There are restaurants you visit because you are hungry, and then there are restaurants you visit because the entire experience — the room, the people, the food, the feeling — becomes part of how you remember a city. For me, 22 Square Restaurant & Bar inside the Andaz Savannah hotel on Ellis Square is firmly in that second category.
Situated right on Ellis Square in the heart of the Historic District, 22 Square enjoys one of the most enviable addresses in all of Savannah. The hotel itself occupies a beautifully restored 1851 cotton warehouse, and that history is not just set dressing — you can feel the building’s bones in the exposed brick walls, the soaring ceilings, and the sense that something meaningful has happened within these walls for a very long time. The designers had the good sense not to smother that character with over-decoration. The result is a space that feels both polished and genuinely alive.
The menu at 22 Square is Southern in its soul but modern in its execution. They take the region’s larder seriously — local shrimp, Georgia-raised proteins, seasonal vegetables sourced close to home — and they treat those ingredients with real care rather than novelty-seeking tricks. The shrimp and grits here are not a concession to tourists. They are the real thing: rich, creamy, built with intention, the kind of plate that reminds you why this dish became iconic in the first place. The fried chicken biscuit at brunch has developed a quiet but devoted following among locals who know better than to pass it up.
Dinner is where 22 Square truly stretches. The kitchen shifts into something more composed in the evenings — thoughtful small plates, well-constructed cocktails, and a wine list that does not require a finance degree to navigate. The bar program deserves particular attention. The bartenders here are conversational and skilled in equal measure, which in Savannah is both an expectation and an art form.
What I keep coming back to is the location. Ellis Square hums just outside the windows, one of Savannah’s most vibrant public squares, complete with its underground parking facility, fountain, and the constant, gentle parade of people who make this city so watchable. Sitting at a window table at 22 Square with a good drink and the square doing its thing outside is one of those simple pleasures that Savannah delivers better than almost anywhere.
Whether you are staying at the Andaz or simply wandering the Historic District looking for somewhere that rewards a proper sit-down, 22 Square earns the stop. Make a reservation for dinner, or settle in at the bar on a warm afternoon and let the evening find its own pace. That is, after all, exactly how Savannah operates.
