Harry Bissett's New Orleans Café was founded in 1986 by George Harrison Davis. Mr. Davis originally owned and operated Gus Garcia's Mexican Restaurant and Cantina but felt that Athenians' dining options were largely limited to pizza stores and sandwich shops. The idea for Harry Bissett’s was to create an experience that offered a loftier style cuisine served in a congenial atmosphere with impeccable service. The chosen location at 279 East Broad Street could not have been a better fit being directly across the street from the University of Georgia's historic North campus.

 

Originally constructed in 1895, the building initially housed the National Bank of Georgia. By 1985 the space was home to Bankers Restaurant, owned by Mr. Bob Pease. Prior to Mr. Pease's purchase of the property in 1979, the building had been occupied for some years by Hoagies sandwich shop; through numerous changes to the interior, Mr. Pease transformed the building into a restaurant configured in many ways like its current incarnation as Harry Bissett's. Perhaps the most notable of the improvements was enclosure of the building's courtyard. Mr. Pease roofed the area with a skylight ceiling, refining it for year-round use as a dining area. In 1985, Mr. Pease's desire to leave the restaurant business perfectly coincided with George Davis' search for a suitable site for his latest business venture.

 

Having found the perfect spot for his restaurant, Mr. Davis went to work formulating a concept. He finally settled on a New Orleans style restaurant that would serve classic Cajun / Creole cuisine. Good fortune led him to Neil Smith, originally from Lake Arthur, Louisiana, whom he hired as the first general manager of Harry Bissett's. The next spot on the management team was filled by Jim White who had also journeyed to Athens form Louisiana (New Orleans and Baton Rouge) in 1984; Neil Smith's knowledge of Louisiana's unique cuisine and his previous restaurant experience paired with Jim White's management abilities and attention to detail in a full service restaurant proved to be the formula that then gave, and continues to give, Harry Bissett's a tradition of excellence in food preparation and service.

 

On February 14, 1986, Harry Bissett's New Orleans Café and Oyster Bar first opened its doors for business, offering a variety of traditional Cajun/Creole fare along with original dishes inspired by the rich culinary traditions of Louisiana. Many of Harry Bissett's' original menu items are still offered today, dishes such as, Oysters Rockefeller, Oysters Bienville, Seafood Gumbo, Shrimp Creole, Filet Mignon Au Poivre, Trout Almondine, and Blackened Fish are prepared only from fresh ingredients and served daily along with side items such as Creamed Spinach, Maque Choux, Dirty Rice, and Jambalaya. For dessert, Harry Bissett's originally offered, and still features, such daily prepared treats as New Orleans Style Bread Pudding, Chocolate Truffle Cake, Sweet Potato Pecan Pie, and Fresh Fruit Sabayon.

 

Today, Jim White is the owner of Harry Bissett’s and has expanded operations with a sister location, Harry Bissett’s Bayou Grill, to cater to the ever growing west side of Athens.