The Oldest Italian Restaurants In The US

All national cuisines have history, but few wear their age as proudly as Italian food. The heritage, passed-down recipes, and restaurants run by multiple generations of the same family is a large part of what makes Italian cuisine so appealing: Eating food that's been made the same way for decades, if not centuries, feels like you're taking part in tradition. And you don't have to be in Italy to feel this. Italian food has been part of the fabric of the United States since the late 19th century, when the first immigrants from Italy made their way to the country, bringing recipes and cooking styles with them. Pretty soon, restaurants started springing up in major cities, and a surprising number of them have weathered all kinds of ups and downs.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, many of the oldest restaurants in the country are centered around the Northeast. With Ellis Island acting as the entry point for millions of Italian immigrants, it was only natural that some of the biggest Italian communities established themselves relatively close by. Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Coney Island were all areas that saw Italian families set up restaurants that are still thriving now. Having said this, the oldest of them all defies this logic and is located on the other side of the country.

Although most of the oldest Italian restaurants in the United States are concentrated in Northeastern states, the one that's stuck around the longest is thousands of miles away, in San Francisco. Fior d'Italia takes the crown of being the oldest Italian joint in the country, having first been established in 1886 and operating in several different locations throughout its lengthy history. The restaurant's original owner, Angelo Del Monte, had first moved to the U.S. during the California Gold Rush. He subsequently landed in San Francisco, spying an opportunity to introduce Italian food to the people passing through in search of the precious metal. Del Monte and his business partner, Armido "Papa" Marianetti, offered a menu that included tortellini bologna for just five cents and a two-person porterhouse steak for $0.60.

Fior d'Italia had to relocate in 1893 when its original building burned down, and then again in 1906 when its new location was destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake. Unwilling to let natural disasters stand in its way, it began serving food out of a tent. The restaurant has moved several times since, before finally landing in the San Remo Hotel, where it has lived for approximately 20 years. Expect a classic menu of Italian and Italian-American classics, with a few modern touches like gluten-free pasta.

fior.com

415-986-1886

2237 Mason St., San Francisco, CA 94133

Few restaurants have the history that John's of 12th Street does. Established in 1908 by John Pucciatti, this white-tablecloth restaurant became an early haunt for the mafia in New York, with an attempted assassination planned at the eatery in 1922. As prohibition was introduced in the United States, John's became a speakeasy run by Mama John, the wife of John Pucciatti. Mama John would indicate to patrons that the police were coming by blowing out a candle, which remains in the dining room to this day, weighing approximately 250 pounds due to the buildup of wax over the decades that it's been in use.

For people who like their dining experiences to be a little calmer, John's is now a little lighter on action, but not on flavor. You'll find none of the red flags you might find in other Italian restaurants, and pleasingly, it's one of the few older joints that has significantly updated its menu to keep up with modern tastes. Alongside its traditional food, John's offers a fully vegan menu, with staples like garlic bread, meatballs, and Alfredo given a plant-based twist. It's a pretty cool move for a restaurant that could have rested on its laurels.

johnsof12thstreet.com

212-475-9531

302 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10003

If you're ever in Philly and want to take part in a slice of the city's history, head down to Dante & Luigi's. This restaurant (the full name of which is Dante & Luigi's, Corona di Ferro) has been in operation for more than 125 years and was first established in 1899. Dante & Luigi's originally served as a hub for Italian immigrants who were new to the city and couldn't yet speak English. The restaurant's owner, Michael DiRocco, would give the new arrivals lodgings in return for working at the eatery.

Dante & Luigi's was first passed down by DiRocco to his sons (the titular Dante and Luigi), and it stayed in the family until 1996, when it was bought by Michael and Connie LaRussa. That purchase followed a rocky couple of years for the restaurant, which had become a hotspot for mob activity and violence. In the 1950s and beyond, the mob would regularly dine in the eatery, observed by the FBI. In 1989, it all spilled over with the attempted murder of Nicky Scarfo Jr., the son of mob boss Nicky Scarfo, in the restaurant itself. Nowadays, Dante & Luigi's is much quieter, and it's better known for serving its famous pasta e fagioli.

danteandluigis.com

215-922-9501

762 S 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147

It's not hard to find a good Italian sandwich in the United States, and especially not in Brooklyn. However, if you like your sandwiches with a bit of tradition and history, then there's one place you need to go: Defonte's. This sandwich spot (it does have picnic tables on the outside) has been serving up its goods since 1922, and has remained in the Defonte family ever since then. It started life as a bodega before morphing into the established sandwich shop that it's known as today. Throughout the years, it's managed to retain an unfussy, down-to-earth, and welcoming charm.

Make sure you're hungry when you head to Defonte's: The restaurant specializes in serving big portions at a reasonable price. A classic meatball marinara will cost you just under $11, while an eggplant parm sub is priced at $8.95. There's also a selection of salads and sides, and you can pick up some antipasti while you're at it. It's only open until 4:00 p.m., but the good news is that you can pick up a sandwich from six in the morning.

defontes.foodjoyy.com

(718) 625-8052

379 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

Coney Island has long had a well-established Italian-American community, and so it's no surprise plenty of Italian restaurants have thrived there over the years. The oldest of them all is Gargiulo's, a Neapolitan restaurant that's been dishing up food since 1907. Throughout its history, Gargiulo's has served as both an eatery and a location for countless events, thanks to its Grand Ballroom. Weddings, birthdays, and a long string of parties have been held at the restaurant, with cozier tables used for anniversaries – and, of course, just a good old-fashioned meal out on a Saturday night.

Gargiulo's was founded by the Gargiulo family, but it changed hands when Anthony Russo took over. Russo and his brothers worked hard to retain the restaurant's old-school charm, and it keeps that to this day, not least through its food. Expect to find classics like rigatoni bolognese, penne marinara, and minestrone on the menu, and you can wash it all down with a cannoli or piece of tiramisu. Plus, for such a venerable location, it's managed to maintain very reasonable prices: A large cannoli costs just $10.

gargiulos.com

718-266-4891

2911 West 15th Street, Coney Island, New York 11224

There are a couple of Italian restaurants that claim to be America's oldest, and Ralph's is one of them. While we would argue it's been pipped to the post by not one, but two other restaurants (Fior d'Italia and Dante & Luigi's), there's no denying that it's still a venerable institution with a long lineage. Ralph's Italian Restaurant first opened its doors in 1900, with owner Francesco Dispigno naming it after his son. Ralph eventually took over the business, and over the years, the restaurant has been passed down through the generations and remains proudly family-owned to this day.

As for what's on the menu at Ralph's, well, it's pretty much exactly what you'd hope. Ralph's menu offers a range of homemade classics, with ravioli, lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo, and penne alla vodka on the menu. Chicken marsala, eggplant parmigiana, and sausages and peppers in a marinara sauce are also on constant rotation. You can wash it all down with a glass from its extensive wine list, which boasts no less than 16 Italian red wines and a range of American-made options. Come for the history, stay for the food.

ralphsrestaurant.com

215-627-6011

760 S. 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147

When it comes to Italian restaurants, the name Lombardi's stands head and shoulders above the rest. The New York City restaurant is known as the place that first ignited America's love of pizza, and so it's little surprise that it's not only the oldest pizzeria in the country, but also one of the oldest Italian restaurants full-stop. Lombardi's was opened in 1905, after its namesake, Gennaro Lombardi, arrived in the city from Naples, Italy. Lombardi originally started selling pizza, that famous Neapolitan staple, out of his grocery store. As more people fell in love with his food, he scaled up and opened his own restaurant.

Lombardi's and its pizza soon became the stuff of legends, not least because of the enormous coal oven that dominated the shop. This oven was central to the restaurant's success, with its high temperatures giving the pizza a smoky char that boosted its flavor. Nowadays, Lombardi's doesn't just do pizza: You can also pick up a range of salads, pasta dishes, and mains like chicken Milanese. It's pretty clear what the star of the show is at this restaurant, though.

firstpizza.com

212-941-7994

32 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012

Angelo's is a Providence institution. Formally known as Angelo's Civita Farnese, this restaurant was opened in 1924 by Angelo Mastrodicasa. It was named after Farnese, a small working town northwest of Rome, where people would enjoy the kind of recipes that the eatery would subsequently dish up. The restaurant remained family-owned for more than 60 years before it was handed over to the Antignano family, who have kept the feel of the restaurant as it once was.

That feel is undeniably cozy and old-school. At Angelo's, diners eat shoulder-to-shoulder, crammed into its cozy booths that sit below a menu advertising eggplant parm, lasagna, and baked macaroni. It boasts a host of daily specials and a lengthy beer and wine menu. In a modern touch, Angelo's also serves up craft cocktails, with Moscow mules, espresso martinis, and Calabrian margaritas on tap. That last drink is spiked with a generous squeeze of hot honey to give it a fiery kick.

angelosri.com

401-621-8171

141 Atwells Avenue, Providence, RI 02903

If you eat at Totonno's, you don't just get to take part in the history of the restaurant — you also get to take part in the history of Lombardi's. This Coney Island pizzeria was founded in 1924, and since then, it's kept both its doors open and its business family-run. The original proprietor, Anthony "Totonno" Pero, first moved to New York City from Naples in 1903 and ended up working at Lombardi's grocery store, before it had turned into the restaurant that remains an institution to this day. Although Lombardi's was the first pizzeria in the United States, it's claimed that Totonno was the person who actually made the pizzas at Lombardi's in the first place, and therefore deserves the credit for introducing the food to the country.

Whether that's exactly the sequence of events or not remains conjecture, but what's clear is that Totonno's is doing something right. The restaurant was given a James Beard Award in 2009, and today it's a Coney Island institution. Totonno's prides itself on using fresh dough and handmade mozzarella, and this recipe for success has seen countless celebrities walk through its doors.

totonnosconeyisland.com

718-372-8606

1524 Neptune Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11224

Family-owned Italian restaurants are fairly common in the United States, but few of them can boast the history that Barbetta has. This New York restaurant has been owned by the same family since 1906, giving it the distinction of being the oldest family-run eatery in the city. Opened by Sebastiano Maioglio, the restaurant specializes in Piemonte cuisine. Due to the region's proximity to Switzerland and France, that means that Barbetta's menu has staples that feel hearty, robust, and designed for people who live and work in mountainous regions. Think roasted rabbit served with savoy cabbage, mushroom risotto, and ragu with whole wheat penne. Pleasingly, each dish has the year that it was introduced to the menu next to it: Some, like the house-made agnolotti, have been there since the start.

To eat at Barbetta isn't just to consume traditional food. Its dining hall is astonishingly grand, with dangling chandeliers and towering candelabras lighting each white tablecloth. It's an opulent, elegant experience, and one that has stood the test of time. Just don't make any of those classic Italian restaurant mistakes there. 

barbettarestaurant.com

212-246-9171

321 West 46th Street, New York, NY 10036