Savannah is weird. If you walk down East Bay Street, you’ll eventually hit a spot that feels heavy. It’s not just the humidity. It’s the brick and the mortar of The Pirates' House, a building that has been standing since 1753. People go there for the honey pecan fried chicken, but honestly, they stay for the ghosts and the trapdoors. Calling it just a pirate restaurant Savannah Georgia is kind of an understatement. It’s actually one of the oldest structures in the state, and its history is messy.
Most "pirate" places feel like a plastic theme park. This isn't that. You’re sitting in what used to be a herb garden for the Trustees' Garden, the first experimental agricultural plot in the American colonies. Then it became an inn. Then it became a place where you might get hit over the head and wake up on a schooner halfway to China. It’s gritty.
The Herb House and the Birth of a Legend
The structure known as the "Herb House" is the oldest part of the building. It dates back to 1734. Back then, the colonists were trying to grow mulberry trees for silk production. It failed. Basically, everything about the early economy of Georgia was an experiment that didn't quite work until they leaned into the port business.
As Savannah grew into a major seaport, the site evolved into an inn for seafarers. This is where the pirate restaurant Savannah Georgia moniker actually finds its roots in reality. It wasn't "pirates" in the Hollywood sense—no one was wearing a costume. These were privateers, sailors, and rum-runners. They were looking for a drink and a place to hide. The atmosphere was thick with tobacco smoke and the smell of the nearby river.
The tunnels are the part everyone talks about. There is a tunnel that runs from the basement of The Pirates' House out to the Savannah River. It’s real. You can see the entrance behind a grate in the Captain's Room. Sailors used to get "shanghaied" here. The story goes that men would get drunk on cheap rum, pass out, and be dragged through that tunnel. When they woke up, they were at sea, forced into labor on a ship that was short-staffed. It’s dark history, but it’s what gives the floorboards their character.
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Robert Louis Stevenson and the Treasure Island Connection
You can’t talk about this place without mentioning Treasure Island. Legend says that Captain Flint—the fictional pirate who buried the gold—died in an upstairs room at The Pirates' House. Is it true? Well, Stevenson mentions Savannah in the book. He wrote that Flint died in Savannah, screaming for more rum.
Local historians like to point out that Stevenson spent time in the area researching maritime lore. Whether the specific room exists or not is almost irrelevant because the vibe is so undeniably there. The Rare Book Room in the restaurant feels like a library that shouldn't exist in a place serving sweet tea and biscuits. It’s quiet. It smells like old paper.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Food
Let's talk about the menu. People assume a pirate restaurant Savannah Georgia is going to serve greasy, fried-everything tourist trap food. And yeah, there is a lot of fried food. But the Southern staples here are legit.
- The Honey Pecan Fried Chicken: This is the flagship. It’s sticky, salty, and a little bit too much, but you have to eat it.
- The Biscuits: They are massive. They come with orange marmalade that actually tastes like oranges, not corn syrup.
- She-Crab Soup: This is a Lowcountry staple. It’s heavy on the cream and the sherry. If you don't like rich food, stay away, because this is basically a bowl of liquid butter with crab meat in it.
The buffet is where things get interesting. Most high-end foodies scoff at a buffet, but the lunch spread here is a crash course in Georgia coastal cuisine. You get collard greens that have been cooked for eight hours with ham hocks. You get black-eyed peas. You get fried okra that isn't soggy. It’s the kind of food your grandmother would make if she lived in a swamp and had access to a professional kitchen.
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The Ghost Stories (The Part Everyone Asks About)
Savannah is the most haunted city in America. Or so the tour guides say. At The Pirates' House, the most famous "spirit" is supposedly a seaman who just won't leave. Staff members have reported seeing a shadowy figure walking through the dining rooms after hours.
There’s a specific energy in the "Hanging Room." It’s not called that for fun. It’s where sailors were reportedly punished or donde with. Honestly, the real horror isn't the ghosts—it's the thought of being a 19-year-old sailor in 1780, getting knocked out in a bar, and losing the next three years of your life to a merchant vessel heading to the East Indies. That’s the "ghost" that haunts the place: the desperation of a port city.
Why the Architecture is the Real Star
If you ignore the pirate flags and the gift shop for a second, look at the walls. You’re seeing Savannah Grey Brick. These bricks were handmade by enslaved people at the Hermitage Plantation just up the river. They have a distinct greyish-purple hue. They are rare. Whenever an old building in Savannah is torn down, contractors scramble to save these bricks.
The ceiling beams are massive. They were hand-hewn from heart pine. This wood is so dense it’s basically fireproof and termite-proof. You can’t find wood like this anymore because the old-growth forests are gone. When you’re sitting in the Jolly Roger room, you’re sitting inside a skeleton of a forest that existed before the United States was a country. That’s why the floors creak. They’ve been supporting the weight of millions of footsteps for nearly 300 years.
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How to Do The Pirates' House Right
Don't just walk in for dinner at 7:00 PM on a Saturday. You’ll be surrounded by screaming kids and bachelor parties. If you want the real experience, go for an early lunch or a late-afternoon drink.
- Ask for a tour. The servers are usually trained in the history. If it’s not too busy, they’ll show you the tunnel entrance and tell you which rooms are original.
- Look at the maps. The restaurant has a collection of old maritime maps that are actually historically significant. They show the coastline before it was dredged and changed by modern engineering.
- Order the Grog. Yes, it’s a gimmick. Yes, it comes in a souvenir mug sometimes. But it’s based on the actual ration given to sailors (rum, water, lime, and sugar). It was designed to prevent scurvy and keep the crew from mutinying. It’s strong.
The Reality of Commercialized History
Is it a tourist trap? A little bit. But unlike many spots in the Historic District, The Pirates' House sits on a foundation of genuine historical importance. It’s one of the few places where the "pirate" theme isn't just a marketing ploy—it's a watered-down version of a very real, very dangerous maritime history.
The Trustees' Garden nearby is also worth a walk. It’s been revitalized, and you can see where the original 10-acre plot was. It’s a reminder that Savannah was built on the idea of being a utopian experiment that eventually got taken over by the realities of shipping, trade, and, yes, piracy.
Practical Steps for Your Visit
If you're planning to visit this pirate restaurant Savannah Georgia, here is how to handle it like a local:
- Parking is a nightmare. The restaurant has a small lot, but it fills up. Use the city parking garages nearby or just walk from Broughton Street. Savannah is a walking city anyway.
- Make a reservation. Even on a Tuesday. The Pirates' House is a staple for tour groups, and you don't want to be stuck waiting for an hour in the humidity.
- Check out the gift shop last. It’s in the oldest part of the building (the Herb House). Look at the low ceilings and the uneven floors. That’s the 1734 construction.
- Combine it with the Riverfront. It’s a short walk from the river. Start at the Waving Girl Statue, walk down through the park, and end up at the restaurant for a heavy Southern meal.
When you finally leave and step back out into the Savannah sun, you’ll realize that the city is built in layers. The Pirates' House is one of the bottom layers. It’s a mix of agricultural failure, maritime crime, literary legend, and really good fried chicken. It shouldn't work, but somehow, it’s been working for almost three centuries.