Sorry Charlie’s Oyster Bar opened recently at 116 West Congress St.
Capitalizing on a superb location, a beautifully renovated space and an excellent menu that has a whole lot more than just oysters, the new restaurant has hit the ground running. Let me say a few things about each of those three points.
Sorry Charlie’s (http://sorrycharliessavannah.com) is on the southwest side of Ellis Square in a space that had been vacant since 2007. Structural issues had to be addressed, a deep recession intervened and there was some legal wrangling too.
The Ellis Square project wasn’t even completed when the previous incarnation of Sorry Charlie’s closed, but things have sure changed since then. Ellis is one of the city’s most active squares, and Sorry Charlie’s might be the most visible business bordering it. Even without the gorgeous sign on Congress Street, Sorry Charlie’s would be hard to miss.
It’s hard to believe that the building was in the shadow of an ugly parking garage just a decade ago.
The interior of Sorry Charlie’s has expansive windows facing north, south and west. The original materials – the brick walls, the wood ceiling and floor – speak to the history of the building and of that portion of downtown. The kitchen is easily visible through an archway behind the long bar.
Check out the Sorry Charlie’s Facebook page for some wonderful photos taken during the extensive renovations. It’s quite a space.
Immediately after opening, Sorry Charlie’s became a hangout for locals, but it’s hard to know if it will continue to fill that niche as more tourists discover it.
Patrons can choose a variety of seating options. On my first trip, I intended to snag a spot and dine alone at the bar, but I ended up joining friends at a high table facing the square. Lots of other patrons seemed to be running into friends too.
The menu provides lots of choices beyond the fresh oysters.
If you’re looking for an $11 po boy or a $30-plus entrée, Sorry Charlie’s has it. The menu boasts some rich items inspired by traditional southern cooking – fried chicken and waffles, Lowcountry boil, pimento cheese served with cornbread in a skillet, even boiled peanuts.
Sorry Charlie’s only served dinner the first couple of weeks, but recently began opening at 11 a.m.
After years of slow recovery from the recession, Savannah’s dining scene has turned a corner over the last year or so. And that’s a good thing, especially if the trend toward culinary tourism continues as predicted in a recent study prepared for Visit Savannah. (I wrote a column about that study a few weeks ago.)
Hall Street site for sale again
So the city of Savannah is once again trying to sell the large Hall Street lot that was originally purchased for the new cultural arts center, which is now slated for the southeast corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Oglethorpe Avenue.
I loved the decision in 2007 to put the arts center at Hall and MLK. It would have brought activity through the day and evening to a rather desolate stretch. That activity likely would have spurred other investment.
The site was eventually nixed because it was deemed too small to accommodate the parking needed for the arts center, but city officials have a poor track record in recent years of estimating how much land will be required by major projects.
Last year, a development group signed a contract to buy the Hall Street site from the city. Plans were in the works for a mix of uses, including some affordable housing.
In a previous column,
I had wondered if those plans were ambitious enough. After all, the Hall Street site is in the Landmark Historic District and is just south of an area of active investment. It’s a great site for quite dense residential development, with some commercial spaces facing both Montgomery Street and MLK.
But that’s not the only option for large lots like the one on Hall Street.
It’s not going to be long before hoteliers start looking hard at sites south of Gaston Street. I’m among those who would much rather see the neighborhood repopulated by year-round residents than by visitors.
City Talk appears every Tuesday and Sunday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net. Send mail to 10 East 32nd St., Savannah, Ga. 31401.
By Bill Dawers