Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room is a casual restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, US which offers a menu of Southern US home cooking. Situated in a historic house dated to 1870, it is a popular dining spot in the city. The restaurant was owned and managed by Sema Wilkes for 59 years, from 1943 until her death in 2002 at age 95.[1]
| Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room | |
|---|---|
 | |
 The restaurant (on the right) in 2021 | |
 | |
  Location within Georgia | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1943 |
| Street address | 107 West Jones Street |
| City | Savannah |
| County | Chatham County |
| State | Georgia |
| Postal/ZIP Code | 31401 |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 32°04′22″N 81°05′45″W / 32.072645°N 81.095934°W |
| Website | mrswilkes |
History
editMrs. Wilkes' Dining Room was previously the dining hall of the Wilkes House, a downtown boardinghouse. Today the restaurant is housed on the ground floor of the same historic house, built in 1870, at 107 West Jones Street.[2][3] The restaurant was described by author William Schemmel as "a treasure hidden away in a historic district town-house."[4] Its longtime owner, Sema Wilkes, published several cookbooks.[1] As of 2024[update] her family continued to run the restaurant, serving lunch on weekdays.[5][6]
Mrs. Wilkes and her restaurant have been the subject of newspaper and magazine articles.[1] Japanese chef Hoshinao Naguma was once apprenticed to the restaurant.[7]
Customs
editMrs. Wilkes' is noted for its homestyle traditions, in which guests are escorted in shifts of ten into the dining room, where a variety of dishes are freshly laid on one of several long tables.[8][9] There is no menu; dishes are selected by the restaurant and change daily.[8] Travel Holiday in 1993 recalled that the "tables were set with steaming bowls and platters of tasty Southern food".[10]
The guests sit at the table and pass the dishes around to one another like a family.[8][11] There are usually long queues waiting to get in.[8]
Notable guests
edit- David Brinkley once broadcast directly from the restaurant[12]
- President Obama ate at the restaurant with Mayor Otis Johnson and other guests in 2010, having baked beans, fried chicken, and sweet corn[13]
- Robert Duvall, Kate Smith, and Gregory Peck ate at the restaurant[1]
- The cast of Magic Mike XXL ate at the restaurant in October 2014[14]
Gallery
edit
Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room is located in a former boardinghouse known as the Wilkes House
Entrance to Mrs. Wilke's Dining Room
