Shrimp And Grits appears as a signature dish in 6 United States cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.

Shrimp and grits · Birmingham

Shrimp and grits is sauteed Gulf shrimp over creamy stone-ground grits, with andouille, bacon or country ham, the Lowcountry-Southern brunch classic.

Shrimp and grits originated in the Lowcountry of South Carolina and Georgia in the late 1800s as a fisherman's breakfast and migrated west into Alabama through the 20th century. Birmingham fine-dining chefs adopted the dish in the 1990s and 2000s as a tasting-menu Southern signature. Hot and Hot Fish Club runs a Chris Hastings version with Alabama Gulf shrimp; Automatic Seafood runs Adam Evans's Gulf-anchored version; OvenBird does a wood-fired riff with paprika butter.

Where to eat in Birmingham:

Shrimp and grits · Charleston

Stone-ground white grits with sauteed Carolina shrimp, andouille, country ham or mushrooms. The canonical Lowcountry plate served at breakfast and dinner alike.

Lowcountry watermen ate shrimp over grits at breakfast through the 19th century, a working-river dish documented in Bill Neal's 1985 Southern Cooking cookbook at Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill. Frank Lee at Slightly North of Broad in Charleston reworked it for the dinner menu in the 1990s, pairing fresh local shrimp with stone-ground grits and house-made kielbasa. That version became the canonical restaurant plate. Variations now run through nearly every Lowcountry kitchen, with andouille, country ham, mushrooms or tomato gravy as common partners.

Where to eat in Charleston:

Shrimp and grits · Charlotte

Shrimp and grits is the South Carolina Lowcountry breakfast plate that crossed inland to Charlotte: stone-ground corn grits cooked slow in butter and stock,.

Shrimp and grits originated as a Lowcountry breakfast plate in coastal South Carolina, where shrimpers ate it after pulling nets in the morning. Chef Bill Neal at Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill codified the modern restaurant version in 1985. The dish crossed into Charlotte's brunch programs in the 1990s and now appears on most Southern menus; Mert's Heart and Soul and 300 East run the canonical Charlotte versions with Geechie Boy grits and Carolina shrimp.

Where to eat in Charlotte:

Shrimp and grits · Greenville

Lowcountry classic that travels Upstate via tourist demand: stone-ground grits cooked low with butter and cheese, topped with sauteed shrimp, andouille and pan sauce.

Shrimp and grits is rooted in the South Carolina Lowcountry, where Gullah cooks paired local shrimp with ground corn. Greenville is Upstate not coastal, but the dish anchors Southern menus across the state. Soby's and Stella's run versions on regular menus; Halls Chophouse keeps it on the brunch board.

Where to eat in Greenville:

Shrimp and grits · Orlando

Shrimp and grits is Southern coastal Carolina-rooted shrimp sauteed with andouille or tasso and white wine, served over creamy stone-ground white grits with sharp cheddar.

Shrimp and grits is rooted in the Carolina Lowcountry and Gullah Geechee Sea Islands tradition, where breakfast cooks added local creek shrimp to morning grits through the 19th and early 20th centuries. Bill Neal at Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill brought the form to national fine-dining attention in 1985, and the dish swept down through the Southeast as a brunch and dinner staple. In Central Florida it became the canonical Southern brunch order; SoCo and The Ravenous Pig both run a refined version. Orlando's freshwater-shrimp aquaculture also feeds the dish locally.

Where to eat in Orlando:

Shrimp and grits · Savannah

Stone-ground white grits with sauteed Georgia shrimp, andouille or tasso ham, often finished with tomato gravy or a butter sauce. The canonical Lowcountry plate served at breakfast and dinner alike.

Lowcountry watermen ate shrimp over grits at breakfast through the 19th century, a working-river dish documented across Gullah Geechee communities from Savannah to Charleston. Bill Neal's 1985 Crook's Corner version (Chapel Hill) opened the dish to national restaurant menus; Elizabeth Terry and successive Savannah chefs adapted it for the city's dinner programme through the 1990s. Variations now run through every Lowcountry kitchen.

Where to eat in Savannah:

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