The 8 Best Seafood Restaurants Near Tybee Island

Tybee Island sits at the mouth of the Savannah River, where shrimp boats coming in from the offshore reefs have to pass the island to reach the docks. Georgia brown shrimp — not imported, not farmed — are available here from May through December. A handful of island restaurants know what to do with them. A few others do not.

Here are the eight we'd actually send you to, from the island itself out to Savannah. We've skipped the spots that look good from the pier and aren't, and we've been honest about when a drive is worth the extra twenty minutes.

How we chose

We kept it to places we'd recommend to a friend staying at the inn. Each spot had to clear three bars: genuinely good seafood, fair prices, and no version where we'd feel we'd led you wrong. That eliminated several well-marketed options that coast on location.

The list runs from on-island to further afield. The first four are within the island itself; the last four are short drives worth making.

1. Sundae Cafe

On Butler Avenue, near 4th Street. Dinner only. Reservations recommended weekends.

The best restaurant on Tybee Island. It's in a strip mall behind a gas station — the kind of location that weeds out everyone who judges by exterior. Inside: forty seats, local art on the walls, and a menu that treats Georgia shrimp the way they deserve to be treated.

The shrimp and grits are the anchoring dish — creamy grits, shrimp cooked correctly (not overdone), a sauce that uses the shrimp shells. The she-crab soup is richer and more carefully made than anywhere else on the island. Specials change daily and always include something tied to the local catch; ask your server what came in that morning.

Dessert: whatever the peach or pecan option is, order it. The kitchen closes at 9 PM and the dining room isn't big; if you don't have a reservation on Friday or Saturday, arrive before 5:30 PM or plan on a wait.

2. A-J's Dockside

South end of the island on the back-river side. Lunch and dinner. Walk-in.

The sunset dinner spot. Outdoor seating over the marsh, paper on the tables, shrimp platters served with coleslaw and hush puppies. The view over the back river — tidal creeks, shrimp boats, the marsh grass going gold in the late afternoon light — is worth the trip to the wrong side of the island by itself.

The shrimp here are the straight-ahead version: boiled or fried, honest portions, nothing elaborate. Order a side of the Low Country boil if it's on the daily board. The bar is casual; the drinks are poured generously. Arrive by 6:30 on summer weekends to guarantee a waterfront seat.

This is the place for the back-river experience that most Tybee visitors miss entirely. First-timers stay on Butler Avenue; the locals are over here.

3. Bubba Gumbo's

On Tybrisa Street, one block from the pier. Lunch and dinner. Walk-in.

Cajun-leaning seafood, counter service, beachfront-adjacent — you walk here from the sand in flip-flops. The shrimp po'boy is the reliable order: Gulf-style bread, dressed, Georgia shrimp fried light. The gumbo is filling and competent. Portions are generous for the price.

This isn't Sundae Cafe. Nothing about it is trying to be. It's the right call for a post-beach lunch when you don't want to park, change clothes, or sit down somewhere formal. Lines move quickly; service is fast.

4. Pier 16 Seafood

Adjacent to the pier at 16th Street. Lunch and dinner. Reservations available.

The most polished restaurant on the island below Sundae Cafe. Shrimp and grits are solid — seasoned differently than Sundae's, slightly more mainstream, well-executed. The raw bar has oysters when they're in season. The cocktail menu is the best on the island.

Worth knowing: Pier 16 takes reservations, which makes it useful on Saturday nights when Sundae Cafe is full and you want a table without a walk-in wait. The pier view — from the right table — is the best dining view on the island.

5. The Crab Shack

Whitemarsh Island, US-80 at Chimney Creek. Ten minutes from the inn. Lunch and dinner. Walk-in.

Technically off the island, but close enough and distinct enough to belong on this list. The Crab Shack is a low-country seafood experience as much as a restaurant: outdoor tables over the water at Chimney Creek, live alligators in a viewing area, pelicans that circle your table with professional patience.

The Georgia blue crab is the thing to order when it's available — the whole crab, mallets on the table, the full project. Peel-and-eat shrimp are also good here. Skip the she-crab soup (watery, inconsistent) and the cocktails (weak, pricey).

It's worth once. Expect a wait on weekends, especially summer Sundays. Children love it; so does anyone who wants a full sensory experience with their lunch and doesn't mind getting their hands dirty.

6. North Beach Bar & Grill

North end of the island, near the lighthouse. Lunch and early dinner. Walk-in.

The practical choice when you're already at the north end — after a lighthouse climb or a morning at North Beach, you don't have to drive the length of the island for a decent meal. Casual menu: fried shrimp basket, crab cake sandwich, burgers. Nothing will surprise you, but the fried shrimp are consistently well-cooked and the location is good.

Best for lunch; less compelling for dinner when the better spots are available. If the lighthouse is on your Saturday morning schedule, build the Crab Shack or this spot into the return.

7. The Grey Market (Savannah)

Downtown Savannah, 25 minutes from the inn. Daytime only.

The daytime, casual sibling of The Grey — which is Savannah's most acclaimed restaurant and books out weeks in advance. The Grey Market is a counter-service spot in the same building: a raw bar, rotating sandwiches, and the same kitchen sourcing. Oysters when they're in; smoked fish dips; composed sandwiches that change daily.

The Savannah trip for oysters is this: drive in, walk the squares for an hour, stop at The Grey Market for a raw bar snack and a glass of wine, and drive back before dinner on the island. No reservation needed. It's the easiest way to access the best sourcing in the city.

8. The Olde Pink House (Savannah)

Downtown Savannah historic district, 25 minutes from the inn. Dinner. Reservations recommended.

The Olde Pink House is an 18th-century mansion in the Savannah historic district — candlelit rooms, colonial architecture, Southern cooking that has been consistently executed for decades. The seafood menu includes She-Crab Soup, Low Country boil, and whatever fresh fish is running. It's more formal than anywhere on Tybee; build the dress accordingly.

The restaurant seats across multiple rooms, which means even busy nights have a feeling of intimacy that larger Savannah restaurants lack. For a special Savannah dinner that doesn't require The Grey's booking lead time, this is the reliable answer.

Honorable mentions

Mi Vida on Butler Avenue: not a seafood restaurant, but a small, clean cafe worth knowing for breakfast and light lunch — grain bowls, smoothies, a good kitchen. No seafood to speak of, but it belongs in your rotation.

The Tybee Island pier area in general: there are two or three counter-service spots right at the pier end of Tybrisa Street that are fine for a quick fried shrimp cone or an ice cream. Not memorable, but in the right context (90 degrees, just got off the beach, need to eat in three minutes), absolutely the right call.

The honest summary

The first four on this list are on the island itself and cover every scenario — fine dining (Sundae Cafe), back-river casual (A-J's), beachside fast (Bubba Gumbo's), and polished with a view (Pier 16). If you eat at all four on a three-day trip, you'll have a complete picture of what Tybee seafood actually is.

The Crab Shack and North Beach Bar & Grill are worth knowing as situational picks. The Savannah options (The Grey Market, The Olde Pink House) are for the night you want something that operates at a different scale.

See our full dining guide for hours and additional details. If you're still planning the trip, check availability here.