Where do Savannah locals actually eat, and how does that map onto Hunter Army Airfield's neighborhoods versus Fort Stewart's?
By Kyle Melvin · NMLS #1486450 · REV Mortgage · Licensed in Georgia ·
Short answer
Savannah's Best-of list splits the way the housing does. The Southside — Sandfly, the Abercorn corridor, the islands — has the barbecue and the seafood, and it's ten minutes from Hunter's gate. Downtown and Starland have the brunch, the beer and the tourists. Pooler, Richmond Hill and Hinesville — where most Stewart and Hunter families actually buy — have nothing on the list, and we're not going to pretend otherwise; they're where you sleep, and the Southside is fifteen to forty minutes away depending on which one.
The Southside and the islands — Hunter's side
Sandfly Barbecue — Sandfly. Best Barbecue 2026. Pulled pork, brisket, and the Sandfly neighborhood itself, a village on the way to the islands. Wiley's Championship BBQ — Whitemarsh Island. Runner-up, competition-circuit pedigree. Erica Davis Lowcountry. Best Seafood and runner-up Best Southern; fried shrimp, deviled crab, Lowcountry boil. Tortuga's Island Grille — Wilmington Island. Best Brunch. Bubba Gumbo's — Tybee. Runner-up seafood and the co-op fish market; the drive to the end of the road.
Live here: Savannah Southside — 1960s–90s brick ranches and split-levels off Abercorn and Whitefield, Windsor Forest, the islands' 1970s–2000s subdivisions across the marsh; 10–15 minutes to Hunter's gate. The price band that makes Hunter the easier of the two duty stations to buy at.
Downtown, Midtown and Starland — Saturday
Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room — W. Jones St. Best Fried Chicken and Best Southern; the boardinghouse table, the line, the tradition. The Olde Pink House — Reynolds Square. Best Shrimp and Grits. Crystal Beer Parlor — W. Jones St. Best Burger, since 1933. Green Truck Neighborhood Pub — Starland. Runner-up burger, local beef. Bull Street Taco. Best Tacos and Best Mexican. Russo's Seafood — E. 40th, Midtown. Best Seafood Market since 1946; buy the shrimp here. Service Brewing Co. — downtown. Best Brewery, veteran-founded, the taproom every Hunter unit ends up in. Two Tides — Starland. Runner-up brewery.
Drive time: 15–20 minutes from the Southside; 25–35 from Pooler and Richmond Hill; 45 from Hinesville.
Pooler, Richmond Hill, Hinesville — Stewart's side, and the payment side
Nothing on the 2026 list is out here. What is out here: the houses.
Live here: Pooler — the 2000s–2020s subdivisions off I-95 and I-16, the fastest-growing city in the metro, 20 minutes to Hunter, 35 to Stewart. Richmond Hill — Bryan County, its own school district and the one families ask for, 1990s–2020s subdivisions along 144, 20 minutes to Stewart's main gate, 30 to Hunter. Hinesville — the town at Stewart's gate: 1970s–2010s ranches and tracts, Liberty County schools, five minutes to the gate, and the lowest price band in the guide by a wide margin.
Why this is a housing article
Stewart and Hunter are 40 miles apart and the Best-of list only covers one end. If you're Hunter-bound, the Southside puts Sandfly and Erica Davis on your commute and the payment still works. If you're Stewart-bound, you're choosing between Hinesville's price and Richmond Hill's schools, and Savannah is the weekend. Run the payment on the BAH-to-payment tool, then go stand in the Mrs. Wilkes line.
Source: Savannah Magazine, The Best of Savannah 2026 (Aug 2026). Confirm hours and locations before you drive.
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Questions people also ask
- Where do Savannah locals actually eat, and how does that map onto Hunter Army Airfield's neighborhoods versus Fort Stewart's?
- Savannah's Best-of list splits the way the housing does. The Southside — Sandfly, the Abercorn corridor, the islands — has the barbecue and the seafood, and it's ten minutes from Hunter's gate.
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