Best Family Restaurants on St Simons Island

Beautiful beaches alone are a real treat, but pair that with history and authentic regional food and you’ve got the perfect vacation. One of the many highlights of our family vacation to St Simons Island, Georgia, was enjoying authentic southern food including lots of fresh seafood. Here’s what we found to be the best St Simons restaurants for kids.

Part of the experience of St Simons Island for us was enjoying unique southern restaurants with a seafood beach town flair. There were plenty of restaurants with outdoor seating on a deck which is perfect for families. The kids are able to move around more. And, who doesn’t enjoy dining al fresco? Here’s a run down of what we think are the best St Simons restaurants for kids!

St Simons Island Brunch: Palmer’s Village Café

Our first day on the island we finally convinced the kids to leave the beach and headed down to the pier area. After exploring the pier we played at the park and met a local family who highly recommended Palmer’s for brunch. This was Sunday and there was a line out the door. We decided to come back on a day when it was less busy and were so glad that we did.

Palmer’s Village Cafe is a small bustling cafe with a hands-on owner who was food expediting, busing dishes and also the cashier. I am a big believer in ordering what is native to the area so the I saw the Surf Squared with two poached eggs on top of seared Georgia tomatoes and crab cakes with spiced hollandaise, arugula, Georgia olive oil and pickled red onion. It was to die for! It sounded so rich I didn’t think I would be able to eat it all but I almost resorted to licking the plate.

My husband had the steak and eggs, which he seemed just as over the moon about. The kids each thoroughly enjoyed a huge fluffy chocolate chip pancake that they really couldn’t finish.

My iPhone photo of the Surf Squared at Palmer's on St Simons Island really doesn't do it justice. It was delicious.
My iPhone photo of the Surf Squared at Palmer’s really doesn’t do it justice. It was delicious.

St Simons Fine Dining: Crabdaddy’s Seafood Bar & Grill

Located just steps from the Beach Club at St Simons, where we stayed, this restaurant was the nicest dining experience we had on the island. Our local friends took us to dinner here. So the company was also the best. Again, we ordered local cuisine. I enjoyed crab cakes and my husband enjoyed shrimp & grits. The vegetables were very fresh. And they had a great kids menu, also local to the area. Their cocktails and wine list was also excellent. And, the staff is friendy.

St Simons Family Dining: Iguana’s Seafood Restaurant

Known for its fresh shrimp, Iguana’s also has a nice patio area. Whenever the weather is bearable we much prefer sitting outside with our kids. There’s just a more casual feel about it and I don’t worry as much about them bothering other diners. The fried shrimp here lived up to its reputation and the kids also really enjoyed the fried fish bites. We actually ate here two nights and tried a couple of other items, but I’d recommend sticking with their fabulous fried fish. Perhaps the favorite part for our kids was the free ice cream bar.

St Simons BBQ: Southern Soul Barbecue

Southern Soul Barbecue on St Simons Island lived up to its reputation. The ribs were the best I've had.
Southern Soul Barbecue lived up to its reputation. The ribs were the best I’ve had.

So this one is no surprise. With accolades from the Travel Channel and Southern Living Magazine there was no way that Southern Soul Barbecue would disappoint. We drove by a couple of times and it was always packed. So we went early one evening and got food to go.

The ribs were the best I’ve ever had. The meat just fell off the bones and was packed with sweetness. This is coming from someone who isn’t a huge barbecue fan. My husband is a fan of barbecue and loved it all. I hadn’t had fried Okra in years so it was fun to get a taste of that and a couple of other authentic southern sides. The only thing I’d pass on the next time were the fried Oreos, but the kids did seem to enjoy them.

Best St Simons Ice Cream Shop: Moo Cow Ice Cream

The perfect stop while exploring St Simons Island on tandem bikes is Moo Cow Ice Cream.
The perfect stop while exploring St Simons Island on tandem bikes is Moo Cow Ice Cream.

We rented bikes built for two and rode a few blocks to Moo Cow Ice Cream. It was delicious. They had some pretty unique flavors but we stuck to the basics, for the most part. Our 4-year old ordered Superhero flavor, a multi-colored ice cream that was really vanilla.

St Simons Island is a charming beach town in Georgia. A large part of its charm comes from is southern food and friendly people. Find our our favorite restaurants to frequent with kids! #StSimons
One of the many highlights of our family vacation to St Simons Island, Georgia, was enjoying authentic southern food including lots of fresh seafood. Here's what we found to be the best family dining on St Simons Island.

St Simons Island is a charming beach town in Georgia. A large part of its charm comes from is southern food and friendly people. Find our our favorite restaurants to frequent with kids! #StSimons
From our experience you really can’t go wrong dining out on St Simons Island, but we certainly found our favorites!

This is an updated post originally published in May of 2017.

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Best Family Restaurants on St Simons Island

Liana Moore

Liana Moore is a third-culture kid with a hangover from those days that is a severe case of wanderlust. She is more comfortable driving the cliffs of Amalfi, Italy or the dirt roads of Costa Rica or attempting to decipher the street signs of Osaka, Japan than navigating the theme parks of Disney World. But she loves it all. She doesn't believe a vacation is complete without an adventure. Her husband and kids know well that "adventure" often is code for mishap or challenge and it usually results in a good story. They seek outdoor experiences whether in the mountains, on a beach or in the jungle of a tropical country. Her favorite vacation is... all the ones she hasn't yet taken, as well as those she plans on taking again. And, that list is so, so long. But she continues to extensively explore her home state of Colorado, spends lots of time wandering Texas, California, New Mexico, Costa Rica, Mexico, Norway and has even explored Kazakhstan.

10 thoughts on “Best Family Restaurants on St Simons Island

  • May 28, 2017 at 11:44 am
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    I’ve sure seen alot about Southern Soul recently. And all gave fantastic reviews as you did. Gonna have to go there just to try it! I’m intrigued!

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  • May 28, 2017 at 3:15 pm
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    These look like delightful dining choices! Also looks like a place we should add to our destination list!

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  • June 2, 2017 at 8:28 pm
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    These sound like some great restaurants. My husband loves BBQ and seafood is my favorite. And you really can’t go wrong with a free ice cream bar. 😉 #FlyAwayFriday

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    • June 15, 2017 at 9:04 pm
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      Yes, I think the free ice cream bar is the real reason the kids wanted to go back the second time!

      Reply
  • June 2, 2017 at 9:04 pm
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    You had me at the Ice Cream, but my boyfriend would love Southern Soul Barbecue! One day, when we’re out that way… hehe. #FlyAwayFriday

    Reply
  • June 14, 2017 at 2:49 pm
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    Boy do those restaurants sound divine! I particularly love brunch so I will need to check it out. Thank you for joining Fly Away friday and we hope to see you this week!

    Reply
  • June 14, 2017 at 5:10 pm
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    The brunch and ice cream stop looks amazing! I’ve never been and would love to! Beautiful! Thanks for joining Fly Away Friday, hope to see you this weekend! xo

    Reply
  • June 17, 2017 at 8:16 pm
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    Yum! Sounds like a foodie paradise. Seafood is my favourite so I just know I’d enjoy St Simon’s Island #FarawayFiles

    Reply

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