How does a restaurant become “historic”? For most American eateries, it’s a feat to survive even a few years—much less decades or centuries. In the brutally competitive industry, statistics suggest that 60 percent of eateries don’t make it past their first year; 80 percent close within five years.
But around the U.S, a select coterie of restaurants has defied the odds—enduring world wars, the 1918 flu pandemic, the Depression and more.
These historic eateries offer diners an astonishing panorama of the country’s political, social and demographic history, as well as its culinary traditions. Some feature menu items dating back to the country’s founding—tavern foods, oysters, steak, turkey. Others reflect successive waves of immigrants, offering new arrivals a taste of home. Still others catered to Black Americans migrating north in the first half of the 20th century, offering grits, fried chicken and other southern favorites that came to be known as “soul food.” As the decades passed, a core group of these institutions survived and thrived by redefining the very meaning of “American” cuisine to include their dishes.
“We are like a living museum,” says Niki Russ Federman, a member of the fourth generation to run Russ & Daughters, the iconic New York eatery that has served up bagels, lox and other Jewish dishes for 100-plus years. “What restaurants with this kind of history and heritage contribute to the country is unquantifiable. We reflect and represent our country’s mosaic of cultures.”
That doesn’t mean all historic restaurants stand on a firm footing, economically. All face increased competition, rising wage costs and razor-thin margins. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic posed even greater challenges, causing restaurants to close their doors temporarily, drastically limit capacity and seek new ways to retain loyal customers, from expanded delivery services to online cooking lessons.
Below, a selection of enduring American eateries.
