America’s Oldest Restaurants

A look at the nation’s longest-running dining establishments

By Molly Aronica, Editor

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May 02, 2012 @ 5:33 PM

What can you expect from one of America’s longest-running restaurants? A timeless design and a menu concept that’s build to last, a roster of famous clientele (often including former presidents), and sometimes even a disaster or two (a number of places in this collection were rebuilt after devastating fires and floods).

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But more than these quantitative characteristics, the oldest restaurants in the country have lasted this long because of unique qualities that are much tougher to define.

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For instance, Breitbach’s Country Dining opened in Balltown, Iowa, in 1852 and is one of the oldest family-run restaurants in the nation. Breitbach’s suffered a fire in 2007 that destroyed the building, and immediately the community rallied to help rebuild the structure. Exactly 10 months later the restaurant burned down again, but again the community rebuilt Breitbach’s. Clearly the livelihood of this restaurant is extremely important to the people of Balltown.

While not a definitive list, the following restaurants are some of nation’s oldest. From White Horse Tavern in Newport, R.I., to The Buckhorn Exchange in Denver, consider this a checklist for dining in some of America’s most time-honored spots.