The Olde Pink House: A historic, fine dining experience

Table Of Content

• Washington Hilton Hotel held the 2024 White House Correspondents’ Dinner
• THE RESTAURANT IS KNOWN FOR ITS CLASSIC SOUTHERN DISHES LIKE SHRIMP & GRITS
• White House Correspondents’ Dinner red carpet arrivals as Molly Ringwald, Lynda Carter lead the best-dressed
• The Olde Pink House
• The Olde Pink House Restaurant
• The Olde Pink House is serving up southern charm and delicious food.

Built in 1777 for James Habersham Jr., the Olde Pink House was originally a mansion whose red bricks would bleed into the white plaster, turning the home pink. Today, it is a restaurant and tavern serving Savannah tourists from around the world. The appropriately-named Olde Pink House is easy to find, with its iconic shade of pink, right across from Reynolds Square. Adjacent to our historic Savannah hotel is The Olde Pink House, one of Savannah’s most popular restaurants. The food draws from regional tradition, but underneath the surface of fried green tomatoes and shrimp and grits lies a storied landmark that has watched over Savannah from Reynolds Square for nearly 250 years.

Washington Hilton Hotel held the 2024 White House Correspondents’ Dinner

At a time when Savannah society was flourishing, the Clay family used the house to host elegant soirees and entertainments befitting their station. Exceptional local flavors thus converge within the historic rooms where Georgia's leaders once dined centuries ago. Dishes like the creamy shrimp and grits or silky she-crab soup allow diners to savor two of the Lowcountry’s quintessential flavors. Today diners bask in that historic ambiance carefully recaptured by the Strongs. With a vision to revive the mansion to its former elegance, the Strongs commissioned meticulous restorations of the original floorplan, doors, windows, and interior details.

THE RESTAURANT IS KNOWN FOR ITS CLASSIC SOUTHERN DISHES LIKE SHRIMP & GRITS

Among the city’s most iconic historical treasures is the Olde Pink House restaurant, which has borne witness to Savannah society since 1771 within the elegant confines of an 18th century mansion. Haunted or not, the Olde Pink House is a place of history, cuisine and possibly ghosts. The kitchen fries the green tomatoes to perfection so diners can experience this Southern staple at its finest.

Chatham County restaurant inspections, conducted Nov. 29–Dec. 5, 2023 - Savannah Morning News

Chatham County restaurant inspections, conducted Nov. 29–Dec. 5, 2023.

Posted: Tue, 05 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

White House Correspondents’ Dinner red carpet arrivals as Molly Ringwald, Lynda Carter lead the best-dressed

The kitchen’s expertise with these Satisfying coastal classics comes through in every bite. Yet preparation still remains faithful to the way grandmothers and great-grandmothers cooked throughout Savannah’s history. The Strongs filled the dining rooms with fine antiques and opened the restored cellar as a tavern. Their passion revealed the mansion's beauty once more, while retaining its 18th and 19th century character. The banking offices situated upstairs in the former bedrooms, while the ornate dining and drawing rooms of the Clay family became the public-facing spaces for bank transactions. The mansion's parlors and bedrooms now served as guest lodging, losing the elegance of their previous incarnations.

The Olde Pink House

It's tucked away and may not be brought to your attention by the Olde Pink House staff. You will need to request to sit in the Tavern which does not accept reservations. At the Tavern, you'll find a nightly piano player playing tunes of today and yesterday. Servants smoothly attended to every guest's needs and Mary Clay ensured the food and wine were of the finest quality. News of the Clays' parties often appeared in Savannah's society pages, further elevating the family's social status.

The Olde Pink House Restaurant

The war had taken its toll on Savannah, so operating the old house as a hotel provided much needed accommodations. For over two centuries, the mansion has welcomed Savannah's elite through its doors, from the lavish parties of Habersham's era to the distinguished gentlemen's club operated out of the house in the 19th century. Standing stately in Reynolds Square, the Olde Pink House restaurant inhabits one of Savannah's finest examples of Georgian-style architecture.

Arches Bar

During Clay's tenure as mayor of Savannah from 1805 to 1806, he and his family took up residence in the mansion. As Savannah progressed into the 19th century, the stately Habersham house passed into the hands of prominent political leader Joseph Clay. Between the food, decor, and architecture, the senses pick up on the echoes of Georgian and antebellum life that still linger within the Olde Pink House.

IN THE EARLY 1800S, THE MANSION WAS HOME TO SAVANNAH MAYOR JOSEPH CLAY

Habersham had already amassed substantial wealth as a planter by the time he hired the architect William Jay to design his new Savannah estate. Savannah overflows with storied landmarks that transport visitors back through the ages. An almost-identical house was built in 1928[20] at 102 East Gaston Street,[21] just beyond the northeastern corner of Forsyth Park. If you need your guests to have an unforgettable experience, the Hayden Collective will deliver.

The Olde Pink House is serving up southern charm and delicious food.

The Olde Pink House’s pink color isn’t a new development – it’s been part of the restaurant’s signature décor for almost 100 years. But the story behind the color is more elaborate than just a standard paint job, so the story can't be explained without diving into the restaurant's history. Through painstaking technique and time-honored family wisdom, the Olde Pink House kitchen channels history onto every plate. Stepping into the Olde Pink House today, patrons can embark on a culinary journey through Savannah's regional fare thanks to the restaurant’s meticulous attention to heritage Southern cuisine. The Olde Pink House transports modern patrons back through centuries of memories made within those walls. If only the walls could speak of Habersham's grand parties, the Clays' lively gatherings, or the bustle of Victorian bank tellers - all long gone but not forgotten.

But the Clays upheld the home's refined atmosphere, using its grand spaces as the backdrop for some of Savannah's most memorable early 19th century social events. Through meticulous restoration and devotion to regional cuisine, the restaurant has revived this aristocratic dwelling, allowing modern diners and history aficionados alike to step inside Savannah’s gilded past. The attire for the Olde Pink House should be jeans, flip flops and a collared shirt, or if you would like to dress up, you may. My favorite place to sit at the Olde Pink House Tavern is on either side of the restaurant where you will find a fireplace to enjoy your meal. They also have a crab stuffed grouper that has been taken off of the menu, but with a request to your waiter, they will be happy to make it for you. From the mansion, tea parlor and haunted restaurant, the Olde Pink House has accrued a long and varied history, making it one of Savannah’s premier landmarks in the city.

This practical chapter, though far removed from the structure's original purpose, became an important part of the historic mansion's story and connection to Savannah's past. Their tenure left an indelible mark during an important transitional period as Savannah evolved from provincial colony to refined American city. Footsteps, voices, and moving objects remind visitors that while the Olde Pink House offers a glimpse into the past, some aspects of its bygone eras may continue to inhabit the present day.

The seafood choices connect back to Savannah's traditions as a port city that has long drawn bounty from the Atlantic. When renovations were complete, the Habersham-Clay house had emerged as the Olde Pink House restaurant. By the early 20th century, the aging but still-stately former Habersham mansion had passed through many uses and owners. The mansion followed this trajectory when purchased in the 1870s by a consortium establishing a bank. The house glittered with candlelight while well-dressed gentlemen and ladies conversed over cards or music. The parties perfectly reflected the sophistication and gentility of Savannah's elite in that era.

This year, the dinner was graced by the luminous presence of stars such as Scarlett Johansson, Molly Ringwald, Lynda Carter and Chris Pine, who brought Hollywood glamour to the politically charged atmosphere of Washington. You'll find the portions to be large, the pricing to be fair, and the service to be great. The Olde Pink House is a large restaurant that recently underwent a massive renovation. The room we were seated in was so dark we couldn’t read our menu without our flashlights on our phones. Savannah may be home to Paula Deen and good ole Southern comfort food, but our city has a variety of...

Its brick walls, burled wood accents, and dim atmosphere evoke 19th century revelry, likely not so different from when city leaders and planners would discuss business over cards and whiskey. With its pink stucco facade and white ornamental ironwork, the mansion emanates the elegance of 18th century life when it was first erected in 1771 for James Habersham Jr. The legacy of James Habersham is still honored through the surviving Habersham house, now the Olde Pink House restaurant. Over 250 years later, the mansion remains one of the premier illustrations of Georgian architecture in Savannah. The ornate brick and pink stucco edifice with its symmetrical layout exemplified the Georgian style then fashionable throughout the colonies.

The Olde Pink House is one of Savannah’s finest dining establishments, offering new Southern cuisine in a sophisticated, yet casual setting. The Olde Pink House is known for specialties like Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon Molasses, Crispy Scored Flounder with Apricot Shallot Sauce, and Corn Bread Fried Oysters. The stately mansion surely felt livelier during the Clay's residency than in its previous incarnation as a more staid family estate for James Habersham Jr.

The Habersham-Clay mansion led a utilitarian existence for many decades following Savannah's antebellum era. As the Civil War plunged the nation into chaos, the grand house transitioned into more practical uses aligned with tumultuous times. Joseph's wife Mary was known as a consummate hostess who masterfully planned lavish dinners, musical evenings, and holiday balls in the mansion's spaces. Guests delighted in dancing the evening away in the grand first floor ballroom or discussing politics and business in the dining room over sumptuous meals.