In early June 2020, the early months of both our relationship and the COVID-19 pandemic, Dan and I visited Savannah for a day. We didn’t have much on the docket, but we knew wanted to eat at The Olde Pink House.
My mom had told me about this restaurant a couple of times in the past. She recounted a specific time that she and my dad had eaten there during a weekend trip to Savannah in 1996 (right after I was born). It was there that she had a delicious angel hair pasta dish, and ever since then, angel hair pasta had become a staple in my house growing up.
Don’t you dare put a plate of spaghetti in front of me because, when I say “spaghetti,” I mean “angel hair.” My preference is so strong that I cannot order spaghetti in a restaurant because I do not like thicker noodles.
It just so happens that Dan shares the preferences with me; although, he’s not quite a picky and opinion as I am in life. So, we thought we would go to this “birthplace” of angel hair (and yes, I realize that’s actually Italy).
The History of The Olde Pink House
The Olde Pink House was originally named the Habersham House when it opened in 1771. Its soft native brick began to bleed through plastered walls and altered it from its original white to Jamaican pink. Since then, it’s become a national landmark in Savannah’s Reynolds Square.
The house originally belonged to James Habersham Jr. who lived in the mansion from 1771 to 1800. He was a wealthy planter who held secret meetings at his home to help secure the independence of the 13 colonies.
In 1831, the Pink House became the Planter’s Bank, which was the first bank in Georgia. It housed the monies of all the colonists. Today, the massive cast-iron vaults with dungeon-like doors are used as wine cellars.
Later, Habersham house was offered as a Christmas gift to President Lincoln, and General York set up headquarters in the Olde Pink Mansion. Following the war, however, the house changed hands many times. It was an attorney’s office, bookstore, colonial tearoom, etc. It suffered decay and neglect despite its impressive presence in Savannah.
In 1992, the William Balish Family from Charleston purchased Habersham House and began renovating its decaying walls to restore it to its former glory.
Dan and me standing in front of The Olde Pink House in Savannah, Georgia (June 2020)
Our Experience at The Olde Pink House
When we decided to go to Savannah, I told Dan the story of The Olde Pink House, and he suggested we try to get reservations. To my excitement, they were open for dining despite COVID-19 restrictions, and we were able to visit for dinner.
We arrived and were seated upstairs by a window. It was everything you’d expect when eating in an old, historic, southern home. The floors creaked in a charming way, and I spent a few moments trying to imagine how the large rooms were used in the past.
Our waiter was lovely, and they brought us complimentary bread and butter (which always elevates a meal for me). When I looked at the dinner menu, I didn’t see any angel hair pasta. However, I thought I had remembered seeing it on a lunch menu while looking online. Figuring it couldn’t hurt to ask, I briefly recounted the story to the waiter about my parent’s experience with the angel hair pasta in 1996.
He was kind enough to check with the kitchen to see if it was possible, and it was! Only a short time later, I was eating delicious and fresh angel hair pasta with shrimp in a lemon-butter sauce.
My angel hair pasta from The Olde Pink House
Final Thoughts
I’m not a “foodie,” but when I fall in love with restaurants in cities, I fall hard. The personal connection I have to The Olde Pink House before I even visited made it more special. See you again, Savannah!