The Olde Pink House — Restaurant in Savannah

This review is very hard to write because The Olde Pink House is my all time favorite restaurant. My highlight of coming to Savannah is coming here to eat and this was my brother-in-law’s first time eating here and boy did I pump everybody up about this restaurant. We had a 7:30 reservation for 4. We arrived 10 minutes early and they told us that our table would be ready in a couple minutes. We were not seated until 7:48 and that is after no less than 50 people walked straight in past us and got seated before us. After complaining about the late seating, the hostess said our table was ready and walked us upstairs, only to have a manager stop her at the top of the stairs to say the table was not ready. It took another 3-4 minutes of us standing on the landing moving from side to side so that plates of food could be carried back and forth. As soon as we were seated, we were served water. That is all we would drink or dine on until 8:35 when we finally got an iced tea, a bottle of wine, our two salads, and some biscuits and this came after a complaint to the manager at 8:20 that we had not received anything to eat or drink. One of the salads was loaded with onion when it had been ordered to hold the onion. My sister was going to eat it anyway, but my husband asked them to change it out after she had spent over 5 minutes creating a mound of onion pieces. We got our entrees served at 9:40 after we had been apologized to that the kitchen lost our food ticket. My sister ordered the pot pie and peeled back the top in one move because the dough was still raw and the filling was cold. She literally stuck her finger in it to prove to the manager how cold it was. My brother-in-law ordered the salmon that was over cooked but now cold. My husband and I split the short rib ( a special for the night), we changed out the sides and added a side of the sweet potato. My other sides were the macaroni and cheese and the collard greens. Our entire meal and the sides were on the low medium temperature. The flavor of our meal would have been given a solid 5/5 if it had been hot. We moved the plate around the table and although cold, we ate the short rib and the sweet potato as we were so hungry and the flavor was so amazing. They remade the other two dishes and my brother-in-law was blown away with his salmon dish and said it was one of the best he has ever eaten. The pot pie was now steaming hot, but the flavor was not good so she did not eat it. I had two bites and while I didn’t think it was horrible, it was not something I would ever order again (and we both love pot pies). I will say the manager was very nice and tried hard to accommodate us with all of the mess ups, but there came a point that he could have resolved the issues better. We had already had 3 lapses in service that, I as a manager, would not have allowed that first round of “hot” food to leave the kitchen, without me checking it first myself. While they comped 90% of our check, they still charged for the bottle of wine ( which we expected, completely understandable), but also charged for my iced tea that was only refilled once in the nearly 3 hours we were in there, the sweet potato (which was delicious, but they knew was cold because my brother-in-law had told them the flavor was delicious and he could have ate 5 of them if it had been hot), and his salad. The iced tea, one sweet potato, and salad came to $30 of the $100 bill. I was really peeved that they charged us for the sweet potato. While I know that we ate it, they knew it was cold, and it just became the principle of it. I think the entire food portion could have been removed, because as I pointed out to my sister and brother, they took nearly 3 hours of our time when we could have been enjoying a meal at one of the other many wonderful restaurants in Savannah. This was my fifth time eating here, and as I mentioned, it is my all time favorite restaurant. I will come back again, but I do hope that after reading this review that the manager takes into account our experience and spends a little more...

Disappointing Culinary Experience at The Olde Pink House While The Olde Pink House is a Savannah institution, my recent visit was a stark reminder that a beautiful setting doesn't always guarantee a great meal. The experience was a tale of two halves: a truly charming atmosphere and a service that was more than adequate, completely let down by deeply mediocre food. Atmosphere and Ambiance: 4/5 Stars The Olde Pink House is undeniably stunning. The historic mansion, with its iconic pink exterior, sets the stage for a romantic and sophisticated evening. The various dining rooms, each with its unique decor, antiques, and fireplaces, create an ambiance that is both elegant and full of character. This is a place where you want to dress up and bring a special date. The setting promises a memorable experience, and it's easy to see why it's such a popular spot for tourists and locals alike. It lives up to its reputation as a place to be seen and soak in the history of Savannah. Service: 4/5 Stars The service was excellent. Our waiter was attentive, and professional. The service was what you would expect from an establishment with such a high profile and price point, and it was a definite highlight of the evening. Food: 1/5 Stars Unfortunately, the food was a profound disappointment and completely out of sync with the atmosphere and price. For a restaurant with such a reputation, the culinary execution was shockingly poor. The food was bland, uninspired, and frankly, tasted like it was from a chain restaurant. We ordered the fried chicken, and it was nothing special—the flavor and quality were on par with what you'd get from Kentucky Fried Chicken or Popeyes. Not the classic well talked about Southern fried Chicken that you would expect from the south. The mac and cheese, served as a small side dish, was equally underwhelming. It lacked any real depth of flavor and was a forgettable addition to the plate. The grouper, which sounded so promising on the menu—a whole fish with diagonal cuts and a glaze—was similarly uninspired. The taste was "blah," and the promised flavors never materialized. The accompanying grits and collard greens were also served in small, unimpressive side dishes and were not very tasty. The pot pie also underwhelming and did not deliver. More of a runny soup with a puff pastry on top. Which was described this way by the waitress and warned us and the neighboring tables around us. The only saving grace on the entire menu were the complimentary biscuits, which were truly delicious. Aside from those, we left a significant portion of our meals untouched and were still hungry after our main course. We were so underwhelmed by the food that we decided to skip dessert, confident it would be another disappointment. Final Thoughts As someone who has traveled extensively and experienced vibrant food scenes in cities like Riviera Maya, Cancun, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego, and my hometown of Nashville, I had high expectations for The Olde Pink House. I understand that it's almost a rite of passage for visitors to check out this establishment, but I would advise anyone to temper their expectations for the food. While the location and atmosphere have the potential to be a James Beard-rated experience, the food falls dramatically short. It's a place to go for the setting and the service, but not for the cuisine. If you're looking for an amazing meal, you're better off looking elsewhere in Savannah. This review is for those who, like me, are looking for both a great experience and great food. The Olde Pink House only delivers on one of...

We got so lucky! We tried to reserve over a month in advance with no luck. We even tried to use the hack of calling in instead of using OpenTable with no luck. So we did the next best option, which was wait outside of Planters Tavern (the no-reservation-same-amazing-service-and-food-it’s-like-you-made-it-into-The-Olde-Pink-House-anyway restaurant) on a Friday night, weekend of SCAD parents weekend, and we were the first in line at 4:15 PM! The people who stood behind us said they did the same thing the night before and were not able to get in. The doors opened at 4:50 PM (they said they typically get the doors open by 4:45), and they asked us if we wanted to sit at the bar for a drink or if we were having dinner. We were there for dinner and we got our own little private table with comfy leather, nail-head trim, wing back chairs. The place filled up quickly and within 15 minutes, we could hear them telling others they would call them when a spot opened.

The Experience:

*White linen, check *Tableware changed out for each course, check (fine dining treatment) *Bread service (delicious secret, not-for sale recipe): check *Knowledgeable but not stuffy server: check *Front of the house manager checking in with us about our “experience”: check Outstanding drinks: check *Outstanding food: check *Split plates without batting an eye, check.

Our server Sean was so knowledgeable. He knew every dish, exactly how to describe it, how the chef prepares it, recommending wines to other tables not so familiar with pairings. He was a master at what he does.

The attire was the extremes of very casual to very dressy. It just depended on the person. Some young women were in beautiful spring dresses, others in jeans, shorts, and some older adults were in capris and sandals. We even saw a military officer in full dress attire. Either way, there did not appear to be a mandatory dress code for the tavern. They were very welcoming and treated everyone with absolute kindness and respect.

Knowing it would be our only time there, we wanted to try every dish. What’s lovely is you can sort of create your own tasting menu because so many of the dishes they are known for are available as a side dish. For example, I wanted to try the fried chicken, but I did not want an entire entrée with macaroni and cheese. I was told I could order any piece of fried chicken à la carte (breast or wing or drumstick, etc). Same with the fried green tomatoes. You can get a single fried green tomato on the side if you prefer.

It’s a fantastic experience. I told my husband the only other time I felt this special with this level of service and exclusivity was when we dined at Club 33...