Spudnik — Restaurant in Savannah

Believe me when I say that dining at Spudnik Gourmet Potato bowls is an interdimensional and out of this world experience. Entering the small cafe, you will be faced with several art posters of different theatre and music acts around town. This is Savannah's underground scene, and the reason you're looking at the wall of posters is that you are a hipster from SCAD. Appropriately, Spudnik was founded by a SCAD alum who studied the architecture of putting pennies in the floor by the six open booths for dining. You put in your order and boy -- there are options to choose from. These are twice-baked potato bowls in every variety. I chose the Chicken Parmesan, and waited what felt like 20 minutes but was probably only 15. During this time I stared at the overwhelmingly large number of post it notes going up the wall, all scrawled with cartoon pictures of spuds. I believe that is when the god Kronos microwaved the restaurant and the next thing I knew, I was biting into my sweet chicken potato parm and transported to another plane of tasty existence. This spud rocks! Satisfying, rich, and savory little people wormed their way into my brain, convincing me to tell everyone I knew. Then I saw on the Spudnik countertop the exact same Emiglio remote controlled robot that my Dad bought us in third grade. That's a toy I haven't thought about in years, and suddenly, I was back in that upstairs room of his townhouse, trying to get this little waist-high plastic dude to roll over the carpet and not spill the water off the tray. I don't know what purpose that robot could possibly fill because he's not going to take anyone's job in the rust belt any time soon, but at least it was a toy that we didn't have at Mom's house. 5 Stars, Spudnik -- for...

I discovered Spudnik completely by accident while walking back to my car parked in the courthouse garage this past Saturday night... Their logo was projected onto the side of the garage! As a proud Space Hipster, the name & logo caught my eye immediately, and when I realized their menu revolved around potatoes, I knew I had to stop in. I think the sign said they were open til 3am on Saturday?! I was actually surprised to find the small shop nearly empty around 11pm... I know I always crave carbs, especially potatoes, when I've been drinking (and the next morning), so given the crazy crowds less than 2 blocks away, I expected a line. Inside was cute & clean... And they have a fairly big menu - I had a hard time deciding! I chose the Sunrise, which is a large baked potato with cheese & chives, topped with a fried egg. Now, I had to wait a few minutes - I assume my potato was made-to-order. They also sell bottled beers - craft, I think - I don't drink a lot of beer or ciders; they had a small selection of both. But my short wait was worth it (like 7 minutes)! By the time I got back to my hotel room about an hour later (others in my group wanted sushi on the way back), my potato was still quite warm & DELICIOUS. And I want to note that the cheese & chives seemed to be infused in the potato - not just on top! I could eat just this for any meal...and I can't wait to get back to Savannah to try a different potato. Or the same one. I've already begged them to franchise &...

You should go and experience a baked potato bowl in a very creatively inspired location. Clever titles describe the PotatOle - you probably know what tops that potato now. Potatoes are served in a paper product, very sturdy deep bowl, and there must be at least 10 variations on the delicious base theme. The space itself is totally clever - the floor is not tiny vintage hexagon tiles as you might think with my less than stellar quality phone camera, it's PENNIES. The store title, SPUDNIK, stands out in nickels. That just floored me. : ) Drinks are in a cool container that lets you select one but are all poured from one spout. The little robot is pretty cute vintage, too. There's a little bistro table outside, they serve beer (not sure about wine, didn't ask, I was all about sweet tea midday shopping and walking), the service was great, really nice laidback vibe for what amounts to fast food, but real food. The PotatOle was the winner at our table, the bbq pulled pork deemed a little too sweet (but I think that is the Georgia preferred flavor), and the Gobbler might have been smoked instead of oven baked turkey, and could have used a little more cranberry - berry sauce might be a nice touch to go through it all. Fun place to eat! Walk up and order, sit & wait not long at all for your food. Would go back and try another if I'm in...