Sea Island peas (cowpeas) simmered with Carolina Gold rice, smoked pork (hock or bacon) and onion. A simple, deeply seasoned one-pot served on New Year's Day for luck.
Hoppin' John is one of the foundational Gullah Geechee dishes, built around the West African staples of rice and cowpeas (black-eyed or Sea Island peas) that enslaved cooks brought to the coastal Lowcountry. The New Year's tradition (a plate at noon on January 1 for the year ahead) is universal across Lowcountry households. The name's origin is debated; the cooking is not.
4 editor picks for Hoppin' John in Savannah, ranked by editorial score. All Savannah signature dishes · Hoppin' John across every city.
The Grey ★ 4.9
historic-district · 109 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Savannah, GA 31401
Mashama Bailey's Grey runs from a restored 1938 Greyhound bus terminal on MLK, a Port City Southern menu rooted in West African and Lowcountry technique.
Husk Savannah ★ 4.8
historic-district · 12 W Oglethorpe Ave, Savannah, GA 31401
The fourth Husk opened on Oglethorpe in January 2018, running the heritage-grain Lowcountry programme Sean Brock built at the original Charleston room.
Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room ★ 4.7
historic-district · 107 W Jones St, Savannah, GA 31401
Mrs. Wilkes has run from a Jones Street basement since 1943, Southern home cooking at ten-person communal tables Mon-Fri. Family-style daily-changing dishes.
Sisters of the New South ★ 4.6
eastside · 2605 Skidaway Rd, Savannah, GA 31404
Sisters of the New South on Skidaway runs cafeteria-style soul food with handed-down recipes. Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: oxtails, smothered.