Better known today as the originator of the Lee Brother's cheese spread recipe, Henry's was a revered classic seafood house located on Market Street in the 30s. A Henry's restaurant still stands at the same address today, but the menu, owners, and interiors have changed.
Mount Pleasant resident Skipper Shaffer carries on the tradition of making crab cakes from the original Henry's recipe and selling them locally and online. The grandson of the original founder, Shaffer, recounts the restaurant's amusing beginnings on his website:
Henry’s Crab Cakes are made from a fourth generation recipe that began in my Great Grandparent’s beer parlor on the corner of Market and Anson Streets in downtown Charleston, SC. They transformed a corner grocery store into a beer parlor upon the repeal of prohibition in 1934 when it was no longer profitable to sell whiskey out the back door. My Great Grandmother would make the crab cakes (actually deviled spicy crab stuffed in a crab shell) and bring them to the parlor to serve as appetizers.
One thing led to another and the beer parlor transformed into the world renowned seafood restaurant, "Henry’s" (my Great Grandfather’s name, my Dad’s name and also my name) and the deviled crab recipe became a staple on the menu.
The original Henry's shut their doors in 1985.