Ampersand

We had a reservation for a group for brunch, and they acted like they didn’t expect us. It then took almost an hour and a half for us all to get our food. Then the food we got was horrible. And one of our party never even got her food. Do not go here.

Let me start by saying that the bartender who waited on us was a really nice guy and gave us the best service he could under the circumstances. Whatever was going wrong was happening in the kitchen.
We came in last night around 8:30 for dinner. It was quiet, but we liked the vibe and the menu looked good. The appetizers were fine – «alot like TGIFridays» as my friend said – but not bad.
Then we waited over an hour for our dinner. We didn’t complain, but the bartender was sheepish, saying that the kitchen was «backed up.» There were only four other customers in the entire place so we’re not sure how that’s possible! Finally, two of the four of us got our meals. He reassured us that the other two would be out «in five minutes» but it was alot closer to twenty. My meal got cold waiting for my friends’ food to show up.
Long waits are fine if the food is good, but it was laughably bad. I mean that literally. We were laughing out loud at how disgusting it was. My friend’s steak looked like a piece of leather and was tough and unseasoned. My husband’s «blackened shrimp n grits» were just plain shrimp on flavorless instant grits (which were served cold when they finally arrived). Our other friend’s veggie burger with avocado was pure mush. It looked like a pile of baby food and was so gelatinous that she couldn’t even lift it to eat it like a sandwich. She ended up spreading what she could of it on the bun and eating it like dip (by then we were afraid not to eat because it was nearly 10 and the kitchens at other restaurants were likely to have closed). They didn’t have the first thing I ordered, so I tried the fried chicken with mac n cheese. The chicken was greasy and flavorless but the mac n cheese was worse. Whatever that penne was covered with, it wasn’t cheese. Maybe a yellow butter sauce?
The bartender comped our appetizers without us saying anything – like I said, he really was doing his best – but it was still the worst meal I’ve had in years. We were speculating in all seriousness that the chef must have passed out or left and someone in the back was just trying to improvise to keep the doors open. I wish they’d just told us the kitchen was closed when we came in though. We could have cut our losses and gotten a slice of pizza. Based on the positive reviews I read before we went there, I feel like it has to have been a fluke, but there’s no way I’m going back.

What can I say, except that, as a connoisseur of watering holes, this one really hit the mark, and then some. We came in on July 4 to escape the throngs of sweaty tourists, and ended up staying for nearly two hours. The bartender made us absolutely terrific cocktails, and even introduced us to an entirely new type of tipple, Poichin. Their bottled and canned beer list is the bizomb, and the décor fits perfectly with the reclaimed/​salvage aesthetic of Savannah. We came back later in the evening for the Burlesque show, and were delighted to find a very cool crowd, dancing their butts off and radiating good vibes as they spilled out, merrily, into the street. It’s a «scene,» to be sure, but a good one. It’s a diverse crowd, but unless you’re a hater (and you better not be), you will be welcomed with a strong drink and a «how y’all doin?»

The eggs ampersand and blackened fish with grits were pretty good. However the wait staff had a complete lack of hustle or organization.
Also, many of the items on the build your own bloody were out.

Excellent food! I am in a rush. Can’t go into details, but wanted to write this before I forget… I loved everything — food, ambience, live music, staff.

We heard people raving about this restaurant so we decided to check it out. Service was horrible, it took 15 minutes for anyone to come greet us. We weren’t interested on their bottomless mimosas, so we were sober and unhappy. Finally the bus boy came over and asked if we were okay because no one came over to us to take our order. Once we got our food, it wasn’t even the correct order. The food was overpriced and our food was greasy and it was just mediocre. You had to refill your own water. Our waiter non-​existent. Finally we asked the bus boy for our check. 15 minutes later our «waiter» came over with our check. We got a discount on our check but the waiter never apologized and it wasn’t worth even worth the half priced food

This place is very cool! Drew, the bartender, made us two different cocktails; The Forbidden and the Blackletter. Both were phenomenal. We ordered the hummus, which was delivered by the cook and had wonderful Mediterranean flavors. Although we were only here for drinks and an appetizer, our experience was pleasant. Next time we will bring friends!

I really wanted to like this place more. I eat out a lot and always try to find independent restaurants with local flair.
Pros: this is a great bar. The drink list is pretty cool and they’ve got a great beer selection. The space is also large, so they’ve got a lot of capacity.
Cons: the food was not that great. I ordered their duck. I love duck and this was highly recommended by the waiter/​bartender. The duck came out dry and the wild cherry wine sauce was congealed. One of the people I was with ordered a steak that he had to send back twice to be cooked to the correct temperature.
I’m really hoping that I hit this on an off night and that things are usually better. That said, I’d try this for a bar again before I’d consider eating there again. And, with so many good restaurants in Savannah, there are probably better choices out there.

This place is amazeballs!!! I went there with a few friends for brunch, which included $ 10 bottomless mimosas. I had the Eggs Ampersand with grits, which were by far the best grits that I’ve ever had! I actually don’t like grits, which speaks volume, but these were so creamy, thick and buttery with just the right amount of salt. The eggs benedict were also as good, very fresh with not too much hollandaise and with a touch of lemon (maybe but I’m not sure).
The Blackened Fresh Catch that day was the fresh shrimp. I had a piece from my friend’s plate and it was fantastic! The shrimp were big with a slight charred outside but juicy core. The sausage gravy on the grits made the flavor pop and helped to integrate the flavors of the shrimp and grits.
The mimosas were good of course. The only issue was with the service because our server just left in the middle of our meal to buy champagne. Luckily, the bartender was kind enough to explain the situation and attend to our mimosa refilling needs. Aside from the food, the ambiance was beautiful. There was a spacious bar located in the middle of the floor and a live guitarist playing as we ate in the spacious room filled with its white décor and outlined with big glass windows. The entire experience made me feel like I was in a modern restaurant near the beach. Without a doubt I would return and absolutely recommend this place to everyone, including those with kids.

I wish more people knew what this bar is capable of. They have an excellent selection of craft beer (including a wide variety of local beers). They also have a great liquor selection. Whoever is doing the stock order for this place is doing is right.
They even have herbs (mint, basil, ect.), shrubs, fresh citrus juices, several kinds of bitters, all the appropriate glassware and garnishes, and everything else needed to produce high quality craft cocktails.
I’ve never had poor service, or a bad time here. It’s obvious that the staff enjoys what they do, and that they care a lot about their products and their bar guests.
Drew (one of the bartenders) especially maintains an extremely positive (but not overbearing) attitude and has extensive knowledge of his products.
Overall, if you want to have a good time with great drinks then give a this place a shot.

Staff very nice here. The duck dinner and tuna is great. They have some unusual and very nice mixed drinks. Not crowed which makes the atmosphere nice. Good beer menu as well.

We were chased here by a tornado warning from molly mcphersons, which was nice and close. The ambience was a little slow-​paced for a sunday afternoon, however we were able to soak up all the fine details of this place. Their draft beer selection Is good and I was super excited to see pinot noir offerings from outside northern california. I can’t comment on the food, but it’s worth noting that they are one of few places where you can drink your bottomless mimosa heart out for a Hamilton (ten bucks). As much as I love to eat, i wasn’t really drawn to anything on their brunch menu at 4pm.
The décor is… hipster at its best. Spot on with certain things, and then chintzy with others. I can see this place getting crazy during the weekend, and will probably be back to try their food.

We were overall underwhelmed by Ampersand. They had a decent beer list, but the restaurant was empty when we arrived on a busy Saturday night and the food/​prices/​service were to blame (I’m sure).
Our group started with a round of beers, which were good — nice selection of craft beers as well as cocktails. We moved on to dinner items and this is when we got less impressed. The prices were a little high for the amount and quality of food we recieved. I ordered the Shrimp Alfredo, which was fine, but only came with a few (i think 3) shrimp despite the $ 14 price tag. Others in the group got the burger which they also thought was fine, nothing super special but fine. Another diner in our group got the Ahi Tuna salad which was sooo salty they couldn’t even finish the dish. The service was fairly slow, even though we were the only customers there.
Overall as I mentioned above we were underwhelmed and surprised by the high rating. I guess maybe people just come here to drink? Probably won’t be back.

Overpriced and underwhelming. The place was absolutely empty when we arrived at 8pm on a Saturday night.
I ordered the gourmet burger, which was anything but gourmet. It was overcooked and just not that good. Not to mention the fact that an $ 11 burger doesn’t come with any toppings (they all cost $ 0.75 each… including lettuce!) The rest of my group complained about their food being underwhelming, salty, etc. No one was happy.
The craft beer selection is pretty decent, but some of the prices were ridiculously high. And most of their beers are bottled. Only a few on draft.
The service was friendly but slow. On the positive side, the atmosphere was nice and they’ve created a really nice looking space. But given the disappointing pricey food, I couldn’t recommend coming here for anything other than drinks.

First, the good — the manager was extremely good at fixing problems, and went above and beyond the call of duty. The fries, fritters, and fried green tomatoes were also excellent. The BBQ sandwich was good as well.
However, my sandwich (on the menu as homemade pimento, thick-​cut bacon, fried green tomatoes and arugula) came out with a dollop of pimento, a single slice of medium-​thin bacon (burnt), a burnt bun, and it and the fries were actually cold. (a positive note — even cold, the fries were pretty good). I had asked for tomatoes instead of arugula and they were forgotten until the server went and got them. The manager immediately recognized the problem and fixed it, suggesting the BBQ sandwich. That was good, but it was much sweeter than he had said it to be (not too sweet — instead it was like pork candy). Luckily, my wife has a sweet tooth.
Based on our experience, my wife said it was like design students were trying to run a restaurant. Everything was served exactly as the kitchen wanted, with no changes allowed. For example, with the BBQ, fearing that it was too sweet for me, I had asked for light sauce. It was dripping. The same was true of everything we ordered. All requests were ignored. The servers were incompetent, needing to be reminded multiple times for things like ketchup and refills, even though we were the only people in our server’s section. We will likely not be going back unless we want the fritters (again, excellent), but I would try it out for the fried foods/​traditional southern dishes if that’s your thing.

Our server looked exactly like Wesley from The Princess Bride. No complaints.
The food was also excellent and there’s a crazy selection of beers. This place is sort of off the beaten track so it was a little quiet, but it’s definitely worth checking out. Excellent cocktail selection as well.

Let me first say that I LOVE coming here to dance when there’s a decent crowd. Good music, cool space, fun atmosphere.
BUT. I am absolutely outraged by the service. One bar tender in particular has been a complete asshole to me on two separate occasions. For no reason other than him just having a terrible attitude. He is impatient and rude, and when I gave him a card to pay for my drink (I had no cash left) he huffed and rolled his eyes, and later slammed my card and receipt down on the bar for me to sign. He is always very visibly annoyed, as if doing his job is a burden.
By no means am I conceited, but I’m a friendly, attractive enough girl. I’ve never been treated so rudely by someone taking my money, but I tipped him well anyway. The interaction left me in a TERRIBLE mood and it surely doesn’t make me want to spend my money there anymore. From now on, if I see this bartender is working, I WILL NOT BE GIVING THEM MY BUSINESS. He needs a serious attitude check.

Ampersand is a strange place with a bit of an identity problem.
My first impression was very poor when walking into the ground level bar on a Friday night. Overpriced beers and a super loud DJ. What was the appeal?
Then my friend took me to the 3^rd floor, where there was a death metal band playing and a girl was doing acrobatics. OK, that’s pretty interesting. Not my style of music, but it is live music, so I can appreciate it.
Then we went down to the 2^nd floor, where there were a bunch of artists painting, and eventually another band. Very math-​y, progressive, experimental. I dug it, and I also dug the live visuals being projected. This was the «just right» in the Goldilocks story.
Not sure why there was a DJ on the ground level instead of a live band. Maybe that’s what Savannah is in to? If I wasn’t with friends, I probably would have been turned off by what they were advertising and walked right by. Seems like a marketing problem.
Oh, and there’s a really cool display downstairs by Savannah Hydroponics. Hoping to see that expanded the next time I’m in town!

We checked this place out this past weekend after seeing it on the list of places nearby our hotel. I’ve been to Savannah many times and had never heard of it — and we found out it’s a new place. We were a bit confused before arriving as to whether it was a music venue or restaurant and it turns out it’s both.
We loved the atmosphere — modern and rustic combined with lots of space between the tables. Our server was great — just enough attention.
Everything we had was delicious — Caprese salad, the seafood trio entrée (the scallop with truffle aoili was amazing!) and the Pernil (perfectly slow-​cooked pork atop cheddar grits), along with good wine.
I was SHOCKED at how reasonable the prices were. There was not a single entrée that was over $ 20 and the portions were pretty decent too. The lower price of entrée let us sample more of the menu through a salad and a side dish.
What a great addition to the Historic District! Most places are either SO expensive or such dives that I don’t see this place staying secret for long. If you’re in Savannah and looking for a great meal that won’t hurt your wallet, go here.

Cannot say a single negative thing about this; in fact, I think it is pretty close to perfect. While still new, I don’t see any direction for this place but up!
The atmosphere is welcoming and bright, with beautiful rustic elements playing with modern design.
Check out my pictures for the whole brunch menu, craft beer list and signature cocktails.
We came for brunch, and the menu was delightful and really reasonably-​priced. I believe everything is farm to table, or otherwise locally-​obtained, and what they do with the ingredients is inspired. Options for any eater, and everything we had (Pork belly, hash browns, baguette, Caprese salad and chicken franchaise) was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. I want to high-​five the kitchen. Also the bartender for my awesome Bloody Mary.
I was able to get a tour of the rest of the building, and WOW… So many options for events. I am definitely keeping my eye on this spot. It’s a winner. I just left and want to go right back!