Hiram Haines’ Coffee and Ale House
12 W Bank St
Petersburg, VA 23803
Petersburg, VA 23803
Hiram Haines’ is probably the best kept secret in all of Petersburg. Just across Longstreet’s on Bank Street, Hiram Haines’ is an unassuming bookstore and restoration shop that actually serves amazing food and drinks.
Its claim to fame is that Edgar Allen Poe stayed in the building on his honeymoon with his cousin/wife. It is decorated in a macabre/ Poe theme with vintage books from floor to ceiling. On weekends, there is often live music. The menu is quite limited but delicious; consisting of a few different sandwiches and a rotating selection of deserts, coffees and beer.
Amanda and I ate at Hiram Haines’ on the night before my birthday. We were the only people in the place except for the owner and our waitress. Our waitress warmly greeted us and quickly brought us some menus and took our drink order. I ordered a Crabby’s alcoholic ginger beer and the Poe Panini. Amanda ordered a glass of wine and the meatloaf sandwich.
Our drinks were promptly brought out and Crabby’s is now one of my favorite beers. Served over ice with a slice of lemon or lime, it tastes just like ginger ale. After about 15 minutes of talking our food was ready. My Panini was delicious, simple but good. It was made with fresh, quality ingredients with a hot and crispy outside and a warm and soft inside. While my Panini was good, Amanda’s meat loaf sandwich was amazing. A nice thick slice of homemade meatloaf served between two slices of sourdough bread and topped with pickles. It was out of this world. Since it was my birthday weekend, we split a piece of lemon marzipan cake. I can’t sweat that it was homemade but it was fresh and tasted great. Neither overly tart nor overly sweet.
The food at Hiram’s is great but the best part is honestly the atmosphere and the experience. I’ve never been anywhere that has the same feel as Hiram’s. It is small and quite with a spooky macabeness that is very fun. If you want a nice simple dinner with a great atmosphere check out Hiram’s for dinner.
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