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In exploring the history of the Olde Pink House, we peel back the layers of this Southern icon to reveal its origins, illustrious inhabitants, and evolving identity across centuries at the heart of Savannah. If you need your guests to have an unforgettable experience, the Hayden Collective will deliver. Exceptional local flavors thus converge within the historic rooms where Georgia's leaders once dined centuries ago. The seafood choices connect back to Savannah's traditions as a port city that has long drawn bounty from the Atlantic.
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Adjacent to our historic Savannah hotel is The Olde Pink House, one of Savannah’s most popular restaurants. Treat the extraordinary moms in your life to an unforgettable culinary experience at our Mother’s Day Brunch Buffet. Enjoy a lavish spread of dishes and classic brunch favorites that are sure to delight moms everywhere. We have included kid-friendly options to ensure that the whole family can enjoy this celebration together. 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.
A Taste of History
West African spices, an Asian-inspired seafood fry and Madeira wine from the Portuguese islands have all found their way onto The Olde Pink House menu, too. “They don’t build them like they used to,” jokes Craig Jeffress, general manager of The Olde Pink House. “This home has incredible bones.” Throughout the course of its 250-year history, The Olde Pink House has changed hands many times. The kitchen fries the green tomatoes to perfection so diners can experience this Southern staple at its finest.
Mother’s Day Brunch at Plant Riverside District
The basement Planters Tavern transports guests back to 1855, when it first opened as an underground bar and billiards hall frequented by Savannah's gentlemen. 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. Arched windows flanked by columns, iron-railed balconies, and a signature white ornamental iron fence cast in Savannah all exuded an air of refinement. The room we were seated in was so dark we couldn’t read our menu without our flashlights on our phones.
We specialize in memorable dining experiences ranging from a quaint table for 2 in the Planters Tavern "Wine Vault", to a party of 400 guests reserving the entire mansion. Housed in a former Greyhound bus terminal, this iconic spot serves high-end Southern cuisine. “We make it a point to never let the 250 years of history seem average or pedestrian to us,” Jeffress says. “Every meal, every event is special.” The staff, who shoulder the work seven days a week to keep The Olde Pink House standing, are the ones Jeffress credits with the success of the famed restaurant. 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.
Mother’s Day Dining Guide in Savannah
An almost-identical house was built in 1928[20] at 102 East Gaston Street,[21] just beyond the northeastern corner of Forsyth Park. The Olde Pink House (also known as The Pink House and, formerly, Habersham House) is a restaurant and tavern in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located on Abercorn Street, in the northwestern trust lot of Reynolds Square, the building dates from 1771.[4] It is bounded by East Bryan Street to the north, Abercorn Street to the east and East Saint Julian Street to the south. When renovations were complete, the Habersham-Clay house had emerged as the Olde Pink House restaurant.
The Olde Pink House: A historic, fine dining experience - District
The Olde Pink House: A historic, fine dining experience.
Posted: Fri, 22 Apr 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Mother’s Day Brunch Buffet at Rhett
Savannah: Yelp names The Olde Pink House most haunted spot in US - WJCL News Savannah
Savannah: Yelp names The Olde Pink House most haunted spot in US.
Posted: Fri, 22 Oct 2021 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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. 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. Today, diners can still experience that refined grace as they step inside the Olde Pink House restaurant and enjoy Southern cuisine in spaces that have hosted Savannah society since the city's settlement.
As one tours the storied halls of the Olde Pink House today, it becomes easy to imagine the mansion as it was during Savannah's earlier days. Patrons dine immersed in the architecture and atmosphere of 18th century Savannah brought to life by one of its earliest leading citizens. The legacy of James Habersham is still honored through the surviving Habersham house, now the Olde Pink House restaurant.
A great place for Mother’s Day brunch, the café serves signature favorites and fresh, seasonal offerings. Gryphon is part of the Savannah College of Art and Design, carrying on the tradition of Savannah hospitality and delicious food. Gryphon’s coveted corner position on Savannah’s Madison Square is the perfect spot to dine al fresco. Or, Mom will love the interior, which features white-clothed tables, carved mahogany bookcases and original stained-glass panels. A night at The Olde Pink House isn’t simply a fancy meal, it’s an experience that sends diners swirling through history, from the moment they step through the front entrance to the time they sign the check and box up their desserts.
The menu draws deeply from traditions and recipes perfected in local kitchens across generations. During this period, the mansion was less a family home or even hotel—it now bustled daily with patrons conducting business transactions and employees obediently working in their offices. 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. 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. 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.
The throws of Yellow Fever in the 19th century and the COVID-19 pandemic this past year, both of which shuttered doors across the city. When guests savor the cuisine, they take part in the continuing story of Southern food that fills this landmark with legacy. The mansion's parlors and bedrooms now served as guest lodging, losing the elegance of their previous incarnations. 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.
Though the interior layout has evolved through various uses, the exterior and many original design elements still transport visitors back to the Georgian era when one of Savannah's forefathers first envisioned this elegant property. Savannah overflows with storied landmarks that transport visitors back through the ages.
The parties perfectly reflected the sophistication and gentility of Savannah's elite in that era. 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. 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. 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.
Dishes like the creamy shrimp and grits or silky she-crab soup allow diners to savor two of the Lowcountry’s quintessential flavors. 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. 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. By the early 20th century, the aging but still-stately former Habersham mansion had passed through many uses and owners.
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