When fire destroyed the old Drayton St. Churchill’s, many worried that one of Savannah’s most beloved landmarks was gone forever. In a sense, they were right. Restoring Churchill’s was never an option, but owner Andy Holmes was determined that Churchill’s would return. Now, like a Phoenix from the ashes, Churchill’s, just around the corner on Bay St., is back in truly grand style! Occupying a prominent three story space directly across from the River Street Hyatt, Andy and Company have opened their hearts and doors once again to Savannah.

As soon as it opened, the crowd was brisk, the staff was upbeat, and the atmosphere was one of relaxed excitement. The massive thirty-four foot long mahogany bar glows in the light of the fireplaces that anchor each of the two dining rooms on the main floor. The selection of beer, wine, and spirits, is extensive. The third floor terrace, offers sipping, dining and socializing under the stars.

The truly awesome selection of draught (mostly from across the Pond) and bottled beers could quench the thirst of the most discriminating beer snob and keep every down-home beer guzzler happy in perpetuity. Cocktails, from martinis to highballs are expertly fashioned.

Pool tables, dart boards and foosball tables draw happy players.

It took very little time for the old Churchill’s faithful to come around to the new, bolder, more grandiose identity donned by their old friend, and the new Churchill’s attracts a broader clientele than ever. From college students to young professionals, from working guys to middle-aged businessmen, from tourists to old-timers, they all come to drink and play, eat and tell tall tales.

Churchill’s history mirrors that of Savannah: changing and growing with the times while keeping an ever-watchful and ever-faithful eye on the past.

--Review by Courtney Thomas