Savannah's oldest restaurant, operating since 1933 in a building dating to c. 1900 — and where the owner heard someone running upstairs in an empty apartment
301 W Jones St, Savannah, GA 31401
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Restaurant pricing; no admission fee. Typical entrees $12–$22.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Ground-floor restaurant with accessible entrance
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1900 · Savannah's Oldest Restaurant (operating since 1933) · One of First Post-Prohibition Beer Establishments in Savannah · Jones Street Historic District
The structure at 301 W Jones St was built around 1900, replacing a previous building that had been lost to fire. For the first three decades of the twentieth century it operated as the Gerken Family Grocery Store, run by Julius Weitz and his family, who occupied the apartment above the retail floor.
William 'Blocko' Manning and his wife Connie acquired the property in the early 1930s. The Crystal Beer Parlor opened as one of the first American eating establishments to serve alcohol following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 — likely where the establishment's name originates, a reference to the Crystal Ice Company that had operated across the street. The combination of draft beer and straightforward food at reasonable prices became a neighborhood institution.
Long-tenured staff defined the character of the place for decades. Monroe Whitlock and A.G. 'Smitty' Smith served as waiters for nearly 45 years each. The restaurant closed and reopened under Buddy and Suzanne Kosic around 2003. John Nichols purchased it in 2009 and has operated it since. The Monroe Room inside the restaurant is named in Whitlock's honor.
The Crystal Beer Parlor is recognized as the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Savannah, a status that has attracted both local regulars and visitors seeking out the city's historic dining establishments.
Sources
The Crystal Beer Parlor's paranormal account rests on a first-person report from its current owner. Shortly after John Nichols purchased the building in 2009, he was working in the restaurant when he heard the clear sound of running footsteps in the apartment directly above him. He knew no one else was in the building. When he investigated, the apartment was empty. A woman who later heard this account told him it was Connie Manning — the wife of the 1930s owner — who had always run upstairs to meet the staff when they brought up cocktails.
A separate investigation by a ghost-hunting group reportedly identified two presences in the building: a young girl they named Sarah, and a second entity that appeared responsive to direct questions during their session. Neither of these is corroborated by documented historical records; they represent the folklore layer that accumulates at sites with a long public reputation.
The restaurant's age and neighborhood continuity — operating from the same corner since 1933 — gives the Connie Manning account a specificity that more manufactured haunting narratives lack. She is a documented person who worked and lived in this building; the footsteps, whatever their source, were heard by the current owner in her apartment.
Notable Entities
The Crystal Beer Parlor has operated from this corner location since 1933, making it the oldest restaurant in Savannah. The building, which dates to around 1900, retains its original neighborhood character. Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday–Sunday.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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