Dining choices can be a bit overwhelming no matter where you live, with a multitude of options that can be confusing. According to the National Restaurant Association, there are currently more than 749,000 restaurants in the United States, down from over one million just a few years ago. Yet, it’s also great to know you have a bountiful selection. In an industry where statistics find that 60% of restaurants fail in the first year, and 80% don’t make it past five years, knowing these places are open, and have been so for some time, is an impressive feat.
The first real restaurant in America was likely Delmonico’s in New York City. Initially opened as a pastry shop in 1827, it expanded into a full-scale restaurant based on the French model three years later. 24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of the oldest restaurants in the U.S. that opened after Delmonico’s and have been offering food and drinks since their inception, even if they began as taverns or saloons. (Here are 16 signs you’re eating at a bad restaurant.)
We reviewed lists from various food, travel, and history websites, as well as numerous local and regional publications and the historical sections of many restaurant websites. Only places that opened after 1830 were considered since that was the year Delmonico’s in New York City, widely regarded as the country’s first real restaurant, began operating.
The original Delmonico’s is not included here. A restaurant with the same name currently operates near the original location in downtown Manhattan, but only has a slight connection to its early-19th-century namesake. An offshoot of the first Delmonico’s, which opened in 1897 on Fifth Avenue at 44th Street, went out of business in 1923 and is considered to have been the last Delmonico’s with any direct link to the original.
Establishments that initially functioned primarily as bars, taverns, inns, or similar venues and only evolved into actual restaurants decades later were excluded. (This is the oldest restaurant in every state.)
Here are America’s oldest restaurants:
Cattlemen’s Steakhouse
- Year opened: 1910
- Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Established in 1910 as the Cattlemen’s Café in Oklahoma City’s Stockyards City, the restaurant initially served cowboys, ranchers, and cattle haulers. While details of its early days are sparse, it is known that H.V. “Homer” Paul took over the establishment in 1926. (Note: There is a chain with the same name in California, but they are not affiliated.)
By 1945, ownership of the restaurant had passed to Hank Frey, who reportedly lost it to local rancher Gene Wade Jr. in a dice game that same year. The Wade family maintained ownership for the next 45 years. In 1990, Dick Stubbs, a restaurateur from Oklahoma City purchased the place and transformed it from a café to a steakhouse. The menu now centers around prime or choice corn-fed Midwestern beef.
The Bright Star
- Year opened: 1907
- Location: Bessemer, Alabama
Founded in the Birmingham suburb of Bessemer in 1907, the Bright Star Restaurant was originally a 25-seat café with a horseshoe-shaped bar opened by Greek immigrant Tom Bonduris. Now a 330-seat restaurant, it has been run by members of the Koikos family, also from Greece, since 1925. (Birmingham has a long history of Greek-owned restaurants.) Southern fare, sometimes with a Greek accent, is the specialty.
Varallo’s
- Year opened: 1907
- Location: Nashville, Tennessee
In 1907, Italian immigrant Frank Varallo Sr. established Varrallo’s, originally named Frank Varallo’s Chili Parlor, in Nashville, Tennessee. At one time, he used a three-wheel Harley-Davidson motorcycle to deliver gallons of chili daily around downtown Nashville. Following his father’s death, Frank Varallo Jr. took over the restaurant at the age of 14.
In December 2019, the restaurant changed ownership, moving out of the Varallo family’s hands. However, they continue to serve chili, plain or with spaghetti and/or tamales, as well as a variety of Southern dishes.
Columbia Restaurant
- Year opened: 1905
- Location: Tampa, Florida
The oldest restaurant in Florida, located in Tampa’s Ybor City neighborhood, was founded by Cuban immigrant Casimiro Hernandez Sr. and remains under the management of his descendants. Columbia, which calls itself the largest Spanish restaurant worldwide, features specialties such as black bean soup, tapas, and paella. Additionally, it has expanded with multiple locations, including one at Tampa International Airport.
Rao’s
- Year opened: 1896
- Location: East Harlem, New York City, New York
In the New York City neighborhood of East Harlem, in what was then the largest Italian community in the city, Italian immigrant Joshua Anthony Rao converted a small shop into a modest restaurant, running it until he died in 1909. Members of his extended family are still in charge. In 1977, Mimi Sheraton, then the New York Times restaurant critic, gave the place a rave review for its unpretentious home-style Italian fare.
Rao’s, which only had eight tables (it now has ten), was overwhelmed and its longtime regular customers couldn’t get in. To remedy the situation, Rao’s became one of the country’s toughest reservations by instituting a system of holding seats for loyal locals and ceding them to outsiders only if the regulars didn’t show up.
Louis’ Lunch
- Year opened: 1895
- Location: New Haven, Connecticut
Louis’ started as a lunch wagon in New Haven, Connecticut. Among several contenders, Louis’ claims to have invented the hamburger, serving a ground meat patty between two pieces of toast in 1900, reportedly improvised on the spot for a hurried customer.
The restaurant relocated to its current building in 1917 and faced demolition in the early 1970s, the entire structure was moved to its current location on Crown Street. Founder Louis Lassen’s great-grandson still runs the place today.
Commander’s Palace
- Year opened: circa 1893
- Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
This Big Easy classic was opened as a saloon and restaurant by one Emile Commander (a name Americanized from his Italian father’s name, Camarda.). The Brennan family, New Orleans restaurant royalty, took the place over in 1974. Among the notable chefs who have run the kitchen since then are Paul Prudhomme, Emeril Lagasse, and Frank Brigtsen.
Complex modern Creole food (Cognac-flambéed crawfish with cornbread spaetzle, blue-crab-crusted flounder with marinated artichokes) is the focus.
The Buckhorn Exchange
- Year opened: 1893
- Location:
Founded by Henry H. Zietz, a former scout for Buffalo Bill Cody, The Buckhorn holds Colorado liquor license No. 1. Following Henry Zietz’s passing, his son, Henry Zietz Jr., assumed ownership in 1949. after his father died. In 1978, Zietz Jr sold the Denver restaurant to a consortium of local investors. The menu features a variety of steaks including beef, buffalo, and occasionally elk, quail, ostrich, and yak.
Katz’s Delicatessen
- Year opened: 1888
- Location: New York City, New York
This New York City institution first opened as Iceland Brothers (by brothers of the same name) and became Iceland & Katz when Willy Katz invested in the place in 1903. In 1910, Willy’s brother Benny joined the business, and the two bought out the Icelands and renamed this landmark Lower East Side deli Katz’s. Another partner, Harry Tarowsky, came on in 1917.
Harry’s son and Benny’s son-in-law took over management in the late 1970s but sold the place to new owners in 1988. All the deli classics — matzo ball soup, chopped liver, corned beef and pastrami sandwiches, brisket, and the rest — are served.
Peter Luger Steak House
- Year opened: 1887
- Location: New York City & Long Island, New York
German immigrant Carl Luger established this landmark in Williamsburg, originally named Carl Luger’s Café, Billiards, and Bowling Alley, catering to Brooklyn’s German community. After Carl’s passing, his son Peter assumed ownership and renamed the restaurant after himself, transforming it into a steakhouse. Peter’s nephew, another Carl, was the chef.
After Peter died in 1941, his son Frederick took over, but over time the restaurant lost its former glory. In 1950, it was bought and revitalized by Sol Forman, a loyal customer who owned a family business nearby. The Forman family continues to own this iconic Brooklyn institution, which expanded in 1960 to another location in Great Neck, NY.
Keens Steakhouse
- Year opened: circa 1885
- Location: New York City, New York
Originally part of the famous theatre and literary group known as Lambs Club in what was then the Herald Square Theatre District of New York City, then-manager Albert Keen became the owner of this establishment in 1885 and changed the name to Keens Steakhouse. Its most famous dish for many decades has been the “mutton chop.” Originally a slab of mutton (the meat of sheep at least two years old), it’s now a thick chop of regular (younger) lamb.
The restaurant declined and almost closed in the 1970s, but restaurateur George Schwarz bought and renovated it. Schwarz died in 2016. His estate owns the restaurant, and longtime manager Bonnie Jenkins runs it.
Old Homestead Steakhouse
- Year opened: 1868
- Location: New York City, New York
Originally a small restaurant within the Tidewater Trading Post, operated by the Heinz family, the Old Homestead served patrons along the waterfront when the Hudson River once nearly reached its doors. Arguably New York City’s oldest restaurant and America’s oldest continuously operating steakhouse, the Old Homestead expanded as the river receded, evolving into a full-scale steakhouse.
In the 1940s, it was purchased by longtime employee, Harry Sherry. Today, his grandsons are the proud owners and operators of this historic establishment.
Scholz Garten
- Year opened: 1866
- Location: Austin, Texas
This Austin, Texas beer garden and eatery was opened in 1866 by German immigrant August Scholz just after the end of the Civil War. It is said to be not just the oldest restaurant but the oldest continuously operating business of any kind in Texas. The German choral society Austin Saengerrunde bought it in 1914 and retains ownership of the building to this day — though three Austin businessmen took over the business lease in 1987.
Daniel Northcutt, the former owner of the now-closed hot-dog-centered restaurant Frank, operates the place — where the menu offers both German and Texas specialties (Wienerschnitzel as well as a Texas sausage plate).
The Old Clam House
- Year opened: 1861
- Location: San Francisco, California
The restaurant, initially named the Oakdale Bar, was managed by Ambrose Zurfluh and his wife, Anna Imhof Zwyssig. Anna oversaw the food, preparing homemade soup, hard-boiled eggs, and a selection of dishes that included clams and oysters sourced from the bay. There is ongoing debate about whether this is the San Francisco’s oldest restaurant.
Although the Tadich Grill (also on this list) may have a longer history, traditionalists argue that it has relocated multiple times, whereas the bar area of the Old Clam House has remained in its original location since its establishment in 1861. This distinction technically makes it the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the same location.
Since 2011, local restaurateur Jerry Dal Bozzo and his wife, Jennifer, have managed the restaurant. They remodeled the place and updated the menu to include seafood platters and garlic roast crab.
Hays House
- Year opened: 1857
- Location: Council Grove, Kansas
The Hays House was opened in Council Grove, Kansas by Seth Hays, frontiersman Daniel Boone’s great-grandson. Originally opened as a trading post and food-serving tavern with rooms, Hays House also housed a post office and a barber shop at various times and served as a venue for religious services and theatrical performances.
Jesse James and General Custer are reported to have been among its early customers. The restaurant, which serves burgers, steaks, and other American fare, has been damaged by fire and restored three times over the years. The kitchen was destroyed by a blaze in 2011, and the place might have closed permanently — but a group of 25 residents formed an investment group to buy and reopen it.
Breitbach’s Country Dining
- Year opened: 1852
- Location: Sherrill, Iowa
Breitbach’s Country Dining was opened as a stagecoach stop in 1852, established under a federal permit issued by President Millard Fillmore. Its original name is unknown, but it has been Breitbach’s since the Breitbach family purchased it in 1862. Remarkably, the restaurant remains in the ownership of their descendants to this day. It is famous for its steaks, seafood, and homemade pies.
Tadich Grill
- Year opened: 1849
- Location: San Francisco, California
Tadich Grill, known as not only San Francisco’s but California’s oldest restaurant, was originally a tent named Coffee Stand during the Gold Rush era, established by three Croatian immigrants. Despite its name, the restaurant offered a variety of dishes, including fresh grilled fish. Over the years, it relocated several times, evolving through names such as the New World Coffee Saloon and later the Cold Day Restaurant.
Croatian John Tadich bought and renamed the place after himself in 1887. In 1928, another Croatian, John Buich, bought Tadich Grill, and the Buich family continues to run it today. The menu focuses on Dungeness crab, petrale sole, and other seafood.
Antoine’s
- Year opened: 1840
- Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Founded by 18-year-old immigrant Antoine Aciatore from France and his wife Julie, this New Orleans institution is not only the oldest family-run restaurant in the country but also, by some definitions, the oldest restaurant overall. Originally located one block away from its current French Quarter location, Antoine’s has remained a cornerstone of New Orleans since its inception.
Julie took charge of the restaurant after Antoine’s health declined in the 1870s, and later their son Jules assumed ownership. Jules’ son Roy continued the family legacy, managing Antoine’s until 1972. Roy’s grandson Rick Blount took over as CEO and proprietor in 2005. The menu showcases a range of rich Creole specialties, including famous creations like oysters Rockefeller and eggs Sardou, which were invented at Antoine’s.