Mrs Wilkes' Dining Room

We ate at Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room during our visit to Savannah in 2010 and I really wanted to go back so I could blog about it because it's one of those experiences you don't want to forget.  I also really wanted to go back because the food was so good, a true Southern experience.  They say that Mrs. Wilkes has the best fried chicken in the South.  And I believe it.

All the food is served family style with 10 people at a table.  

You will know everybody at your table because they don't take reservations and only serve from 11:00-2:00 pm daily for lunch so you must stand in line and you get to know everyone since you're standing in line for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Mrs. Wilkes took over the boarding house in 1943 and kept feeding hungry patrons right up to her death in 2002 at the age of 95.  It has continued with her family now running it.  President Obama ate here when he came to Savannah in 2010 and there are photos displayed from his visit.

My blog has a couple of Mrs. Wilkes recipes because I bought her cookbook last time I was here. One of my favorites is her Broccoli Salad which I've made many times since I got her cookbook. And, of course, Cheese Grits which I absolutely LOVE.  Today, they did not serve either one of these dishes, but you never know what they will be serving since it changes daily.  However, they usually have the staples of fried chicken which is fresh, crisp and hot but not greasy at all.  Today, they also had beef stew, meatloaf, barbecue ribs and chicken and dumplings.

They include all the Southern deliciousness of creamed corn

 yams

 black-eyed peas

baked beans

collard greens

and don't forget the biscuits and cornbread with syrup handy to pour over.

Other items not pictured are the mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni and cheese, Savannah red rice, okra, green beans, lima beans, macaroni salad with beverage included of Southern sweet tea.  Dessert was passed around at the end.  I had the banana pudding

 and Bruce had the peach cobbler.

The all inclusive meal was $20.00, collected at the cash register as you left.  I sat next to a lady from Savannah who eats at Mrs. Wilkes' a lot, more times than she can count, she told me.  She said that when Mrs. Wilkes was running the boardinghouse, the public could also come eat at her dinning room.  She said that pretty soon more people were coming to eat in the dinning room and she was getting more business that way so she closed the boardinghouse. 

The woman had all her favorites, especially the sweet tea. She said on a daily basis, she will drink 10 glasses a day, she just loves it.  A true Southerner, I guess.  She was a well-dressed, fit and trim looking lady who just came by herself to eat at Mrs. Wilkes'.  It's such a welcoming, feel-at-home place.  I already want to come back and be a true Southern lady, too.