Iconic Old Town Dispensary in final days as another Bluffton restaurant preps to move in

Saturday will be patrons’ last chance to raise their glasses at Old Town Dispensary before it closes and another Old Town restaurant prepares to reopen in the location.

Old Town Dispensary, located just off Calhoun Street, has been a central part of the Old Town Bluffton dining and live music scene for 10 years. Another Old Town fixture, Agave Side Bar, will move from the Promenade into the space.

“We’re excited for a new chapter in our lives, and we were presented an opportunity for both of us, Agave and Old Town Dispensary, for a new future,” Dispensary chef and owner Matt Jording. “We’re very excited.”

Jording, who also owns The Sage Room on Hilton Head’s Pope Avenue, said that restaurant will not be affected.

Old Town Dispensary is offering customers 25% off of their total bill Friday and Saturday during a customer appreciation event. Jording said any further updates will be posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

Starting in February, Agave Side Bar will be leasing the Dispensary building from Jording.

That means Agave will go from being able to seat about 60 people to seating around 170.

Agave’s owner Linda Belskis said she will close the current location on Sunday, Jan. 28, and hopes to reopen in mid-February at the Dispensary location.

All of the current Agave staff will be making the move, Belskis said. “A good lot” of the Dispensary staff, both front of the house and back of the house, will be staying on after the switch.

Agave’s full menu will also make the move, with some planned additions.

“Being in our current location, the kitchen was always so small, we couldn’t do a whole lot of things,” Belskis said. “With a larger kitchen, we’ll be able to offer more variety, maybe more entrees.”

While Belskis said she’s excited to be making the move, she understands the sadness longtime Dispensary fans are experiencing.

“It’s been an iconic part of downtown Bluffton,” she said. “We just hope to carry the traditions of live music and having a great place for people to hang out, enjoy the food, enjoy the drinks.”