Toucan Cafe

This is one best restaurants in Savannah, hands down. We’ve been several times, and I’ve never had a bad meal, although lately my go-​to dinner here is the seafood risotto. The first time I had it it was as a special, and I rejoiced when I found it had been place on the regular menu. It is OMG to die for! The rice is creamy with red peppers, broccolini, and other vegetables tossed in. The shrimp is fat and juicy, and the scallops are perfectly sauteed. In the past I’ve had lamp chops, but they’re no longer on the menu. I only mention this because they were excellent as well.
The only glitch I’ve experienced here occurred the last time we went (the night before Valentine’s Day), I ordered the crème brule for dessert and was then told that it was still setting up and wasn’t ready to be served. If you’re going to have something on the menu, especially something as relatively simple as crème brule, the kitchen should have it ready for the evening meal. I ended up having the cheesecake with mandarin oranges and raspberry sauce, and it more than made up for the crème brule not being ready.
If you’re a local and haven’t been here yet, what are you waiting for? Go! If you’re visiting Savannah, this one is worth the drive out of the historic district. Just be sure you go early before 6 PM) or make reservations. Once it gets past six, you’ll have a wait without them — this place is just that good.

My favorite restaurant in Savannah! Always great food and outstanding service. My most recent visit on Valentine’s Day was no exception. I had the Bourbon Salmon-​perfectly cooked and seasoned, melt in your mouth goodness, and my husband had the Crab Cake entrée– some of the best he’s ever had. And then there was the Cappuccino Pie! A perfect end to a fabulous meal! The staff was attentive and friendly and the manager was conscientious as usual, overseeing and helping where needed. Excellent experience on a very busy restaurant night! Much easier parking than going downtown. We will be back… again and again and again. Pam U

First of all, this restaurant used to be great. I’ve been a fairly good patron over the years and felt like it didn’t get the attention it deserved. The last two times it’s been a disaster. Both of our orders were over done, over seasoned, and over sweetened. We sent it back and the same thing happened again and the manager even sent me home with soup he felt so bad. Even the soup was like eating a vat of salt. We went back again and ordered the steak, but that was terrible too. It was COVERED in fat. We also learned that our waitress had to cover the cost of the chef’s mistake! Who does that to the waitress?! The food has gone way downhill. There is no sophistication to how it is cooked. It’s a big disappointment.

My husband & I are temporary snow refugees here in Savannah on our way home to New Jersey. Always on the look for creative local restaurants offering our desired healthy & vegetable-​oriented food, Toucan Café more than exceeded our hopes. I had the visually beautiful and appetizing Eggplant Sandwich, which, for a retired Private Chef, was one of the highlights of our annual «Southern Tour» so far. Chris had the Blackened Tilapia Tacos which left him speechless! We shared. Our Server, McKenzie, was a stelllar & professional waitperson, who made the beautiful ambiance of the café & it’s food, even more pleasurable.

Two bad experiences in a row. A few months ago I dined here and had a terrible experience based on the food. The manager came over and apologized, although we were only offered desert, I appreciate the effort. This time we arrived early (6p) before the crowd. Our server recommended the stuffed chicken which sounded delicious. Unfortunately, it was raw in the middle. Ironically, my wife ordered a steak medium that looked like shoe leather. After sending back the dishes, our server disappeared for 20 minutes then asked what else we would like to eat. I mentioned we were finished but would like to talk to the manager if possible. Immediately, without checking, we were told he was not available.
This is a cute restaurant, but if they don’t stand behind the food that is sent from the kitchen, I will not be going back again.

After completing a very hot and humid Rock-​n-​Roll half marathon, our group of 5 found the charming Toucan Café a great place to refuel! We had a variety of dishes with our favorites being the shrimp tacos and the black bean burger. A start of wonderful bread varieties and mint iced tea was also fabulous. You really should give this quaint, slightly off the road place a try!

This place has wonderful service! But, their food option is not vegetarian friendly. My friend and I were not impressed with the dinner menu option nor the taste. I had the caesar salad and the black bean burger and my friend had the house salad and the salmon dish. Our salad did not look appealing and the lettuce was too soggy for our liking. My friend enjoyed the salmon dish with the sweet potato. The black bean burger had great presentation and a tasty mustered sauce. The burger itself I didn’t like, the texture of the burger was Paste like. I’ll give this place a second chance but only because I’ve heard good things about their lunch menu.

I will begin with the service– top notch. Saw the manager helping everyone, not standing around. Our waitress was attentive, but not overly so.
The timing of the meal was perfect– just enough time between each course.
We started with the tomato dill soup– really nice could have used a bit more acid. We also had the goat cheese special: with garlic, tomato, and olives. It was delicious, but a little overpriced.
For entrees we had the shrimp and grits and the bourbon salmon. These both come with a salad. We both got the Caesar– the salad was the low point of the meal– just not memorable.
The shrimp and grits reminded us of new Orleans because the sauce was similar to gumbo. The parmesan grits were delicious and the shrimp were cooked to perfection.
The bourbon salmon was also cooked very well– a hair over, but still delicious. The bourbon sauce was yummy and complemented the salmon well.

I love this place! I was there with a big group and they took really good care of us. The Cajun Chicken Salad was superb! We were there about 3 hours and loved every minute.

The bourbon salmon was absolutely amazing. I definitely want to go back and eat it again! The rest of the people I was with all had high praises for the meal, and it was nice that all of our dishes came with a salad even though it wasn’t listed on the menu that that was the case.

Great food. Have a few tables on their patio where you can bring your pets. Service was excellent. Quantities aren’t large but just right. Very different menu with many unique dishes.

I was in the area for work and came by here for dinner. It was a Wed night 8pm and I didn’t think I would have to wait, but I did! There was quite a lot of people but one of the rooms had a private party; once they left they were able to seat is pretty quickly.
Emily was my waitress and she was such a sweetheart! So accommodating and making sure everything was taken care of. I ordered shrimp and grits with a Cesar salad. Amazing! There was a lot of shrimp and it was cooked perfectly. The bread basket that came with it was also good and hard to not eat it all!
The only thing that I would say was that it was a bit hot in there but the food made up for it :)
If I am ever in the area, I would definitely come back and would like to try lunch.

We learned about Toucans from our tennis buddies there for the Georgia State Championships. There are around 1000+ tennis players from all over Georgia there this weekend every year.
This is a great experience. The menu is wide enough to suit lots of people. Good for people who like creative cooking.

First, the bread (complimentary) was fresh, warm, and delicious. The herb butter was perfect.
Then came the tomato dill soup. I ordered the bowl ($ 6.50) because, having skipped lunch, I was hungrier than normal. The good news is that it was delicious. The dill was prominent and the purée was not so much that it lacked texture. The bad? The soup was 6 inches wide and maybe a half inch deep. Maybe. I could submerge my spoon to the bottom and still see spoon! Far too little soup for a bowl; it had me wondering how small their cup was.
The Caesar salad (which came with the entrée) was pretty basic, and there was almost no dressing at all. Maybe they’re rationing soup and salad dressing?
My entrée was Chicken Picatta ($ 14), and it was very good. Above average but not mind-​blowing either. The capers and lemon flavors were spot on but it was a little saltier than I’d prefer. It didn’t help that the tap water in Savannah is almost undrinkable if you’re not used to it. (and I’m not) There were two average-​sized chicken breasts, and they were tender and moist. It was enough to fill me up overall.
On the whole, it was a good meal. The server (Dalton) was attentive and offered a couple of recommendations even though he was fairly new. He recommended the soup, and that was the best part of the meal.

The food here is just alright. The glowing reviews on Unilocal had us thinking we would’ve found the best place to eat in Savannah. Unfortunately it’s above average at best. I don’t think this will be a regular place on our visits to Savannah.

YUM!
What a fantastic weekday lunch spot. I wish we would have found this lovely spot sooner. Don’t be fooled by the little building street side. The actual building is back off the street a bit.
Casual is fine but there was everything from us to business dress and such. The menu seems to change often. The sweet tea is a moderately sweet tea with mint and it’s FANTASTIC! Highly recommend.
We both had the gyro. Yummy. The olive spread was a bit much though. Overpowered the lamb. Hand cut fries could be a bit crispier but they’re not bad.
Menu is varied and has something for everyone. Prices aren’t bad at all. We will definitely be back.

I was craving seafood after my 2 hour drive for business and I read that this place had pretty good seafood. I ordered the fresh catch of the day which was the halibut with koos koos. I am not 100% sure I spelled that right. As I was waiting they brought of their freshly baked bread and omg it was amazing. Soft, warm, and herby!!! My favorite combinations! … Even the butter had herbs in it. The combination of the freshly baked bread and the whipped butter was simply delightful. My entrée came out and compared to the bread it was ok. The fish was a bit on the dry side. Overall it wasn’t bad. The service here is pretty good. They are very attentive. The interior was very warm and comforting. The only thing I can suggest is to clean the menus. The menu I had still had food stains which grossed me out a bit.

We had a wonderful meal at Toucan Café! Our waiter, Joey, was awesome, very friendly and personable.
We started with the clams after being told that they were «fresh off the boat that morning.» I mean, you can’t say no to that! They were perfectly cooked with lots of white wine, garlic, butter, parmesan cheese, parsley, and a touch of truffle oil. Served with warm grilled bread. It was just a great dish.
We split a bowl of the black bean soup, which was good, but lacked a little bit of something. Maybe I just wanted it to be over rice like the classic coastal dish, but it was still pretty good.
We also split an order of the lobster mac and cheese. Normally I stay away from lobster mac and cheese because it ends up being really fishy tasting, or they use the chewy tail pieces, but this totally redefined lobster mac and cheese for me. The sharp cheese sauce was wonderful on its own, and they topped the dish with giant pieces of claw meat which basically melted in your mouth. It was awesome.
For my main dish, I got the black & bleu ribeye, which was just so good. The giant ribeye was crusted with all kinds of herbs and spices and I don’t know what kind of bleu cheese they’re using, but it is wonderful. I also really liked the vegetables and potatoes that it came with; I liked that they used zucchini and squash instead of your typical broccoli side dish.
Harry got the Seafood Risotto (Sautéed sea scallops, lobster, and shrimp tossed with sautéed red peppers, onions, and Broccolini in a creamy lobster risotto) which he really liked. I only tried the shrimp, but I thought they were well cooked and very flavorful.
We were too stuffed to try dessert, but I wish we had! I bet it would’ve been wonderful. I can’t wait to go back!
The manager and waitstaff were all really friendly and were happy to talk with us before we left about what things we should see while we’re in town. I really appreciated that they went the extra mile for us.

We weren’t expecting this place to offer such a flavorful menu selection nor were were we expecting it to be so nice inside! If our friends hadn’t brought us we probably would have kept passing it by!
I ordered the filet with crab meat and shrimp on top. The steak was cooked to perfection and very tender. I loved it! Our appetizer of spinach and artichoke dip was served with pita bread and it was delicious! I have never seen such a diverse menu of food!
My husband ordered the ribeye with bleu cheese on top. I couldn’t decide if I liked my dish or his more! The ribeye was very large and they still managed to get it cooked correctly. Something very few restaurants can do around here!
For dessert I ordered crème brûlée. It was good. My favorite dessert is crewmen brûlée so I am very critical of it. It wasn’t served with anything on the side, so that took a few marks away. But it was still tasty and I enjoyed it. Make sure you order the mint iced tea when you go! A refreshing drink!

Why stop with one bowl of soup? Let’s go big and make it two, shall we? We had spent a long day in the car and decided treating ourselves with a veggie-​filled feast would be the perfect cap for the day.
In true Smith Sister family-​style consumption, we ordered the following to share:
–tomato dill soup: extremely refreshing — as I shoveled this vibrant soup into my mouth I could imagine the chefs in the kitchen chopping fresh tomatoes and dill to bring the soup to life. I truly don’t believe this soup could have tasted any fresher.
–Havana black bean soup
–Duck — served two ways over a bed of field greens and sauteed veggies: leg & thigh and another «way» that I can’t seem to recall at moment. Irregardless, this dish was amazing. The crisp of the duck skin was dead on. This is me giving you two thumbs up to order this dandy.
–I fought the urge to nab a bottle of wine like everyone else in the restaurant, but this appears to be a great spot to order by the bottle if that’s your cup o’ tea
Toucan Café is a prime example of why Unilocal is a brilliant resource when traveling. I never, ever would have uncovered this business had it not been for fellow Unilocalers beaming reviews. The restaurant is tucked back a driveway in an unsuspecting part of town. Truly a hidden gem.