The Haunted Cajun Restaurant in St. Augustine

Greetings from Harry's Seafood Bar & Grille!

It is haunted, but there's a catch.

Traveler, I found myself in Eastern Florida in February for no reason other than flying to Orlando from Philadelphia in February is very cheap. I paid under $100 round trip for airfare with a carry-on suitcase. I had been to Florida before in my youth; however, I had never been to St. Augustine.

According to Wikipedia, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States, dating back to the 16th century. The Spanish were the first to colonize it, and then it settled into a port town during the age of the pirates. I found myself wandering St. Augustine at dusk after I drove two hours from Orlando in a Fiat 500 to check into a haunted bed and breakfast. But before I went to bed in a ghost room, I needed to see the sights.

The moon was that full

St. Augustine is gigantic, Traveler, and yet it still manages to be a walkable town. In the middle is Flagler College, a sprawling institution that was once a gorgeous luxury hotel. Walking into town, you will find a bevy of shops of all kinds, up to and including the Medieval Torture Museum, and with those shops come some incredible restaurants.

And more than a few of those restaurants claim to be haunted. According to hauntedrooms.com, St. Augustine ranks third on their list of the 13 most haunted cities in the United States, due to its age and the poor life expectancy that came from being such an old port town. When I researched haunted restaurants in the area, my alma mater, Ghost City Tours, led me to Harry's Seafood Bar & Grille, right along the downtown area. 

According to Ghost City, Harry's Seafood is haunted by the previous owner, Catalina. Catalina lived in the house through her childhood but was exiled to Cuba due to the war in St. Augustine between the Spanish and British. Eventually, she made her way back to the home and loved it so much that she returned after her passing.

This tastes even better than it looks

The bartender, who also took my dinner order, the Pasta Chicken Louisianne, confirmed this for me, which was somehow both affordable and delicious. I asked the bartender if the restaurant was haunted, and his reply matched what I've seen in my research. I'll paraphrase here and keep his name out of it for confidentiality.

Oh, it's really haunted, he replied. But the catch is, it's only the women's bathroom over there.

With that, he pointed to the second-floor ladies' room on the opposite side of the restaurant from me.

That opening at the other end of the bar leads to the haunted restroom.

Undeterred, I opened my backpack anyway and pulled out my trusty dowsing rods. Well, I waited until I finished my chicken, of course. Once I was full, however, I engaged in a makeshift seance. Funny enough, the dowsing rods didn't move on the first question.

If the bartender's account is true, the second-floor ladies' room may have been Catalina's childhood bedroom in another time and another life. 

That said, Harry's was delicious, and I recommend it wholeheartedly when you visit St. Augustine, Traveler. I'll never truly know if it's haunted, but maybe you can let me know when you visit the restaurant yourself.

Until again,

Safe Travels

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THE EXIT 13

This Spooky Traveler’s column focuses on haunted locations around the New England area. Victor S. Johnson is an adventurer, tour guide, and published author. His dedicated hobby is traveling through the United States (and soon after, the world), checking out old, reported hauntings and sharing his findings with his audience over on his YouTube channel, Destination Spooky.