Take a stroll or drive down Abercorn, one of the most prominent streets in Savannah, Ga., and you'll eventually find yourself in front of a modest little cream-colored building. If not for the striped awning and a handful of tables and chairs out front, you might miss it — after all, it's surrounded by the charming historic buildings and stately trees draped with moss that people come to the city for. And if you get there after 2 p.m. any day of the week, you've definitely missed one of the greatest meals you'll ever have in your life.
The building is the home of Clary's Cafe, one of Savannah's most popular restaurants. But it's not just a place to grab breakfast or lunch; it's an icon that's played a major role in the city's history and pop culture.
Clary's actually opened at 404 Abercorn way back in 1903. Initially, it was the neighborhood drug store, complete with a soda fountain, and in the 1930s, a pharmacist named Luther Clary purchased it and gave it his name.
Luther died a few years after he purchased the building, but his wife, Clara, kept it running well into the 1970s. Over the years, she made changes. By the 1950s, she'd done away with the pharmacy aspect of the business and morphed it into an ice cream parlor and cafe, keeping the soda fountain and switching out the aisles of merchandise for tables where locals could come enjoy a bite to eat and conversation.
To their daughter, Betsy, it was a second home. "Inside, the store was long and narrow, with a black and white tile floor and a high decorative tin ceiling. It had a long marble soda fountain with a mirror behind it and stools that swiveled around and were attached to the floor. Customers who sat at the fountain or at the marble tables were cooled by paddle fans and enjoyed Clary's chicken salad sandwiches, sodas, and popsicles," she has written of those days long past.
By the 1980s, the new owners turned it into a full-service diner, and it remains an important part of Savannah's tapestry.
If you step into Clary's today, it doesn't feel like much has changed. It still has the nostalgic vibe of a neighborhood hangout plucked straight out of the mid-20th century. Sitting down for a meal, which might include the restaurant's famous French toast or eggs Benedict, can make any tourist feel like they've lived in the area for decades. It doesn't hurt that the staff is almost always unbelievably kind — a true testament to Southern hospitality — and treats you like family.
According to Haunted Savannah Tours:
The original brick walls and old wood flooring are visible, and there’s even a stained-glass window depicting Savannah’s famed 'Bird Girl' statue – a nod to Clary’s most famous cultural connection... The layout itself hints at history: one dining room was once the pharmacy section, while the other with the long counter was the soda shop. In a sense, Clary’s interior is a time capsule of its evolution. Customers might sit at a faux-marble table in the former drugstore area, or swivel on a stool at the counter that served cherry Cokes decades ago. A vintage jukebox stands by, ready to play tunes, complementing the background music and lending a retro soundtrack to your meal. Even as it has modernized to serve omelets and sandwiches, Clary’s keeps one foot firmly in the past – a fact that undoubtedly contributes to its warm, timeworn atmosphere (and perhaps to its ghosts as well).
The photographs on the walls also tell a story that makes you feel like you've been there before, and if you've ever read — or watched the movie version of — "Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil," you kind of have.
The book's author, John Berendt, called Clary's "a clearinghouse of information, a bourse of gossip," and it played a major role in his writing of the story.
Berendt, who is originally from New York, went to Savannah during the 1980s to research his book, which is about antiques dealer Jim Williams and the events surrounding his shooting and killing a young man named Danny Hansford. The author ended up living there for seven years, and Clary's became a place where he spent a great deal of time.
In 1997, Clint Eastwood turned the book into a film, starring John Cusack as John Kelso (a character modeled after Berendt) and Kevin Spacey as Jim Williams. Parts of it were filmed at Clary's, and there are photos of the cast on the wall inside the cafe today.
Related: Ode to Darius Rucker
And every once in a while, you might spot a random famous face in the crowd. Just in the last week or two, I've seen pictures floating around of Darius Rucker and Adam Sandler visiting the restaurant. Apparently, Sandler is a regular:
You may have noted that the Haunted Savannah Tours mentioned ghosts — and I suppose that's their business, so why wouldn't they? — but if you're into that sort of thing, Savannah is often called "America's Most Haunted City" because of all the strange sightings and goings on there. Clary's has had its share of strange events.
According to the tour company, employees and customers have seen shadowy figures after hours, heard unexplained sounds and voices, experienced strange sensations, and witnessed objects moving on their own. "A server prepping silverware once left a neat stack of napkins on the counter, only to find them scattered moments later as if flicked by an invisible hand. A sugar caddy reportedly slid a few inches on its own across a table, in plain view of astonished customers," they say. Another story tells of a waitress who would hear someone call her name when she was alone in the restaurant.
Some say it's the ghosts of old customers enjoying one of their favorite haunts. Others believe it's Luther Clary himself. Many say it's the spirits of the people buried in unmarked graves under nearby Calhoun Square. Whoever it is, it's just one more thing that adds to the mystery and lore of the city and makes Clary's a treasured part of Savannah.
My first trip to Clary's was back around maybe 2010? Something like that. My cousin and I decided we were going to read "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" and then visit for a weekend to retrace Berendt's steps. That didn't exactly happen the way I had it planned out, but I'll never forget sitting in Clary's for the first time and just looking at all the photos on the wall and watching the people come in and out. I had an amazing burger — my cousin had the eggs Benedict — and now, I go back every single time I'm in Savannah. It's not negotiable.
As a matter of fact, and I don't share this often, but I write a lot of fiction, particularly a lot of Southern Gothic stuff, and I can't tell you how many scenes I've written that take place at that restaurant. It's something of a muse for me for all of the reasons I've listed above and more.
You can read more about Clary's at the Haunted Savannah Tours' site (I pulled from many resources and my own knowledge for this article, but they seem to have the most comprehensive write-up from everything I've read). And if you're ever in Savannah, stop in and enjoy breakfast or lunch in one of the coolest cafes in the country.
Breakfast at Clary’s Cafe in Savannah pic.twitter.com/uAjPjdui1f
— Just Tony (@rover7_tony) February 15, 2025
