When I bought this postcard, I assumed it depicted the interior of what I knew as Dennery’s Restaurant, over on the east side of the state fairgrounds, but then I saw the address on Silas Brown Street. Was Dennery’s really in the middle of an industrial area, or have street names changed since then?
DENNERY’S SEA FOOD HOUSE, Capacity 200. Famous for Sea Food from Coast to Coast. “The Most Talked about Restaurant in Jackson” Guests invited to Visit our Glassed-in, Stainless Steel Kitchen. Ample Parking. Phone 354-2527. 740 East Silas Brown Street, Jackson, Mississippi.
Categories: Cool Old Places, Jackson
Preservation in Mississippi 
The one I recall was a much larger building with a rotunda inside. Wasn’t it near the Coliseum?
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The building depicted was at the corner of Silas Brown and Jefferson, close to the bridge to The Gold Coast. I was refused service there once because the Episcopal Bishop of Mississippi and I both had beards. They later moved the restaurant to the Fairgrounds site and subsequently failed. That building has been abandoned for years.
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Dennery’s operated at this location from 1949/50-1976 and moved to Greymont in 1977. The restaurant closed in 2008 when the second generation owner decided to retire partly because his children were not interested in the restaurant business. It seems disingenuous to say that it “failed” thirty years after moving to the new location.
By the way, Malvaney, there is a picture of the outside of this Silas Brown building in the MDAH Dennery’s subject file.
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Interesting! I had never heard of a case like that. I have seen Mr. Nick refuse service to those in T-shirts and people without shoes, or otherwise shabbily dressed people. He also would not accept credit cards which put more than a few people in a uncomfortable situation, including a high ranking national executive in a company I worked for. He had taken a large group of us there to eat, and the man was totally embarassed. All this aside, it was still one of the best restaurants the city has seen.
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Me too because I had really long hair!
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Yep, Mr. Dennery did NOT like long hair. On a really slow weekend when there was nothing else to do, we’d go to Dennery’s just so we could get thrown out. :)
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My family enjoyed many wonderful meals there! We especially loved the head of lettuce salad with comeback dressing! It was truly a dining experience where people dressed up and the service was excellent. Whenever we had out-of-town company, Dennery’s was the place to go!
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What memories this picture brings back. As a seafood lover this was my favorite restaurant and while the Coliseum location was OK, somehow it never sseemed to have the atmosphere of the original location. On each table was a story of why the Greek’s were so successful in running restaurants. It must have been true as they had the best restaurants in town. The same family started the very popular Rotisserie restaurant at Five Points. All now part of a bygone era.
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An article in the MS Business Journal dates the opening of the original restaurant as 1948, with a move to the Greymont Ave (Coliseum) location in the late 70s after 29 years at the original location close to the bridge and WLBT. Wasn’t Hwy 80/Old Brandon Road (the bridge) one of the main thoroughfares into Jackson at that time?
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Your right. It was the original route of Hwy 80 but the ‘new’ highway was built long before Dennery’s. It was paved in 1937, and was a part of the first paved road across the state. Old 80 remained busy with traffic to the bootleggers and nightclubs located along the ‘Gold Coast’. The original Hwy 49 (first of 3) turned off the old 80 not far after crossing the old Pearl River bridge.
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Back in the old days, getting together to “eat out” meant going to Dennery’s, or the Rotisserie, or Primos, or the Elite, or the Mayflower, or Crechales. Dennery’s later moved from Jefferson street to the Coliseum. The Rotisserie closed. The Primos family sold out ( 5 locations) in Jackson, and later reopened a spacious restaurant on Lakeland Drive in Flowood. The Elite and the Mayflower are still downtown on Capitol street. Crechales is still on Hwy 80 west. I forgot to mention Lefluer’s Restaurant, which was part of the Jacksonian Motel on Hwy 55 north. I also forgot Paul’s Restaurant and the Green Derby on Hwy 80 west. All these were good places for dining out. There were others almost as good, like Angelo’s and Romanoff’s on Terry Road.
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don’t forget Johnny’s out on Hwy 80 !!
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My parents would dine at the old Dennery’s every Thursday night during my childhood. They dined with another couple for many years. When I was in junior high I was occasionally asked to join them. They always requested a table with their favorite waiter. I always ordered fried shrimp.
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Isn’t this picture the inside of the old Primo’s on Silas Brown?
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Yes my mom would take me and my little brother for a special treat. We would have a filet, baked potato with the special butter, and eat the croutons and comeback dressing. Shortly after they moved to the Greymont address there was the Easter flood of 79. If that didn’t shut them down nothing would. Until the family decision after both parents had passed away!
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Silas Brown St. Is correct.
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Didn’t the E. Silas Brown and Jefferson location become Tom’s run by ex-bootlegger Earl Chatum? He also added a small motel in the back.
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The Silas Brown and Jefferson locations were always owned by the Dennery family. There was a Tom’s Cafe on South State St just north of Silas Brown which is probably the one. Chatham did open a nice restaurant off Hwy 80 where old hwy 49 intersected called ‘Chathams.’ The place you’re talking about may have been the Lakeview Restaurant and Motel on Hwy 80 which was purported to have been built by a bootlegger, but it was not Earl Chatham (see PIM archives regarding same).
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Mr. Chandler, my stepfather would like to hear from you. If you remember Sammy Sims in Jackson, MS, you can contact me at bwskidmore63@gmail.com and I will be happy to put you in touch with him.
Thank you,
Bill Skidmore
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I remember eating at the old location as a very young child around 1964-65. Definitely. Also remember the new location and eating there once.
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My mother worked @ this restaurant, probably over sixty some years ago, when she was a young woman, before she had children, my sister is 64. My mother will be 83, next month.
Her & a bunch of her cousin worked there. Including the man she met from Hattiesburg, whom she married @ about 20. This building should have preserved, as a historical site. It employed a lot of black people
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