The Oldest Restaurant In Every US State Might Surprise You – Mashed

It can be difficult to keep a restaurant running, but some lucky establishments have managed to hang on longer than any others. That being said, sometimes even a long-running business goes through some drastic changes to keep it running, including ownership changes, moves, and even modifications to the type of business surrounding its kitchen and dining room.

Often what you’d think of as a restaurant isn’t even officially a restaurant; it’s an inn, a hotel, even a boarding house, or saloon. And the number of names you find can be confusing, because what’s the difference between a tavern and a bar that offers an extensive menu? But if it serves food, and it’s been serving food for a long time, then it can at least lay claim to having a restaurant, if not being one specifically. If you want to know which place is the oldest restaurant in a specific state or the District of Columbia, here’s a full list.

Two restaurants in Birmingham compete for the “oldest” title. One is Golden Rule, which opened in 1891 but the location and owners have changed. The other is Bright Star, which opened in 1907, has moved once, and has had the same owners.

The Skagway Inn is Alaska’s oldest restaurant if you count inns as restaurants; it opened in 1897. If you’re looking for the oldest standalone restaurant with no lodging, then Peggy’s Cafe, which opened in 1944 in Anchorage, is likely the winner.

Prescott’s Palace Restaurant and Saloon opened in 1877. It was not only a place to eat and drink but also to find work and close business deals. The building retains much of its original fixtures, including a tin ceiling with bullet holes in it.

This 1907 establishment quickly became known for its steaks and its convenient location near a train station. The menu has grown as each new owner has taken on running the restaurant, and now the property includes a sports lounge upstairs.

Tadich Grill has its roots in a tent where three immigrants started selling coffee and food in 1849. The restaurant has been through several moves and was destroyed in the 1906 quake. The interior has booths for privacy and a long lunch counter for more open conversation.

First opened in 1893, the Buckhorn Exchange in Denver is now a National Historic Landmark and was the first establishment to get a liquor license after Prohibition ended. (And it’s still on display.) It also has an extensive taxidermy collection with over 500 animals.

The Griswold Inn was not run by a family named Griswold. It was instead named after another family in the area and opened in 1776. It’s known for great service and a very comfortable atmosphere, and it’s often called the coziest restaurant in the state.

Kelly’s Logan House in Wilmington (1864) is still operated by the founder’s family and is Delaware’s oldest restaurant. Some give that title to Jessop’s Tavern in New Castle, but while the building dates from 1674, it had no food businesses until at least the 1940s.

The Old Ebbitt Grill is the District of Columbia’s oldest restaurant. It was originally a boarding house when the founder bought it in 1856. After several moves and a major ownership change, the grill continues to serve district residents classic food and drinks.

Ybor City’s Columbia Restaurant is not only the oldest restaurant in Florida, but also one of the largest; the original location opened in 1905 and now spans an entire city block. If you count its original incarnation as the Columbia Saloon, push back its opening year to 1903.

The Plaza Restaurant & Oyster Bar has been in operation since 1916, moving only once in its history. Its well-decorated space serves as both a formal dining room and informal local hangout where people can order anything from oysters (of course) to homemade pie.

The Manago Hotel started in 1917 as a small rest stop where travelers could buy foods like udon and coffee. It’s now in Captain Cook on the Island of Hawaii, serves excellent fried pork chops, and was awarded a James Beard Foundation America’s Classics Award in 2023.

The Snake Pit opened in 1880; it was closed in early 2024 as new management took over, but it reopened in June. It’s in the neighborhood of Enaville, near Kingston, and is known for serving Rocky Mountain oysters and as a location in the film “Dante’s Peak.”

The Village Tavern opened in Long Grove, Illinois, in 1847. It’s known for its fish fry and 100-year-old breading recipe, as well as its large dining area. The owners have changed a few times since the 1840s, but all have tried to preserve the tavern’s atmosphere.

The Log Inn in Haubstadt opened in 1825 as the Noon Day Inn, a stagecoach stop for travelers. It’s known for family-style comfort food and is only a few miles away from botanical gardens and a quilt trail.

Breitbach’s Country Dining in Balltown, Iowa, originally opened in 1852. The Breitbach family bought the place in 1862 and continues to run the restaurant. The original building was destroyed in an explosion, and then the replacement burned down, but the rebuilt restaurant is still going strong.

Hays House has been in Council Grove since 1857, catering originally to travelers along the Santa Fe Trail. It claims to be (and this is backed up by the National Park Service) the “oldest continuously operating landmark west of the Mississippi.”

The Old Talbott Tavern in Bardstown opened in 1779 as a rest stop, but it soon became a must-visit location for many travelers. The restaurant boasts previous guests such as Abraham Lincoln (when he was 5 years old) and has even named rooms after famous guests.

Antoine’s in New Orleans has been in business since 1840, and the site where the dish Rockefeller Oysters was created has survived despite financial pressure, hurricanes, and pandemics. It’s the classic spot for classic Creole and New Orleans cuisine.

Most people call the Palace Diner the oldest in Maine; the Biddeford restaurant opened in 1927 and is known for being in a dining car. But the Cliff House, an 1872 resort that used to be seasonal but is now year-round, may be the winner.

The oldest restaurant in Maryland is — or was — Old South Mountain in Boonsboro, which opened in 1732 and closed in 2023 after being bought by the state park service. Now the oldest is Middleton Tavern in Annapolis, which was opened in 1750.

Union Oyster House in Cambridge has an interesting history. It started in 1826 as Atwood & Bacon, known for its semicircular oyster bar. This restaurant was not only a favorite of Julia Child’s but was also the first place where the toothpick was used.

Sleder’s Family Tavern is the oldest full restaurant in Michigan, opening in 1882. The White Horse Inn (1850) and New Hudson Inn (1831) are older; however, the White Horse started as a store, and New Hudson is a bar.

The Hubbell House in Mantorville almost didn’t make it through the pandemic, but it’s still going and has been since 1854. It started as a hotel and expanded to a new, larger building in 1856 that served mail couriers and others traveling west.

Weidmann’s in Meridian has been around since 1870 and is known for its comfort food. The restaurant has moved locations and has been in its current site since 1923. Its specialty is black bottom pie.

The J. Huston Tavern in Arrow Rock would be the oldest restaurant in Missouri after opening in 1834. But it closed in March 2024 after the people running the restaurant ended their lease. A new team took over and plans to reopen the restaurant.

Pekin Noodle Parlor (1911) in Butte, Montana, is the oldest continuously operated Chinese restaurant in the U.S. and is still run by the founder’s family. The basement used to contain a gambling parlor, along with tunnels to hide the gamblers when police would raid the building.

A fixture in Columbus, Nebraska, Glur’s Tavern is a National Historic Site and has been around since 1876. It’s known for burgers and fries, and while it started out selling tobacco, it’s now more of a family place. The Glur family sold the tavern in 1978.

If you want the absolute oldest establishment in Nevada, that’s Genoa Bar and Saloon in Genoa, which opened in 1853. But if you want the earliest restaurant that wasn’t a bar, that would be the Martin Hotel in Winnemucca, which opened in 1898.

The Hancock Inn in Hancock opened in 1789 — but it closed in 2021 when the owners wanted to spend more time with their families instead of running the inn. However, the inn was bought in 2022 and is being remodeled.

The Cranbury Inn in Cranbury opened in 1750, and its owners have done everything they can to keep the traditional look and feel of the establishment. They even worked with the state historic preservation office and restored what they could instead of replacing items like flooring.

El Farol opened in Santa Fe in 1835 and is known for its cozy, homelike atmosphere and its tapas menu. The restaurant features nightly live music and flamenco shows; it has different seating sections that let you listen to the music or people-watch if you prefer.

New York’s Fraunces Tavern usually gets attention for opening in 1762, but ’76 House (or the Old ’76 House) opened in 1755. The building was constructed earlier than that, but it wasn’t known for food until the 1700s. The building served as a prison during the Revolutionary War.

The Carolina Coffee Shop in Chapel Hill began as a soda fountain in 1922 and became a full-service restaurant in the 1950s. It almost closed, but alumni from the University of North Carolina kept it running. The restaurant is known for its comfortable atmosphere.

The Peacock Alley American Grill & Bar in Bismarck has been around since 1933. Much of the structure is original and not remodeled. Rumor has it there are tunnels below the restaurant, but the owner says they have no evidence of that being true.

The Golden Lamb in Lebanon opened in 1803, originally as a “house of public entertainment.” It’s remained in the same location and has played host to 12 U.S. presidents. The property expanded in the 1800s and now houses a museum in addition to the restaurant and hotel.

Cattlemen’s Steakhouse opened in Oklahoma City in 1910 and became known for its late hours, which were unusual at the time. The restaurant was inducted into the Steak House Hall of Fame in 2024 and is known not only for its food but its friendly service.

Huber’s in Portland opened in 1879, first as the Bureau Saloon. It gradually transformed into a combination bar and lunch counter, and it became Huber’s in 1895. The restaurant continues to serve its signature roast turkey and is also known for its stained-glass skylights.

The Revere Tavern in Paradise, Pennsylvania, was in operation since 1740. It closed in 2022, but as of August 2024, it has a new owner. McGillin’s Olde Ale House in Philadelphia, which opened in 1860, often gets the nod as the next-oldest restaurant that’s still operating.

Newport’s White Horse Tavern (1673) is not only Rhode Island’s oldest restaurant, but also the oldest in the U.S. The tavern has had some rough times, even becoming a boarding house at one point. But it held on and is now a National Historic Landmark.

McCrady’s Tavern in Charleston opened in 1778, but its owner was sent out of the territory by invading British troops. McCrady returned in 1788 and quickly made the tavern a social hotspot. In the 2010s, it became home to James Beard awardee Sean Brock.

Legends Steakhouse inside the Franklin Hotel in Deadwood, South Dakota, is that state’s oldest restaurant. It’s been in operation since 1903 (with a brief closure when the hotel was turned into residences). The restaurant is known for the many public figures who have traveled through town.

Varallo’s Restaurant in Nashville opened in 1907. It’s moved a few times but was owned by the same family until 2019. The restaurant is known for its chili and was affected by pandemic closures and supply-chain problems, but it remains open.

If you’re counting stagecoach stops, Stagecoach Inn in Salado is Texas’ oldest food establishment, opening in 1860 but also going through tough times, name changes, and a closure and reopening. Scholz Garten in Austin usually gets the nod as oldest continuous restaurant, opening in 1866.

The oldest by year of opening is Snappy Service, a lunch counter that opened in 1902 in Salt Lake City. But the Bluebird (1914, closed for renovations), Lamb’s (1919, now closed), and Idle Isle (1923) have all duked it out for oldest full-service spot.

Vermont has competing entries. Many point to the Dorset Inn in Dorset (1796) for continuous operation. The winner in terms age is Ye Olde Tavern, in Manchester; it opened in 1790, but it closed for 20 years in the early 1900s after losing its liquor license.

The Red Fox Inn & Tavern in Middleburg, Virginia, opened in 1728 as Chinn’s Ordinary and changed names several times, becoming the Red Fox in 1937. It’s known for it’s range of dishes, from burgers to multicourse dinners.

The Horseshoe Cafe in Bellingham, Washington, opened in 1886, and it’s been operating continuously since then. It did move once — across the street in 1958 — but it continues to serve food and cocktails as it has for over a century.

The oldest restaurant in West Virginia is the North End Tavern & Brewery, which opened in 1899 as just a pub; it didn’t open its brewery until 1997. It’s been remodeled almost completely but remains a favorite with locals.

The Red Circle Inn, in Nashotah, Wisconsin, has been around since 1848 in one form or another. It has changed hands several times, but whatever form it has taken, it has stayed in the same building. The restaurant closed in 2022 after a sale, but it reopened in 2023.

The last entry is Miners and Stockmen’s Steakhouse and Spirits in Hartville, Wyoming. And what an entry it is; the unassuming exterior hides a restaurant known for high-end steaks along with whiskey, wine, and a special house coffee blend. You’ll need reservations.