The Olde Pink House

What do you call a place that was built in 1771, and Travel Atlas named the 122nd best restaurant in the world, not the USA, the world?... You call it The Olde Pink House, the crown jewel of dining in Savannah. When a restaurant achieves this status, it’s easy to become stuffy, snotty and a little overbearing, but The Olde Pink House skipped that step, they had nothing left to prove. They just continued with world class food, and a staff that makes everyone feel they’re honored you’re there. The lion’s share of credit for the success falls to Craig Jeffress, the General Manager. Personable, but firmly in control, he quickly earned my respect for his brains, “grace under fire”, and ability to manage a workplace, and thousands of customers, with a raised eyebrow. The upstairs dining rooms with their portraits and furnishings are a living history book. But the real spirit of The Olde Pink House is downstairs in Planter’s Tavern, with its original pine planks on the floor, large fireplaces at both ends and lit entirely by candles. It’s also where the piano bar is and all the Savannah greats have played that piano-Emma Kelly, Diana Rogers, Nancy Witt, Joe Jarka, David Duckworth and Kenny Munshaw-it’s usually SRO on any night. Yelp lists the tavern as the most haunted place in Savannah. Stories, tales, and legends abound in Savannah, and most are probably 50% historic fact and 50% bullshit. My personal favorite is, that pre-American Revolution, the building was a guesthouse, and the father who owned the guesthouse was an ardent loyalist. He had two sons who were firebrand rebels, and after Dad went to bed, the sons and their friends sat down in Planter’s Tavern with tankards of ale, and planned Georgia’s part in the American Revolution. There’s nothing in any documents to prove or disprove the story, but sit down there some night with the fireplace, the candles, and those old planks and bricks and you’ll want to believe the story. We’ve lost track of the numbers, but over the years, we have taken family and friends from all over the country to sample the award-winning food, drinks, classy wait staff, and the ghosts. That old building, The Olde Pink House personality, and the ghosts who live there have never failed to send them home raving about the evening….