History with a
seat at the table.
A Charleston gathering place for almost a century.
From beer parlor to Charleston landmark.
Henry’s on the Market is Charleston’s oldest continuously operating restaurant. Its roots go back to a late 19th-century grocery store opened here by German immigrant Henry Otto Hesselmeyer.
During Prohibition, Hesselmeyer’s Market Street grocery continued to sell alcohol, becoming what Charlestonians called a “blind tiger” — their name for a speakeasy. After repeal in 1933, he opened Henry’s Beer Parlor beside the grocery, pairing beer with local seafood. In the decades that followed, Henry’s grew into a dining destination. Restaurateur Leo Chiagkouris purchased it in 1985 and brought new life to the building, adding gathering spaces that became part of the city’s nights out.
Today, the Dining Room, Whiskey Lounge, Music Hall, Espresso Martini Lounge, and Rooftop each offer a different way to experience the same Charleston original.
Explore the roomsFor every generation, there’s a new reason to come back.