World Famous Clary’s Cafe

Abercorn Street at Jones Street

Happy, homey and anything but trendy. Clary’s serves breakfast and lunch daily and expect a line out the front door most days. Abuzz with community regulars and a hustling wait staff, Clary’s will take you back to a simpler time when, on a hot day, you could sit at the counter and enjoy a cold drink and some conversation.

Over the last century, this landmark has evolved from being a drugstore with a soda fountain into a memorabilia and photograph adorned mecca for a no nonsense kind of meal. Be sure to check out the handmade rag dolls and hair ties at the front counter – and ask for coloring books and crayons for the kids.

Black and white checkerboard floors greet you inside the green and red striped awnings. Lots of ceiling fans keep the air moving almost as fast as the wait staff.

For breakfast, rest assured. They serve all the favorites like Two eggs to order; scrambled, Sunnyside up, over easy or poached with Ham, bacon, or sausage and grits or breakfast potatoes, toast or a buttermilk biscuit. French toast, Omelets, Waffles, etc. However, for those in the know, the Corned Beef Hash, and the Crab Cake Benedict are the stands outs. You won’t go wrong ordering the kids chocolate chip pancakes, some of the best pancakes in town!

Speaking of the kids, at lunch you have all the regulars to keep the peace; Cheeseburgers, Chicken fingers, Hot dogs, Grilled cheese, Peanut butter and jelly. All served with French fries and a drink for $5.95 (This menu would also please about 99.99% of my friends including the very discerning.)

For the 10 years + crowd, hands down the Reuben sandwich is the crowd favorite. Burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads, (including their famous Greek Salad) give you plenty of options.

True to their past, Clary’s also serves Soda Shoppe Specialties like Malted Milkshakes, Egg Creams, Banana Splits and Sundaes.  Still not full? Check out the Dessert case. FULL OF PIES. Lemon Meringue, Coconut Cream, Pecan, Apple, and a homemade Éclair big enough to take out a squirrel.

Breakfast or lunch-comfort food at its best.

See the full article here, at Lucky Savannah.

Clary’s Cafe is pet friendly, offering outside seating for pet owners and their pets — with treats and water for these companions, as well. We also partake in pet events when possible, such as the Wag-O-Ween Halloween event here in Savannah.

You can find us on BringFido, where we proudly, currently hold 5/5 in reviews.

Come enjoy the friendly and inviting atmosphere at Clary’s Cafe, and bring along your pet(s), today.

Book tells Clary’s story

Some people claim that John Berendt’s bestselling book “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” put Savannah’s Clary’s Cafe on the map. Out of curiosity, readers of “The Book,” as it has been nicknamed, often step into Clary’s on Jones and Abercorn streets for a look around and a quick bite to eat.

But long before Clary’s was a hangout for tourists and Berendt’s quirky characters, it was mostly known as a drugstore with a soda fountain. For Betsy Clary Toomey, now of Goldsboro, N.C., Clary’s Drugstore was a place she remembers like a second home.

That’s because the store was the second pharmacy owned by her father, Luther Clary, who opened the original Clary’s in the 1930s on Bull Street at Perry Lane.

“Inside, the store was long and narrow, with a black and white tile floor and a high decorative tin ceiling,” Betsy said. “It had a long marble soda fountain with a mirror behind it and stools that swiveled around and were attached to the floor. Customers who sat at the fountain or at the marble tables were cooled by paddle fans and enjoyed Clary’s chicken salad sandwiches, sodas and popsicles.”

A few years after Luther Clary opened the second Clary’s – the one that is operated as a cafe today – he died suddenly. Betsy, his only daughter, was devastated.

“I slipped into my bedroom, closed the door and threw myself on the bed sobbing,” she said. “When my tears subsided, I began to think about the stories my parents had told me about their lives in the olden days, as they called it, and how they fell in love and came to Savannah.”

For years, Betsy relived those stories over and over again in her mind. She jotted them down on bits of paper and on the backs of grocery receipts. Eons before Clary’s became famous for its “Midnight” connection, it was full of memories of a different kind for Betsy. Finally, just after she turned 80, Betsy decided to do something with her memories. She sat down and wrote a book.

Called “Savannah on My Mind,” the book is Betsy’s life story, a heartwarming tale that takes her throughout the United States but never lets her forget Savannah. After leaving for college, marrying and moving away, Betsy and her husband, Ollie Toomey, returned to Savannah in the 1950s and ’60s when Ollie worked at the Chamber of Commerce. But, even when she was away from her hometown, Betsy describes it as near and dear to her heart because it was where she grew up and, most importantly, where her mother, Clara, lived until she sold Clary’s in the 1970s.

Betsy wrote the book with her good friend, Katherine Wood Wolfe, who came over to Betsy’s house every Tuesday for three years to sit and drink Cokes and eat crackers while they worked. Finally, late last year, the book, which includes 18 pages of photos, was released by Warren Publishing.

In the book, Betsy reminisces about various spots in and around Savannah that bring back warm memories – Johnny Harris Restaurant, Fort Screven, Bonaventure Cemetery and Forsyth Park, among other favorites.

She also includes the good and bad parts of her life. She read a long time ago that when you’re writing a memoir, “if you can’t be truthful, you might as well not write your story.”

Part of the bad part centers on her stepfather, B.B. Kelley, whom she nicknamed Bad Boy.

“I had never hated anyone in my life, but I came close to it,” she wrote. “… When mother married Kelley, I felt like I had lost my mother.”

Eventually, Betsy learned to love Kelley, but it wasn’t an easy journey.

Next weekend, Betsy and Katherine will be in Savannah signing copies of the book.

For information about how to purchase the book, go to www.savannahonmymind.net or e-mail Betsy at savonmymind@bellsouth.net.

Contact Polly at 912-352-8670, e-mail pollparrot@aol.com or write to her c/o 5 Majestic Oaks Circle, Savannah, GA 31406.

Book signings

Betsy Clary Toomey and Katherine Wood Wolfe will sign copies of the book, “Savannah on My Mind” (Warren Publishing, $16.95).

Schedule:

— 10 a.m.-2 p.m. March 28, Clary’s, 404 Abercorn St.

— 11 a.m.-1 p.m. March 29, Clary’s, 404 Abercorn St.

— 3 – 5 p.m. March 30, The Marshes on Skidaway Island.

Clary’s Cafe offers outside seating to accommodate our patrons, allowing for an enjoyable lunch while also taking in historic and beautiful Savannah. We also love our furry four legged friends with outside seating for pet owners and even treats for their pets. Come enjoy the friendly and inviting atmosphere at Clary’s Cafe today.

Clary’s Cafe Serves Breakfast All Day! Stop in to try some of our popular dishes, like our Freshly Made Corned Beef Hash. We cook whole corned beef briskets to make our hash. Served with two eggs any style.

See more famous breakfast house specials by viewing our full menu, here.

Satisfy your sweet tooth today with one of Clary’s Malted Milkshakes. The real McCoy! Stop in to enjoy one of our delicious chocolate, vanilla or strawberry milkshakes.

See more famous, decadent desserts by viewing our full menu, here.

Stop in for lunch at Clary’s Cafe and enjoy one of our famous — always made fresh — sandwiches, like our Club Sandwich. A big triple-decker with crisp bacon and fresh turkey breast or ham, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, potato chips or fries and a pickle spear.

See more lunchtime favorites by viewing our full menu, here.

Clary’s Cafe Serves Breakfast All Day! Stop in to try some of our popular dishes, like our Malted Waffle Supreme. Topped with your choice of strawberries or blueberries and whipped cream. Also, comes with your choice of ham, bacon or sausage.

See more famous breakfast specials by viewing our full menu, here.

Historic and World Famous Clary’s Cafe, established initially as a business in 1903, has proudly served Savannah for over 100 years and looks forward to serving the Greater Savannah Area for many years to come. We thank you for another great year in 2016 and look forward to 2017. Read more about our historic story below.

What started out once as a drugstore in the early 1900s, had become a cafe & ice cream parlor by the 1950s. Expanding from there, by the mid 80s Clary’s Cafe would evolve into a full-service restaurant and cafe — still serving their classic old fashioned malted milkshakes — that would be a place of memorable moments for customers and staff alike.

Such memorable moments including Clary’s Cafe’s appearance in the 1997 Clint Eastwood film Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, staring Kevin Spacey and John Cusack.

Come join us to create more cherished memories, experience welcoming service and enjoy items from our diverse, and World Famous, menu.

Satisfy your sweet tooth today with Clary’s Famous Homemade Bread Pudding. All fresh ingredients, made right at Clary’s Cafe.

See more famous, decadent desserts by viewing our full menu, here.