City: Savannah, GA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (912) 233-0402

Address: 404 Abercorn St.

Description: From the sidewalk, you’ll see locals from this downtown neighborhood strolling to take their regular seats in this iconic Savannah eatery. Visitors know it as the original Clary’s, the place where characters from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil congregated, but this cafe at Jones and Abercorn Streets was, as former owner Michael Faber once put it, “famous before the Book.” Clary’s opened in 1903 and, as a pharmacy and soda fountain, has been a hangout of Savannahians throughout its existence. Faber bought it in February 1994, during the week that Midnight hit the bookstores, and he renovated the building and converted the pharmacy into dining space. As stated earlier, however, there’s more to Clary’s than its association with the best-selling book. Both the Midtown location (4430 Habersham St., 912-351-0302) and this one in Historic Downtown have extensive menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, the motivation for locals to flock here is Clary’s famous breakfasts. Among well-loved specialties are the malted waffles and pancakes made with a special flour brought in from Michigan. For lunch, there are a variety of salads, burgers, sandwiches, and those aforementioned soups; and in the evening, featured items are the fillet of tilapia served on a seasoned oak plank, the old-fashioned pot roast, and the Triple Peaks salad, which has scoops of tuna, chicken, and shrimp salads on fresh greens with pasta salad. Hours are Mon through Fri 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sat 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sun 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.