was kinda empty but it's also shift change. It also looks like they have live music as well. I don't know who our server was because she just came in and it was kinda back and forth between this guy and the blonde hair girl. We ordered two sweet teas and only ended up getting one and it was pretty sour. We didn't really say anything and the refill of it wasn't as sour so I don't know what really happened. We ordered alligator bites as our starter and they were pretty good. Our entrees weren't amazing. My husbands alligator gumbo was lukewarm and small. My low country shrimp boil was okay at first but my shrimp were pretty grainy and it was kinda bland. Our server( the blonde hair girl) sat at the bar on her phone most of the time and didn't really check on us that much. It seems most of the staff was having a chat about getting screwed about the upcoming saint patty's day festival which I can understand and some other chit chat about the news. Not to shabby I just think we caught them on an off day. If we're ever back in Savannah we might try them again but most likely not. However seems like a great bar the bartender seemed pretty chill.

    Happy hour is forever!
    Donna-Marie T.

    MUST MUST MUST try this place. The staff is extremely friendly, the drinks are good and the food is amazing. We were walking by while waiting to check into our hotel and saw the 11pm-7pm happy hour sign! WOW! The bartender told us that they have live music on the weekend and we should come back that night (Thurs) or the next night to here blues or Jazz. When we came back there absolutely was live music that you could hear from the patio seating or upstairs where it was a little more spacious. We got the shrimp po boy and the seafood Gumbo. The gumbo was about room temp. Not sure if this is how it's normally served but it was delicious with just being warm. Do your taste buds and pockets a favor and stop into this place.

    Buffalo shrimp
    Dina W.

    We stumbled upon this restaurant. The menu looked good so we decided to check it out. Inside is fairly small. The view is great. There's only one waitress working all the tables. She was friendly but not super attentive. It would've been great if there was a least one other waitress. It got super busy at the end of our meal. We had a party of eight. The food came out sporadically so we all couldn't eat around the same time--the food would've gotten cold--that's how long the wait was in between. Overall, the food was good. We ordered alligator bites, fries pickles, shrimp queso, buffalo shrimp, and wings as appetizers. Entrees included crab and corn chowder, raw oysters, fish and chips, seafood broil, wings, and chicken tenders.

    Flavorless shrimp and alligator gumbo
    Ming H.

    So I tried the Bayou Cafe Food Truck on Saturday of Saint Patrick's Day weekend. I understand why I would have to wait one hour. However, there are apparently two separate lines, one to place your order, and one to pick up your order. There were no signs indicating this, and people got really confused while standing in the pick up line. Because the pick up line was so long with people who had not even placed their orders, the order line got purposefully stopped so the kitchen could "catch up" on these orders people have not even placed. Confusing, right? After waiting an hour to place our order and get our food, it wasn't even good. The boiled shrimp was so flavorless and each shrimp needed to be submerged in cocktail sauce. I also tried the alligator gumbo, which was eh. Yeah, just eh. For $20, I will just wait to sit in at a real seafood restaurant next time around.

    Mahi mahi- fish is great but soaked in oil.
    Afnan T.

    Fun environment with live music. It's pretty dark inside. The service is good. I had the shrimp queso. The dip itself was delicious, however, the chips were stale. For my entree I had the blackened mahi mahi. The fish itself was delicious but there was too much oil sitting on the plate.

    Cajun Shrimp Scampi
    Val O.

    This place is ok. The service is nice but the food is meh. We came in at 12:30 and there was one table of two when we got here. It took quite a while before we got our food. I got the shrimp scampi and I couldn't even eat half of it. It was bland and the cornbread was dry. For that much money, I would somewhere else. The server was nice and funny, but kept forgetting to refill our drinks, and we were eating cajun plates. Since he only had one other table, I'm not sure why it took so long. Almost everyone at our table of 7 ate only 1/4 to maybe 1/2 of their plates because they weren't all that amused with the food. So much waste, and it wasnt even stuff you would want to box and take home, so it went in the trash were is belonged. The building is nice, the service was ok, the wait time is dumb, and the food was almost ok. There are so many better places to eat, guys

    Our view while eating.
    Melinda S.

    My boyfriend and I came to Savannah for the weekend. This was our first dining spot. We came in for a late lunch close to 4:00. We sat right down at a table with a nice window view of the river. Our server was prompt and friendly and took our orders quickly. I ordered a cup of seafood corn chowder for an appetizer and the Cajun sampler with red beans and rice, etouffee, and seafood gumbo. My boyfriend ordered the alligator gumbo. My soup came out and was nice and hot and a great consistency. I did feel it was bland and lacking in seafood pieces. This made me weary of what the rest of the food would be like but luckily I had no reason to worry! The red beans and rice were very tasty and topped with some nicely seared sausage. I loved the etouffee. It had a great flavor and some nice chunks of crawfish. I tasted my boyfriend's alligator gumbo and it was really good. My least favorite was the seafood gumbo. I liked the brown roux on the other items better than the red sauce on the seafood gumbo. Just a matter of personal preference. I recommend checking this place out! We finished our meal and took our beers to go to continue our exploration of Savannah.

    Brandy T.

    We made a stop in Savanah on our road trip and just stumbled upon the riverfront area. We stopped just hoping to walk around and maybe grab a few trinkets to take home with us. The menu for Bayou Cafe was right off the beaten path so I stopped to take a look and see what they had. I wasn't even hungry, but I saw "deep fried blue crab claws", stopped reading and hurried inside. It's a very small and intimate spot. Very quaint and full of character. If you're looking for the Cajun version of Oceanaire, this isn't it. It's not the prettiest, but it has charm and character. Our server was VERY personable and friendly; it almost felt like we were stopping at a friend's house. There weren't many people there initially, but the place did start to fill up shortly after we got there so we ordered quickly. I had the etouffee and crab claws, he had the salmon sandwich. Everything came out rather quickly, hot and fresh. I've never had etouffee before so I have nothing to compare it to, but it tasted exactly as I imagine it would having had other creole dishes. I'd highly recommend this place for a first date or something. Definitely the kinda place where you don't have much else to focus on outside of each other lol

    Tim S.

    Man, the reviews for The Bayou Cafe are all over the place. People either love it or hate it. Five or one star reviews with very little in between. Just a note The address listed, 14 N Abercorn St, is incorrect. If you google maps that address you will end up at the wrong place. The Bayou Cafe is right off River Street and the actual address is 4 North Abercorn Ramp. This place is an absolute dive, which maybe the reason some of the reviews are bad. Small seating area and with no doubt this is a dive bar. The food is cajun and is surprisingly good. When we walked in for lunch we were the only customers in the place. Normally not a good sign. I figured it would be meh or even suck but I was pleasantly surprised how good the food was. They have homemade catsup and hot sauce on the table which is also very good. Our waiter, who was also the bartender, is a Kid Rock doppelgänger. He took very good care of us. Recommend.

    Fried Pickles
    Jay P.

    Update: We stopped again in June 2018 for lunch. The waitstaff are still slow to greet, slow to serve, ignore you most of the time. However, the food was amazing. The chef came out with my boiled shrimp plate and mentioned how fresh the shrimp was. He was so right! I haven't had shrimp so fresh and flavorful. I'm not a corn on the cob fan but after taking a bite, I am a convert. The corn was the freshest I've ever had and delicious. A wonderful lunch and I enjoyed the friendliness of the chef.

    a band playing in a dimly lit room
    Scotty C.

    Was looking for something to do on a pretty quiet Tuesday night on River St and were about to head elsewhere until a few locals leaving a bar suggested we check out The Bayou for their open mic/music night. The way they explained it was that it was an open mic but the artists are always great. We followed along and walked into the middle of a 3 piece band playing. The place seemed like a cool little spot on the river but for us it was all about the tunes. The place is bigger than what we saw. We went upstairs to check it out but, it was closed and just the downstairs was available for hanging out. We ended up chatting with one of the artists who we ended up watching play later on. He was bouncing around on a tour from Portland and was leaving to head back the next morning. After the music ended, a few artists took things to the porch... including an artist named Myles. Myles has no affiliation with the place... he was just live drawing people for cash and we saw his amazing work on the way in. My friend was pretty hammered and suggested Myles draw me ASAP and it sounded like fun. We all hung out while Myles did his work and a couple of guys jammed on guitars. The music was great and Myles had the best stories. This went on til 3am and we all had an absolute blast. I'm sure The Bayou Cafe wasn't thrilled with our antics but, we had one hell of a night and appreciate them harboring our good times. If you ever encounter Myles down there (thin, older, black gentleman drawing people) stop and tell him that Scott & Andrew from Charleston say hello and then have him draw you, if not for the finished product, for the great time you'll have hanging with Myles. Plus he does an amazing job with his work too.

    Entrance
    Annette G.

    Great food at great prices but don't use the ladies room... Went during happy hour with well drinks priced at a happy $2.50 Low Country Boil with shrimp and crab legs was lip smacking good. The atmosphere is casual with friendly staff. The ladies room had not been cleaned in a while but had soap, water and paper towels to clean hands. I would definitely go back for the food.

    Receipt she ran my card for and tossed at me when I told her the crawfish weren't fresh.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Dirty, filthy place. Service is slow and the food was worse. I think their food is bought and they just heat it up. Do not recommend

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    Starland Yard

    Starland Yard

    4.3
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    2.9 km
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    Well, well, well, what magic awaits outside of the tourist area of Savannah? This place. Love the…read moreidea of going in, starting a tab, and just using your name at the bar, one of the fixed places to get food from, or even the food trucks that literally drive in and park there. Surrounded by shipping containers, it is its own special space where you can find a seat and enjoy the food and drink you grab, play games you brought on the tables (think brewery type action on that front), or just hang out with friends. I had a t-rex burrito - brisket, beans, rice, roast poblanos and onions, avocado, cilantro and a crispy cheese shell while there. Best burrito I ever had? No, but my first choice would have been the food trucks (that were not scheduled to arrive while I was there) and next time, even if I still don't time it right, there will plenty of other things to try. That, with some board game time, two beers from the bar, and absolutely perfect weather for being outside, made for a great day here.

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    T-Rex and Uncle Junes. Two of the three permanent dining options at Starland Yard.
    T-Rex and Uncle Junes. Two of the three permanent dining options at Starland Yard.
    Bacon cheeseburger
    Bacon cheeseburger
    Painkiller slushee

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    The Naked Dog

    The Naked Dog

    4.5
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    Are u kidding me? An all beef hot dog on a poppy seed bun...topped with cheese curds...fries and…read moregravy? My daughter suggested we head to Starland Yard to celebrate her graduation from college. Starland is a neat spot with several stationary restaurants and a few food trucks that roll in...different ones every day. We chose the Naked Dog. Man...it was really worth it. For some, a $12 hot dog might seem steep. It was a gourmet dog and It came with fries, so I thought that was fair. My dog was perfect. Fresh bread...incredible toppings and ample portions. The fries on the side were seasoned very well also. It was a great hot dog meal. The rest of our party had other menu items from Dog: 1) Cheese fries - highly rated 2) Loaded fries--- VERY highly rated 3) cheeseburger - highly rated (it looked incredible) 4) a dog with jalapeños, etc. - very highly rated I have chased good hot dogs all over America and as far as Switzerland. The naked dog was a top 5 experience. When in Savannah, they are worth finding--- I know I will find them again...

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    The "Trailer park dog".
    The "Trailer park dog".
    Slaw dog.
    Slaw dog.
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    Slow Fire BBQ

    Slow Fire BBQ

    4.9
    (29 reviews)
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    I LOVE the new location, absolute perfection!!!! The service station ambiance is terrific, love the…read morechoices for seating as well. Staff is the friendliest from any bbq joint around. Let's talk about the food, or better, stop reading, trust me and all of the others and hurry to Slow Fire BBQ and order at least 1 of everything! It's the best around.

    Slow Fire Barbecue | Midtown Savannah Car lunch. No seats…read more Just air conditioning and absolute magic in a Styrofoam box. We tried the Smashburger special with fried Brussels sprouts tossed in a sticky Asian glaze -- and I say this as a Brussels enthusiast: some of the best I've had in my life. The pulled pork sandwich was a hit with the kids (zero leftovers = five-star review). The mac and cheese disappeared faster than I could taste it. And yes, we got the tots -- well seasoned and totally necessary. No dine-in space, but honestly? Sitting in the car with the A/C blasting, swapping bites with the kids, and not worrying about anyone spilling on a restaurant floor felt just right. It was about $57 for the full spread (plus drinks) -- not cheap, but absolutely worth it. We will definitely be back. #SlowFireBBQ #SavannahEats #SavannahFoodie #BBQLovers #SmashburgerMagic #MomLifeEats #SavannahWithKids #FoodTruckFinds #GAeats #SupportSmallBusiness #LunchInTheCar #StyrofoamAndJoy

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    Slow Fire BBQ
    Slow Fire BBQ
    A little messy but the Brisket Sandwich is 5 Star Worthy and so are the Burnt Ends Baked Beans.

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    A little messy but the Brisket Sandwich is 5 Star Worthy and so are the Burnt Ends Baked Beans.
    Crispi

    Crispi

    4.3
    (26 reviews)
    2.9 km

    OMG Crispi might just be my favorite burger joint in Savannah. It's literally a food truck in front…read moreof a brewery. I have lived here for years and had never heard of it, but I am glad I did. The burger was juicy, flavorful and delicious. Highly recommend 10/10! I would say they need more sides, but I appreciate the simplicity of this place.

    I was in the neighborhood about a week ago and while I was waiting for my appointment, I pulled out…read moremy phone to find a quick place to grab something to eat on my way back to Pooler and I ended finding Crispi! Really happy with the results. Now this is a small food truck sitting directly outside of a brewery on a side street and a pretty quaint central Savannah neighborhood so don't be surprised if you drive by looking for the wrong structure. The day I pulled up, the Brother working the counter was tending to a couple of orders and clearly looked bothered. I found out later that he was a Boston Celtics fan and just recently heard about the Jaylen Brown trade so of course he was upset, but nevertheless, he gave me great service! He hooked me up with a patty melt and then a double and I have to say both burgers were really tasty. Great flavor and the perfect level of crispiness that you would want on a Smashburger of this style. Definitely a spot I would recommend pulling up to if you are in the neighborhood.

    Photos
    My burrito being touched disgusting
    My burrito being touched disgusting
    Parking lot party during the hurricane weekend.
    Parking lot party during the hurricane weekend.
    Crispi

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    Bayou Cafe - seafood - Updated July 2026

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