Josh and I are foodies, pure and simple. We love scouting out new restaurants and satisfying our taste buds. It’s not always the best hobby for our waistlines, but that’s a drawback we’re willing to accept.

Planning out where we want to eat while on vacation is one of our favorite things to do. It absolutely baffles us when we hear about people eating at mostly chain restaurants while they’re traveling. Don’t get me wrong. We eat some meals at well-known establishments while on vacation, too—especially with kids when sometimes you just need something fast. It always hurts our souls just a little, though. 😉

Here’s a list of our absolute favorite restaurants we tried on St. Simons Island:

Sandy Bottom Bagels

As I mentioned in my previous post, each morning at Blue Skies started with donuts and bagels. Logan made a beeline for the donuts, but I preferred the bagels. They were soft, perfectly chewy, and delicious. I was not surprised when I found out they were from Sandy Bottom Bagels, a breakfast place I put on my “want to try” list while researching before our trip. 

They offer a variety of bagels AND homemade cream cheese flavors. My favorite was a Cinnamon Raisin bagel with Brown Sugar Cinnamon cream cheese, but everything I tried was good. They were the best bagels I’ve had since we went to New York City. 

Dulce Dough Donut Shop, Bakery & Coffee House

Oh my goodness…the deliciousness! This adorable local bakery was one for the books. It was difficult to narrow down what sweet confectioneries we wanted from their display case. In the end, I went with their Pecan Sticky Bun, and it was perfection itself! They make it (and many/most of their donuts) with brioche dough, which is divine. The sticky bun sauce was just the right amount of sweet. (Granted, though, I can tolerate quite sweet things!) I’m also a fan of pretty much all nuts. (Everything except for walnuts. Those bitter little devils give me canker sores.) Pecans are my favorite, though!

Thinking about the pastries from this place still makes my mouth water. I also can’t stop thinking about how cute it was! The porch and seating area outside was welcoming, and the inside was decorated beautifully. So much charm. I just wanted to spend all day on one of their comfy chairs. While writing this post I learned that you can rent out their space for private events, and that is now on my bucket list. Future book signing event, anyone…?!

Moo Cow Ice Cream

This was another place I wanted to try before even going to SSI. My dad passed down his sweet tooth to me, and ice cream is one of our favorite treats. Josh and I always enjoy trying out and ranking local ice cream spots whenever we’re on vacation. (For the record, Salt & Straw is at the tippy-top of our list.) We decided to try out Moo Cow Ice Cream on the way back to our hotel after a beach day on Jekyll Island. We timed it perfectly because there was hardly any line, which isn’t always the case.

There were so many unique flavors to choose from—even including dill pickle! (Yes, I tasted it. No, I didn’t get it. I considered it, though! So interesting.) Josh got their Georgia Peach ice cream, and I doubt we’ll EVER taste better ice cream that flavor again. They used big chunks of fresh Georgia peaches (obviously) and were somehow able to keep them from getting frozen and hard. I got a scoop of their Cinnamon and a scoop of their Sea Turtle Salted Caramel, and they were both delightful. Logan and Lincoln shared a scoop of Superman ice cream, but they were both more interested in the cute hot dog and ice cream cart playsets that were set up for kids to play with. We’ll definitely visit this place again next time we’re on SSI.

Certified Burgers and Beverage

This is where we went for our group date night with all of the other parents we were on the retreat with. Now, I’ve had my fair share of hamburgers in my lifetime. I’ve enjoyed burgers with a wide variety of toppings. The burger I got here, though…? Life. Changing. It was completely unique. I know not everyone would like it. For me, though? I seriously think it was the best burger I’ve ever eaten.

I got the one called “Fungi Town”. It came with mushrooms, sauerkraut, grilled onions, Swiss cheese, and the restaurant’s “Certified” sauce. I loved every single bite of it. Josh got the “Oaxaca” and really enjoyed it. They also had delicious tater tots as a nice alternative option to fries.

Southern Soul BBQ

Blue Skies had this restaurant cater the meal for our Western Hoedown night, and it was great. We liked everything they had available. I know not everyone does, but I really like a good coleslaw, and theirs fit the bill. Our favorite part, though, was probably their banana pudding dessert. If I’m being honest, it wasn’t as good as Magnolia Bakery’s in NYC (What is?!), but we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

Barbara Jean’s

There were so many restaurants we would have liked to try on SSI. We obviously couldn’t get to all of them—or maybe even half of them, but I’m glad we went to Barbara Jean’s. We lucked out again by getting on their list before a big rush. If we’d shown up ten minutes later, we would have had to wait for an hour or more. I’m not sure our boys (or their mama 😂) could have handled that.

Barbara Jean’s specializes in seafood and Southern home-style cooking, and they excel at it. Crab is one of my favorite seafood specialties, so I’ve tried a lot of crab cakes. Barbara Jean’s crab cakes were hands-down the best I’ve ever had. SO GOOD! I also really liked their coconut shrimp, and Josh and Logan both liked their fried fish. Their southern sides were all delectable, as well.

Crabdaddy’s Seafood Grill

Our last night on SSI was one we’ll always remember. We had our last catered meal at The Village Landing after we got there via our golf cart parade. We were already on a high from how special the parade and the celebration ceremony for our kiddos were, and the food from Crabdaddy’s Seafood Grill made the night even better.Their fried shrimp and chicken were fantastic. The real star of the show, though, was the dessert. You’re probably going to get sick of me saying things like this, but I’ve eaten a lot of bread pudding. Like…a LOT. 😂 It’s another one of my favorite desserts. I still dream about Crabdaddy’s bread pudding and regret choosing to be “healthy” by not getting seconds. It. Was. THE. Best. It was warm, gooey, and absolutely wonderful.

Honorable Mentions

• V Pizza
• The donuts from Winn-Dixie’s Bakery

Number One Place We Want to Try Next Time

• ECHO at The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort