Porch, a casual family-run spot on St. Simons Island, is known for local Georgia shrimp, fried catfish and tasty Southern sides like maple baked beans and pimento cheese grits. The restaurant, which has been open since 2018, even got Guy Fieri’s approval on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”
But Porch’s signature isn’t coastal seafood, it’s hot chicken served up grilled or fried with four different levels of heat.
On a recent visit, my husband and I ordered their Nashville-style fried chicken (at number three on the four-level “Hot-o-Meter”) with pimento cheese grits and collard greens, as well as their Nashville-level hot fried shrimp with mac and cheese and tangy, creamy coleslaw, which they refer to as “magical cabbage.”
But our top pick is their Motherclucker sandwich. Served with a hefty portion of their fried hot chicken breast, homemade pimento cheese and sliced pickles on a bun, it’s worth the drive from Amelia Island when you’re craving the real deal Nashville-style hot chicken — and one of the best versions we’ve tasted outside of Music City. Don’t forget an order of their smothered tater tots.