Skip to main content

The Best Bars and Restaurants in St. Marys, Georgia

Riverside Café & Restaurant

Riverside Café & Restaurant

Story by Stephanie Mercier Voyer; photos by Xavier Girard Lachaine
Stephanie is a Canadian freelance writer and editor. Xavier is a Montreal-based photographer. 

These spots satisfy your cravings before and after your stay on Cumberland Island.

St. Marys Seafood & More

Located a short drive from St. Marys’ historic district, St. Marys Seafood & More is the perfect spot to get your fix of Southern comfort food. In a classic seafood shack decor, this small joint focuses on fresh locally sourced oysters, shrimps, crabs and fish. The menu features specialties such as "boom boom shrimp" served grilled, boiled or deep-fried with a spicy homemade sauce. But the real showstopper here is the gator tail appetizer: a basket of breaded gator chunks fried to perfection with a side of cool ranch sauce.

Riverside Café & Restaurant

This downtown restaurant overlooking the St. Marys River features a large selection of freshly prepared, Greek-influenced American staples and daily specials. Grab a seat on the outside patio before catching the ferry to Cumberland Island, and start your meal with an order of crispy calamari.

Continue with the "Riverside wrap," a special take on a traditional gyro. This delicious pita is packed with a mix of ground lamb, pork and beef and then topped with tzatziki, crumbled feta cheese and red onion. It's served with a small Greek salad and French fries.

Fried calamari

Fried calamari

Seagle's Saloon & Patio Bar

Located inside the Riverview Hotel, Seagle's Restaurant and Saloon is the oldest continually operating restaurant and bar in St. Marys.

Named after Ben “Seagle” Brandon who operated the fishing boat “Captain Seagle” for several years around St. Marys, the restaurant serves the best steak in town. Get the "surf and turf" for a juicy cut paired with fresh grilled shrimps and your choice of two delicious sides like tasty hushpuppies and asparagus. Move over to the Seagles Saloon to enjoy a refreshing mojito on the outdoor patio.

Seagle's

Seagle's

Market on the Square

Established in 2002, Market on the Square is housed in a renovated old-fashioned general store facing the waterfront. Selling everything from hats to shark teeth, this quaint storefront is a one-stop shop for all of your Cumberland Island National Seashore gifts and souvenirs.

Boasting a vast selection of candy and sweet treats, it is the perfect spot to grab an ice cream cone to enjoy while walking along the river. Try the bestselling Superman ice cream flavor, a colorful mix of cherry, blue raspberry and lemon.

Related

Read more stories about Georgia.