SAVANNAH’S restaurant scene is getting a major upgrade with the long-anticipated opening of Marbled & Fin.
The same folks behind Husk at the other end of Oglethorpe, Neighborhood Dining Group, have brought us a sister restaurant to their Charleston location of Marbled & Fin, which opened in 2024.
The Savannah edition of Marbled & Fin – in a marvelously restored two-story building at the corner of Oglethorpe and Houston – explores a culinary tradition that’s oddly underrepresented locally: The upscale, modern steakhouse with the topmost of top-shelf liquors.
Think Japanese and Australian Wagyu beef. Think wet-aged and dry-aged, perfectly marbled cuts. Think high-end, bone-in Ribeyes broiled to order in a thousand-degree oven.
But as the “Fin” in the name implies, there’s plenty of seafood as well – roughly 30 percent of the menu.
I got a chance to sample some of their expertise last week at a special preview. And make no mistake, this is a serious effort from a restaurant group with serious experience.
The forethought begins with the layout itself – tailor-made for the typical patrons of a downtown Savannah restaurant.
There is of course an expansive, welcoming bar anchoring the main room downstairs – a must for any Savannah hotspot.
Please do yourself a favor and try some of the specialty cocktails. They are all top-notch, but of particular note is their over-the-top take on the Espresso Martini.
But we’ll get to the real heart of the spirit offerings in a bit.
In addition to the bar seating itself, the bulk of the more casual table seating around the spacious ground floor windows is specifically for walk-ins. Upstairs is a main dining room where most of the reserved dinner tables are, seating roughly 70.
Unlike many Savannah restaurants which increasingly either cannot or will not accommodate larger parties anymore for a variety of reasons, the second floor also contains two well-appointed private dining rooms for large parties, of 24 and 40 seats each.
If you’re tired of paying high prices at restaurants set in former warehouses where the ambient sound is so loud you literally can’t hear each other talk, Marbled & Fin feels your pain.
They installed sound damping inside the interior walls, so that you can enjoy the expansive nature of the space while also being able to hold a normal conversation at a normal volume.
One thing I especially appreciate about the décor at Marbled & Fin is they didn’t try for a faux-historic or hokey “Southern” patina to pander to tourists.
The interior is clearly modern, bordering on minimalist. The two floors are fully ADA compliant, with a brand-new elevator available.
The emphasis here is, as it should be, on the next-level cuisine and drink offerings.
A glance at the menu and its prices tells you that, while the dress code here is smart casual, this will not be a casual dining experience. This is a special occasion restaurant par excellence.
That said, with the massive increases in beef prices evident at any supermarket, if you do the math you’re not really paying that much more for your steak – but at Marbled & Fin it will be cooked literally to perfection by a professional chef, Jesse Kloskey.
In addition to the world-quality steaks, there’s a great raw bar offering, and of course a good ol’ surf and turf choice for two, featuring a 28-ounce Porterhouse steak and a whole broiled lobster.
The folks behind Marbled & Fin know that true Savannahians will want to know about the liquor and wine offerings. This is where Marbled & Fin really takes the local scene to a whole new plateau.
I’m talking about bourbon, folks. Do I have your attention?
In a special walk-in room next to the bar, Marbled & Fin has 39, count ‘em, 39 different bourbons, from your basics like Maker’s Mark and multiple Four Roses picks, to a Blade and Bow 30-year Single Barrel 109 Proof ($400 for two ounces) and a Blanton’s 130.3 Proof ($71 for two ounces).
As if that’s not enough, there’s an additional nine “Private Barrels” of completely unique curated bourbon collabs, like the Bardstown “Husk Karaoke” or the Willett “Screaming Peanuts.”
Not a bourbon fan? No problem.
There are 26 tequilas and 3 mezcals. Nine high-end ryes. Five top-of-the-line Japanese whiskies.
Scotch offerings range from your basic Dewar’s or Glenlivet, up to a pair of The Macallans, a 12-year ($44 for two ounces) and an 18-year ($122 for two ounces).
The wine list goes on for pages, curated by the garrulous and charming sommelier Michael Kowalski, who loves nothing better than informing patrons about the vast beverage options available.
A man after my own heart, Kowalski knows that, as he says, “Champagne goes with everything.”
And accordingly, there are two pages of high-end sparkling wines on offer.
You’re getting the point by now: Marbled & Fin is an extraordinary dining and drinking experience for a special night out.
If you’re not yet willing to take the plunge for full dinner, I’d suggest strolling up to the bar, having a couple of specialty cocktails, and partaking of some oysters on the half-shell, or maybe a couple of the “Luxury Bites” hors d’oeuvres. My favorite is the Wagyu Tartare, with potato pave and black truffle.
Marbled & Fin is at 520 E. Oglethorpe Ave. They’re open Wed.-Sun., with the bar opening at 4 p.m. and dinner starting at 5 p.m. See them at marbledandfinsav.com