Best Casual Bars in Savannah
Savannah, Georgia — updated August 22, 2026
Taprooms, bar rooms and a River Street speakeasy in Savannah, ranked by how well the drinking side holds up and how much review evidence sits behind each rating.
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Savannah's drinking rooms cluster tightly: Jones Street, Bay Street and River Street sit within a short walk of one another, while the taproom scene runs west toward Indian Street and the neighborhood bars push south into Habersham and Bull. These are bar rooms and taprooms rather than strict dives, ordered by how well the bar itself carries the place and how settled each rating is.
1. Crystal Beer Parlor
The most tested room on this list: 4.7 across 6,714 reviews, which is about as proven as a Savannah bar rating gets. It sits at 301 W Jones Street, off the tourist spine but still walkable from the squares. Plan around the schedule, because it is closed Mondays and major holidays and runs Tuesday through Sunday, 11am to 9pm, meaning there is no late-night stretch here. One practical note: the bar does not accept Apple Pay or tap-to-pay, so bring a card that swipes or cash.
2. Service Brewing Co.
A working brewery on Indian Street with a taproom rather than a restaurant attached, and a 4.8 rating from 670 reviews. The draft list changes as batches rotate, so check the current menu before fixing on a favorite. Board games and live music are part of the setup, and reviewers single out the craft beer pricing. Hours are the main constraint: closed Monday and Tuesday, 4 to 9pm Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 10pm Friday and Saturday, and 12:30 to 6pm Sunday.
3. B. Matthew's Eatery
At 325 E Bay Street, this is the east-end option, holding a 4.6 across 3,371 reviews. That volume matters: a mid-4s rating that survives more than 3,000 visits is a steadier bet than a higher score with a few hundred behind it. It functions as a kitchen with a bar attached rather than a pure drinking room, which is worth knowing if you are after a seat and a beer at an odd hour. Bay Street traffic makes it an easy first or last stop on a River Street walk.
4. Cotton & Rye
The midtown pick, at 1801 Habersham Street, well south of the Historic District crowds. It carries a 4.7 from 1,749 reviews, a large enough sample to call the rating settled rather than promising. The brief does not detail hours or a menu, so call ahead if you are building an evening around it. Its appeal is location as much as anything: a bar you reach by leaving the squares behind, which changes the mix of people in the room on a weekend night.
5. The Bootlegger Savannah Speakeasy
A speakeasy-styled bar at 115 E River Street with a 4.7 from 690 reviews, so the score is encouraging but less proven than the room-and-a-half above it. The cocktail list runs to signatures including a Speakeasy Martini and a Gin Rickey made with fresh lime and club soda. Small plates cover fried green tomatoes, crispy wings, seared pork belly tacos, a charcuterie plate and crab cakes, and all desserts are priced the same at $9. Open 11am to 11pm, which makes it one of the later closers here.
6. Kava House
The highest rating on the page, 4.9, but from 293 reviews, so treat it as promising rather than established. It sits at 1915 Bull St, Unit A, in the same southern stretch of the city as Cotton & Rye and away from the River Street foot traffic. The brief carries no hours or menu detail, so check before making the trip. Worth a look if you want a small room and a different kind of bar list than the beer-and-bourbon default downtown.
7. The Olde Pink House
Included for the bar rather than the dining rooms. The 4.6 rating rests on 10,138 reviews, by far the largest sample in this group, which means the score reflects thousands of ordinary visits rather than a good month. It is also the least casual entry here: a landmark address at 23 Abercorn Street that draws steady visitor traffic, so expect a wait for a seat at busy hours. If you want a drink in a historic room and do not mind the crowd, it earns the last slot.