The Oldest Italian Restaurant In The US Isn't Where You Might Expect

New York City has long been a culinary melting pot thanks to the immigrants who arrived from Europe in the 19th century. From Little Italy to Chinatown, the impact of settlers on the food scene is still evident today. However, it may surprise you to learn that the oldest Italian restaurant in the U.S. is not on the East Coast. It's in northern California. 

San Francisco is the home of Fior D'Italia, which opened in 1886. While other restaurants in America may be older, Fior d'Italia holds the record as the country's oldest Italian restaurant. California had only been a state for 36 years when the founder of Flor D'Italia, Italian immigrant Angelo DelMonte, journeyed to the West Coast for the same reason so many others had made the trek: gold. However, things didn't turn out exactly as planned.

Unfortunately for DelMonte (but fortunately for Italian food lovers in northern California), DelMonte was unsuccessful as a gold miner. Still, he did know a goldmine when he saw it. With so many Italian immigrants searching for gold, DelMonte knew an Italian restaurant would feed all those hungry people longing for a taste of home, so he opened Flor d'Italia in 1886. Four years later, fellow Italian Armido "Papa" Marianetti became his partner, and, as they say, the rest is history.

As you would expect from such an old establishment, Flor d'Italia has a colorful and, at times, tragic history. The restaurant's first home — complete with a brothel — was destroyed by a fire in 1893. In 1906, after the infamous earthquake that destroyed much of San Francisco, including the restaurant, Fior d'Italia, operated out of a tent feeding people in the neighborhood who'd been affected. Another fire in 2005 forced the restaurant to move to its current location inside the San Remo Hotel. Flor d'Italia closed in 2012 but reopened six months later, a true testament to its resiliency.

Fior d'Italia is one of America's best Italian restaurants and has seen its share of famous patrons over its long history. President Richard Nixon dined there when he was vice president, the late California senator Dianne Feinstein gushed about the calamari, and Tony Bennett didn't just leave his heart in San Francisco; he left his name as one of the infamous diners at Fior d'Italia. With such a long and storied history, we expect Flor d'Italia could be open for another hundred years.