Henry's Bar in Exeter

Good food in a century old restaurant.

Our experience started out really nice. We enjoyed a glass of wine on the second level while we waited for a table on the ground floor. Once we were seated our experience went downhill. Our server was extremely impolite and I would like to give you his name but he never properly introduced himself to us. He was a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair and a beard and did not have one ounce of warmth or courtesy in him. He was very curt with us when we asked any questions regarding the dinner options. The food was mediocre although the she crab soup was rather good. After we received our food, he made a disrespectful comment to me and when I told him he was rude he replied that he was only joking. I did not find him funny in the least. I will say I observed the other servers with their tables and they seemed very welcoming and it appeared that they treated their customers kindly, as they should. Unfortunately, our experience was not nearly as pleasant as it should have been and really left a bad taste in our mouth.

Food is simply excellent, crab meat soup is must have!! And jambalaya! And Henry’s bourbon bread pudding!!

How do these guys only have a 4.2 rating? Unbelievable food and service. Ally was an A+++ Server busting her tail off despite the fast paced crowd. Great service. I am not a grits fan but their cheese grits are amazing. Despite being a seafood specialty their blackened chicken pasta was absolutely amazing! Don’t miss on their she crab soup either. Just awesome! Every-tine someone from our party of 5 ordered something, we’d taste it and have to order 4 more. I specifically asked to speak to the manager because EVERYTHING was UNBELIEVABLE! Ally informed me the manager was busy getting food out. Like I said, everyone works hard here. Randy made it over and gave us some fun conversation. Definitely my favorite restaurant.

We shared the key lime and it was delicious. Yummy, homey meal! Only disappointment was no live music when we were there and they had run out of jambalaya.

I was recommended this restaurant for my birthday dinner. I honestly regret taking the suggestion. My bf and I got there later in the evening and were told we had 15 minutes to place our order before the kitchen closed. He checked their website and didn’t see any kind of warning about that. So, we had to rush. They also had the windows open, which if you know downtown, means you get the fresh scent of horse manure while you dine. The waitress let us close our window so that helped a lot. It. Was. So. LOUD! Music or not, we were literally yelling at each other across the table! That got old fast… I got the fried seafood platter and my bf got the pork sandwich. Neither of us liked our food. Some of my shrimp were rancid. They had the old fishy, rotten taste of bad seafood. My fish was cooked well but bland. Collards were decent. My bf took 2-3 bites of his sandwich and stopped eating. He mentioned the strong taste of vinegar overpowering everything. He literally checked his sandwich for BBQ sauce because all he tasted vinegar. We had a nice waitress and she did well at first coming to check on us. She also made sure to get our orders before the kitchen closed. I appreciate her for that. Unfortunately, we saw her less and less throughout dinner. We asked for the check and she handed it to us, said, “No rush” and walked off before we could respond. My bf was already grabbing his wallet but she was gone. We waited for a while but there was no sign of her. We really wanted to leave by this point. I eventually flagged down a different waitress so we could pay. I would STRONGLY advise going to a different restaurant to anyone considering it for food.

Typical pub vibe and one of if not the oldest running bar in the area. Guide from Palmetto Carriage Tours said this was his favorite She-crab soup and the best Old Fashioned in town. Both were very good. Really old establishment.

Nice atmosphere and convenient location, but the food is subpar for the price. A $20 pulled pork sandwich doesn't even come with a side of fries, leaving you hungry enough that you have to stop and get pizza on the way home! The service was nothing exceptional, yet they have the nerve to add gratuity to a party of 5. Definitely worth skipping.

Great atmosphere. Limited menu outside for lunch, but the smash burger and fried Shrimp were excellent. Excellent service from our waiter! Beautiful, Sunny day! Love music was great too!

Vibes are never bad, but a $20 per person entry fee is egregious. Bands were ok.

the bathroom attendant was so rude. told my friend and i to pull down our skirts and our skirts were completely fine, no butt was showing. she then found us again later and told our other friend to tell us to pull our skirts down and when my friend said we are leaving she followed us all the way out the door to make sure she left. miserable horrible lady

The food was halfway decent but way over priced. Our server was very attentive and quick, but the seafood wasn't worth 32 dollars and the sides were not close to being add on worthy.

Henry’s coffee lounge on the side of restaurant is one of its kind.

Hands down MORGAN one of the best if not the best bartender i have ever had and we are avid drinkers. The Henry's old fashioned was amazing. My daughter wanted a strong and sweet drink and he made a Bahama mama type drink for my daughter who is a new mom and she loved it. If you are at Henry's on the .market ask for Morgan you will not be disappointed

Our server, Crystal, was attentive and very upbeat. We were disappointed that one of the foods we were looking forward to having was not available. She crab soup was not very hot, flavor was ok. Red rice and sausage side was the highlight of our meals. Fried scallops were good, and Jambalaya was disappointing.

I am going to preface this review by saying that I have never been to Henry's aside from my experience tonight, so this review is not intended to critique the food or service of the staff, specifically working inside of Henry's. My friends and I attempted to go into Henry's tonight, but we were told we did not meet the dress code. This was unusual because the reason the gentleman at the door told us we did not meet the dress code was because we were wearing hats and did not have collard shirts. When the gentleman working the door said this to our group, I immediately looked inside the establishment and saw a man wearing a hat with a plain white t-shirt. I proceeded to look at other customers in the establishment and saw other male customers without collard shirts. I mentioned this to employees working the door, and they informed me that those customers would be getting kicked out shortly. I found this odd because it appeared those customers had been at the establishment for some time. One of the members of my group spoke with one of the gentlemen working the door, and he said that they are trying to keep the "bad people" out. After some back and forth, the gentleman told us we could go inside and told us, "he could tell we were good." One group member left and said he felt like he was being stereotyped for how he looked. I did not go in as well. I felt that it was inappropriate to have to beg to go into an establishment. 5 members of the group work blue collar. I mentioned that point to say that I guess if you don't look a certain way, then you are not welcome at Henry's. As for the "bad people" comment by the employee. That was rather unsettling due to the fact that this establishment seems to stereotype people and cast judgment based upon appearance. I guess you have to look like a Charleston lawyer to be accepted at Henry's, even though the 5 blue collar members of the group, more than likely earn a higher income than the majority of individuals that go to Henry's ***I was informed today by my friends that stayed at Henry's last night, that the gentleman stereotyping us told my group that he was the owner.***

Visiting from Texas thought we do a carriage ride. We passed this awesome looking restaurant called. Henry’s l. It was unbelievable food. Unbelievable service Crystal. Our waitress was over the top. Amazing. I highly recommend.

I’ll be honest… not really impressed with the food. To be clear, it wasn’t bad. It just didn’t meet the hype and expectations, especially for the price. None of us were really impressed. The server was very nice and attentive. Shop around more. Lots of options in the area. 🤷‍♂️

My go to spot for great food and entertainment in Charleston!

Surprisingly delicious food. Heather, our server, could not have been more thoughtful and helpful.

Heard a lot about Henry’s, just didn’t live up to the hype.

This tends to be a very popular place on Fridays and Saturday's! Can be crowded, but with several floors you can usually find a place to hang out. The rooftop is popular for sure.

Delicious food, great atmosphere

The food was good, but nothing to write home about. Prices were a little high for what you get, but it wasn't too terrible.

My wife ordered the crab cake and it was so salty I could not even eat it and I like salty foods. I ordered the burger and it was a 6/10. They did not have non-alcoholic drinks… only water… Food is way overpriced too!

Got assaulted by two of the bouncers for Leaving the bar with an empty cup in my hand. Pressing charges on them. Do not recommend this place.

CHECK YOUR RECEIPT!!!!! The staff and managers are scamming people (especially tourist) by adding stuff to the check and jacking up the price of the bill. Came here for lunch and only ordered a coffee, appetizer, and split a sandwich and it came out to $74 dollars which was odd since we didn’t order anything else OR any alcohol. We asked for the receipt and it showed that we ordered a shot and a half of tequila which we didn’t do. When we asked the server about it he got weird and tried to give us cash/ resolve it without getting the manager involved which didn’t work with us as we insisted on speaking with him. The manager was nonchalant about the issue which makes us think he’s in on it too. BEWARE AND BE VIGILANT, this place has gone downhill which is a shame. They lost a loyal customer today.

Isabella at the bar made it a fantastic experience and because of her, we will come back for a visit the next time we are in Charleston! Cheers!

Very rude staff at the bar! Extremely rude . Completely unprofessional and unacceptable.

I have never eaten here, but we come for late night drinks to enjoy the multi-level bar experience! A room if you wanna feel ritzy and a room for if you want to be trashy :-) (Trashy like a DJ and dancing!) The only issue I have (which is why I marked down the Service) was because of the way they do cover charges - I'm not trying to spend $200 in your bar AND give you $20 at the door... that's a drink! :-D (But I get it...)

OMG so good. A random passerby recommended the shrimp and grits. Best I've ever had. Hubby got the shrimp Po Boy. Also excellent. Cheesy grits a bit to salty for us but the fried okra was perfect. Fast friendly service in a historical restaurant. Highly recommend!

Came in here for drinks, AMAZING. The atmosphere was impeccable, there was live music and dancing. The live performers were very professional and it was such a great time! Have I mentioned that the drinks were delicious?? We ordered the espresso martini and it was perfect.

Great atmosphere loved the music and history. I had the BLT with fried green tomatoes very good! The spinach dip was good but the bread crisps were too hard for me to eat.

When in Charleston I always go to Henry's for lunch. I can recommend the shrimp basket, and the best Grits in South Carolina 😋

Great place to hang with friends

I got the blackened chicken pasta and it was amazing! I would go back there for that again any day!

Staff is horrible! I will never go back. There are so many more restaurants & bars who value their customers. Don't waste your money!

Horrible management. They don’t value their regular patrons.

Henry’s has been one of my favorite bars in Charleston for years however after tonight I will never be returning. One of their employees decided to take their bad mood out on my friends tonight. She was walking by us and when she couldn’t get past us she began to yell and curse at us. My friend asked her to stop yelling at him and she got in his face immediately and continued to yell at him. After she was done yelling she grabbed the closest bouncer and demanded he was kicked out for asking her to not yell at him? When we talked to management they agreed that this was all a miss understanding and that we were not in the wrong. However they told us we must leave to avoid any more problems with that employee. This was completely unprofessional and a waste of the $20 cover fee that we had paid only 30 minutes prior. If your visiting Charleston I highly recommend skipping Henry’s and going somewhere where you know you won’t be treated like this.

Henry’s has been one of my favorite bars in Charleston and after tonight I will never be returning. I went tonight and got attacked by a Women employee who clearly has an agenda. She got in our face, yelling, screaming, and cursing at us. All we asked her was to not yell at us, which seemed to only make things worse. She immediately grabbed the closet bouncer and demanded we got kicked out. We asked to talk to management and when we explained the story to the manager he told us it was a miss understanding and to return tomorrow. He seemed scared of his own employee and would rather kicked two people who continuously give them business and hadn’t even had a full drink yet rather then tell his employee that she was in the wrong. This was very disappointing but there are multiple bars in this city that would never treat their costumers this way and we recommend going to those bars instead.

Table was dirty, floor was dirty, there was actual gray dust balls falling from the ceiling onto our table. The white sangria which was the “special” tasted like a straight glass of lemon juice with ice in it. The sweet tea was like water, the “cheese & cracker” tray looked like something I would frantically put together out of my pantry with a premade cheese spread? Concoction? The nachos were..edible… the spinach artichoke was burnt on top and crumbly cheese with hard as rock pita chips, literally every food item was horrible. I about crapped when we got the bill $$$$$. I would say this place should just be a bar but even the drinks were horrible.

Walked into Henry’s, accidentally used the wrong door and stumbled into the Ansonborough lounge. Summer was there to very kindly greet us and get us seated. We actually ended up staying in the lounge and had a wonderful time. Very cozy, great food selection, and impeccable service. Her drinks are amazing and even explained how to make it at home! Can’t wait to see what Summer and her team does to the place!

Awesome visit after the Charleston Marketplace. Live music at noon, Friendly team and fantastic throwback atmosphere. The food stuck to the ribs and needed a togo container! Nothing unexpected at Henry's!

Amazing food! Great restaurant right on Market Street. Everything our group tried was outstanding. Fantastic option for Southern cuisine.

This was a great place for a late night dinner, and there was live country music that started at 9:30pm. I highly recommend the bowl of she crab soup! I also ordered the seafood pasta and it was phenomenal. The portions were great, and the seafood tasted fresh! Parking was easy since it is the off season, but I imagine it would be difficult finding a spot during the summer. Definitely a great date night place if you’re looking for good ambience, live music, and not too crazy prices! Will definitely be returning.

I love this place! The ambience is incredible.

came in as soon as they opened at 11 on sunday, chicken and waffles were their special for the day and it was DELICIOUS. chicken was tasty, the cinnamon butter was fresh and the waffles were nice and moist. this place was recommended to my family 3 times, glad we stopped by!

Awesome place, great rooftop space

Stopped in for a quick lunch. We got the fried shrimp it was pretty solid nothing special.

Henry’s in the Market is an absolute gem! The charming rooftop offers breathtaking views of the surrounding area, creating a perfect spot for a relaxed, scenic experience. The cozy outdoor seating area, complete with vibrant red umbrellas, adds a splash of color and a welcoming vibe. The historic charm of the building shines through, from the clean and inviting stairwell entrance to the beautifully maintained decor. It’s clear that Henry’s balances character and comfort seamlessly. Whether you’re stopping in for a meal or just a drink, the atmosphere feels upscale yet approachable. Highly recommended for anyone visiting the area!

Stopped in for coffee and the wife ended up getting a chocolate croissant, and it was amazing. Stopped back by a few days later and had a redo. Both times service, and food quality was great!

The jambalaya was cold, although the flavors of the food are rich and the service was also good, they should pay more attention to the times to seat people and that the food is really hot...

One word - Jambalaya. The depth of flavor! The quality of the seafood! It was magic in my mouth. The cocktails were pretty good, too!!

It’s absolutely inappropriate to hammer your customers in the head with Trump paintings, photographs and cardboard cut outs.

walked in for coffee saw the Trump sign and left, no thanks

Cool bar w many spaces to hang out

Great atmosphere and wait staff. Shrimp & grits were very good. Oldest restaurant in Charleston. Recommend for dinner or for a drink.

Worst jambalaya I’ve ever had. Dry and overcooked. Even the kids PB&J was skimpy. Overpriced, even for Charleston.

if i could give this place zero stars i would. terrible vibe and even worse coffee. i was hoping the food would redeem itself but id rather eat dirt. can’t support a place that cares about money more than quality.

The food was tasty. The plate size was smaller than expected

This *could* just have been a tourist trap, instead it serves amazing food and drinks.

Great drinks, great food, great location and great service. We will be back the next time we’re in Charleston!

My friend and I went to Henry’s to their upstairs bar last night and had a BLAST. The bartenders were awesome and really sweet, and the drinks were delicious!! Live music was great, all around a super fun night!! We came back the next morning to grab some of their famous she crab soup. Henry’s is my favorite spot in Charleston!!

How did it take me so long to come here??! Must've been the Saturday night line around the block... Go any other night and you're in for a treat. Love this spot for a cocktail!

Stopped in for a quick bite to eat for lunch. Staff were friendly and courteous. Food was brought out fairly quickly and fresh. I had the BBQ pork sandwich with collard greens which were delicious. Nice old decor inside was neat to look at.

6 of us shared a beautifully sunny window booth. We loved the fried green tomato BLT, but the bread was soggy. I ate mine open-faced 🥰 Cute place and great service. It was very convenient to the Market.

Denied entry and accused of being "drunk" by the bouncers at the door....yet we were just goofing off in the line and hadn't had a sip of alcohol. Could literally pass a sobriety test If you want to have fun. Skip Henry's. We are frequent local customers who won't be back and will be spreading the word on your discrimatory practices.

Had Shrimp and Grits before, but neither with brown gravy and She Crab Soup which had lots of crab meat was DELICIOUS! After finishing a tour in Charleston, SC guide suggested Henry’s in addition to folks saying you must try the Shrimp and Grits before leaving SC and I did.

Lovely evening vibe with delicious cocktails and great live music. Would highly recommend.

This bar will fill higher shelf bottles with lower shelf liquor. Stay away if you’re looking for a quality drink.

Dropped in to Henry's for lunch. Great atmosphere and the food was great. Our server was friendly and the service was excellent! Can definitely recommend Henry's when you're in Charleston!

We had the best she crab soup we’ve ever had at Henry’s. Grilled mahi mahi with cheese grits was fabulous also.

We stopped twice. Upper seating is perfect if you want to just take it all in. Jazz was good but way too loud. We left the bar and went upstairs.

Atmosphere of the place is very good but in my opinion the food is just average or maybe a bit above but nothing memorable, prices little high. Rooftop deck is alright but the views are limited and not all that great

Such a cool spot in historic downtown Charleston. The food was great but I expected more seafood from a seafood and jazz lounge. Music was top tier though and the service was awesome, kudos to Faith and Chris!

by pass this place for sure. we arrived around 4pm slow time no excuses. we sat upstairs which was lovely. ordered a simple chopped salad which consisted of chopped dried out green leaves, bacon bits and egg. we had to fish for any morsels of bacon and egg to make the dried out greens palatable. my tito’s vodka, splash of water and cranberry was really ice, water, cranberry and a splash of titos. disappointing. i’ve visited charleston dozens of times and enjoyed many places this is not one of them.

My friend and I did not have a good experience here despite the pictures and reviews portraying a cool vibe. They charge a variable cover fee for late 90s/early 00s cover band music (we tried to ask about the music beforehand but the people at the door were very unfriendly), confusing pricing for drinks that changes drastically if you move from one area of the restaurant to another, and the crowd there was insufferable. It reminded me of a frat party. One bartender I interacted with was pleasant, but most of the staff seemed miserable/pissed off and I'd never go there again.

If you’re in your 20s and looking for a lively, party-centric atmosphere, Henry’s might suit you. However, for mature couples seeking culture, sophistication, and ambiance, I’d recommend looking elsewhere. The staff came across as dismissive and inattentive, and the doorman was particularly rude and unprofessional. The music setup was disjointed, with one room blaring while another was barely audible. Seating was also a challenge—the most pleasing room has roughly 20 seats, making it nearly impossible to find a comfortable spot. We felt misled when asking the doorman what the $20 cover charge included. His curt response was “juke box,” before hurriedly pushing us through to accommodate the large line behind us. Realizing quickly that this wasn’t our scene, we politely requested a refund only 10 minutes later but were flatly denied “absolutely not!”. When I mentioned I planned to leave a bad review (something I’ve never done) the doorman smuggly yelled as I crossed the street “Go ahead, we’ll still be open tomorrow”. In a city filled with exceptional establishments offering refined dining, creative cocktails, and warm hospitality, Henry’s fell short on all fronts. This party scene was the one disappointment of an otherwise great trip.

This is one of the only places we found open later at night on a weeknight. The kitchen is open until 9:30 pm and then they change over to the bar. We ordered the gator bites and jambalaya. The gator bites were tender and very well seasoned. I asked for remoulade instead of the bbq sauce that came with it and I was so glad I did. The combination was delicious. The jambalaya was hot and flavorful. It was not spicy at all, so good for those who prefer something mild. The only complaint I have is the service. Our server was potentially having a bad day, but it was an awkward interaction. Unfortunately the worst service we encountered in Charleston.

Great service and the blackened chicken Alfredo was delicious! Would come back

We were in Henry's on the 17th for my birthday. I ordered shrimp and grits, and was very disappointed. The grits were like soup, although the shrimp and gravy were good. My husband's french fries were cold, but the waitress did bring out a fresh batch. Not the best birthday dinner.

Wonderful, the top level bartender was not the friendliest person. Bit the young lady out of the kitchen helped us out.

Overpriced — the food is not worth it. Dry fish. I went to The Griffon and Carolina Butcher and Beer Garden and the meals were so much better for half the price. The service was pretty attentive though. It just was not fun to see a cockroach crawling by our table.

I ordered the Pulled Pork Nachos and it was so bad I could not eat it and believe me I will usually will eat anything. It was cold, the cheese was like Tostitos cheese dip, the nachos you get at the movie theater is better. The server could tell I ate like 1 chip and I told him that it was bad and I couldn't eat it and he still charged me $20. Wife ordered a side salad and it was pretty sad as well. Just moved to Charleston and won't come back anytime. For future situations like this, I should of documented the meal with photos and spoke to the manager on the spot. I understand that moving to a new area and trying new places can be a hit-or-miss, but hopefully, my next experience will be much better!

Band was 5/10 at best on a Friday night and 20$ cover kills it. Live music at other bars might be a better option.

the food was not good at all and overpriced. especially because it did not even come with proper cuttlery and glasses, but rather with plastic cups (even the old fashion) and plastic knives and forks. the service was sweet though.

I was unsure of how I’d feel when we walked in as a group of 10 and the hostess told us to go upstairs because as soon as we got up there the bartender said there was a ton of space for 10 to dine downstairs… BUT I would highly recommend this spot. The bartender was nice (shared some haunted stories with us!) and our waitress downstairs was also a doll (she spent the entire time thinking we were going to split the bill 10 ways and still treated us so well!!). The food was surprisingly good (highly recommend the blackened fish and polenta) and I only wish we got to see live music.

The food was great !!!! And I enjoyed the live band.

Loved it. She crab soup was the best.

One of my favorite places to go listen to music and have a great time. I love the story and how it kept the name for the whole time it’s been open since the 1930s

Ansonborough Lounge was AMAZING! Go see my girl Reese and ask for the "Mike". It's amazing

Attended the Beer fest in North Charleston during the day and went downtown in the evening.

Wonderful food, fast service and nice place to sit and visit with those who came with you.

Classic old restaurant with good food. Have never been to the south so I had my first dish of real jambalaya! It was amazing !! Hamburgers were also very good. Everything we ordered was great. If your in Charleston stop in for a good meal

We went to celebrate my 62nd birthday. Saxophonist Chris Williams was exceptional.

Chicken salad itself was tasty. A bun is not a croissant. Fries had so much salt as to be inedible. So many great restaurants here, pass on this one.

Really cool place. Fried green tomato BLT was delightful.

The food and service was very good. Just outside is a staging area for the horse carriage city history tours. The restaurant had the first floor windows open allowing some unwanted horse produced orders to drift in creating not the best dinning experience

This was our first stop after we spotted it on a carriage ride. The oldest restaurant in Charleston and it was good. We were a party of 5, and our server was patient and courteous. I had shrimp and grits, and it did not disappoint. Highly recommend Henry's.

So disappointing. I want to like this place because of the location & the old building. We are dt locals and the bartenders are oddly rude. We are a tour company and I’ve sent ppl here because it looks cool hoping maybe that I had a bad experience since I’m often a goofy person however this is the 4th time I’ve been here and the bartenders aren’t welcoming. A bartender once accused my brother of snapping his fingers at him and refused to serve him which we all laughed off because it was so absurd. Super great location but the management and staff needs an attitude adjustment. I used to work in F&B and I get it ppl can be exhausting but there are other jobs you can do & it was a Wednesday not the weekend (that had me write this Karen review) I saw the staff go into the private bar, close the curtain halfway and drink while all the tables needed to be cleared for a private party on the third floor. There were probably 4 or 5 tables covered in glasses. It says something that the carriage guys don’t hangout there being that they are right there and they love cool dive bars in addition to the fact that they are in customer service as well. Go to Church and Union, Burns Alley, Bumpas or Big John’s.