Doug G.
Yelp
I really struggled with this review, as based off of the other reviews and my friends love of Henry's, I wanted to go higher, but I also wanted to be honest...If I could go half stars, Henry's would come in at a solid 3.5.
I finally made it to Henry's after a few attempts during visits with friends who recently moved to Acworth. They tried Henry's and are non-stop about their experience here, so naturally we had to make a reservation on my latest visit. We came by Henry's on a Thursday evening and per usual, the place was PACKED with every seat in the house, waiting area and bar full. Luckily we were sat just a few moments after our reservation time.
Service was solid from entry to exit. Our server was friendly, helpful and polite. She did forget a few items and refills, but she was hustling, so no issues there. In addition to here, Henry himself came through the dining room towards the end of our meal. He was super friendly, welcoming and just an overall good fella! He was also impressive with his ability to toss multiple bead necklaces directly around your neck with no issue! I saw him hit at least 8 folks in a row!
Food wise, I was a bit disappointed. Maybe I just got the wrong items? We started out with the Japanese BBQ Shrimp dish. The dish was served with 5 small shrimp and a mound of Asian slaw. The shrimp were fine, nothing special and the slaw was fine, however the sauce on both was quite salty, and I understand the base is soy, which is naturally salty, however it was a bit overwhelming.
For dinner, I went with the Fried Shrimp Plate with Fries and Hushpuppies. The shrimp were plentiful and fried well, the fries were lightly dusted with seasoning and also fried and portioned well. The hushpuppies were sad, soft and honestly, not good. They had a wet feel to them, which I had never experienced before with hushpuppies, and they were also very small, more like hush-nuggets. The meal as a whole was just ok. Not great, and sadly not worth the $27 price tag. My friends went with the Chicken Ooh La La, and a Chicken and Shrimp Combo. The Ooh La La was tasty, covered in a silky cream sauce and loaded with chunks of chicken. The Chicken and Shrimp dish was decent, however the chicken was a bit overcooked.
The feel and decor of Henry's is welcoming, friendly, local and of course, New Orleans. They have two levels, the main level featuring a small dining room in the same space with the bar, then a larger dining room around the corner. The upstairs is located to the right of the entry, and requires you to pop out to go up. We dined in the large dining room on the main floor and had no issues.
Parking, as with all of downtown Acworth can be tricky, however the free lot behind the restaurants always comes in clutch!
Overall, I can see the hype about Henry's and am sad that I did not experience in full, what makes this place so special to folks. I enjoyed my time there, and would love to come back and select a few other items. Upon that, I will update my review.