The Most Historic Restaurant In Every State

There's a big difference between an old restaurant and a historic restaurant. An old restaurant might have been around for 100 years, but historic restaurants, on the other hand, are ones that feel like they're a part of history, and when you dine there, you feel like you're a part of that history as well. The restaurants on this list haven't just been around for a long time, they've invented now-popular dishes or serve as a snapshot of how we used to eat. They've hosted major figures in American history, serve as time capsules to an earlier era and have undoubtedly played a role in history.

Chris' Hotdogs opened on Montgomery's famed Dexter Avenue in 1917, and it's served guests including Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Martin Luther King Jr., Elvis Presley, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and Clark Gable on its way to becoming Montgomery's oldest family-owned-and-operated restaurant. The throwback goes through 10 gallons of its famous chili sauce daily, and only a handful of people know the recipe. Not only is it historic, Chris' is one of America's best hot dog joints.

An honest-to-goodness Arizona frontier saloon, The Palace opened in 1877 and attracted the likes of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday before burning down in 1900 and being rebuilt the following year. Thankfully, the restaurant has been meticulously restored and still has a true Wild West feel to it, right down to stag heads on the wall and the bartenders slinging drinks behind the original 1800s Brunswick bar. 

In 1919, entrepreneur Frank Toulet opened a restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard, later teaming with restaurateur Joseph Musso. In 1927, the restaurant was purchased by Italian immigrants John Mosso and Joseph Carissimi, who moved it next door a few years later. It's still in that location today, run by Mosso's three granddaughters, and it's seen a ton of Hollywood history in that time. Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks reportedly challenged each other to horse races to see who would pick up the tab there, Greta Garbo and Gary Cooper had breakfast together there and other regulars included Marilyn Monroe, Jimmy Stewart and Humphrey Bogart. It remains classy, timeless and sophisticated, and it also holds a special place in culinary lore: It's supposedly the first restaurant outside of Rome to have served fettuccine Alfredo, one of the most popular pasta dishes of all time.

The Griswold Inn opened its doors in 1776, making it as old as America itself, but it truly came into its own during the 1820s, when steamboat service began between New York and Hartford with a stop in Essex, and the inn became an essential refuge for travelers. In the 1840s, the Temperance Movement brought protests there (a banner is still hung in the dining room), and it was a popular hangout among yachtsmen in the postwar years. Today, it's a beloved local landmark with a main dining room that's covered wall-to-wall with historic artifacts and marine art, and it still offers a true New England inn experience.

In 1913, when Hungarian immigrants Joe Weiss and his wife, Jennie, opened a small lunch counter in Miami Beach, it was the only restaurant on the beach. Collins Avenue was a rutted trail and stone crabs were considered to be inedible. But one day Joe tossed some of their claws into boiling water, realized that they were in fact delicious and the rest is history. The restaurant (and its popularity) grew throughout the 20s and 30s, and it soon became a must-visit for luminaries passing through town, hosting the likes of Will Rogers, Amelia Earhart, J. Edgar Hoover and Damon Runyon in its early days. Today, it's still owned by the Weiss family and it's still serving legendary stone crab claws, one of the 101 most iconic restaurant dishes in America.

Rainbow Drive-In was founded by Okinawa-raised Seiju Ifuku in 1961 and quickly became popular for serving hearty portions of filling fare like chili and rice, burgers and barbecue beef to local workers and Waikiki beachgoers. The restaurant and its menu of traditional Hawaiian plate lunches (one of the best things to eat in America, by the way) gained more and more popularity over the years, and today it's still serving those same hearty dishes in the original space. It's also still family-run, providing locals and tourists with a true taste of blue-collar Hawaii. 

Herman Berghoff emigrated from Germany to Chicago in 1870 and opened his restaurant, The Berghoff, in 1898. Back then a beer cost a nickel and came with a free sandwich, and the restaurant was able to survive throughout Prohibition by serving "near beer." After Prohibition ended, The Berghoff received the city's first liquor license, and only permitted men until activists including Gloria Steinem ended the segregation in 1969. Today it's a Chicago landmark, one of the country's top spots for traditional German fare, and one of America's greatest old-school restaurants.

The Maid-Rite is a beloved regional specialty thanks to Fred Angell, who opened the first location of Maid-Rite in Muscatine, Iowa, in 1926 and soon franchised the concept. Cliff Taylor purchased a franchise in Marshalltown in 1928, which his son Don took over after he passed away and moved into high-tech (for the time) new digs in 1958. This is where the location remains today. Today there are Maid-Rite locations throughout Iowa and the Midwest. This is a regional chain that should go national, but the Marshalltown location operates independently of the others and appears frozen in time while serving the iconic loose meat creation made by piling finely ground hamburger meat onto a bun and topping it with mustard, ketchup, pickles and/or chopped onions.

Built as a stagecoach stop in 1779, the Talbott Tavern provided food and lodging to America's early pioneers, and over the years it racked up a major amount of historic moments. Abraham Lincoln stayed here as a child, Andrew Jackson warmed up by the hearth, a member of King Louis Philippe's entourage is believed to have painted murals on the walls (which were uncovered in 1927) and Jesse James may have shot some holes in a wall after too many drinks in the pub. Oh, and it's probably haunted. All these years later, it's still providing a hot meal and a bed to folks passing through town. 

Since 1896, crowds have lined up along York Beach to watch the production of the famous "Goldenrod Kisses" (known elsewhere as saltwater taffy) through the front windows of The Goldenrod, a seasonal restaurant, soda fountain and candy shop. Drop by the restaurant for classic breakfast fare, sandwiches and some of the best lobster rolls in Maine, take a seat at the soda fountain for a hot fudge sundae made with homemade ice cream and pick up some candy for as little as 2 cents.

The Union Oyster House first opened for business in 1826, but its building dates back even further — it was home to a dress goods business in 1742 and a newspaper was published on its top floor in 1771. Daniel Webster would stop by for oysters and brandy daily, the toothpick made its American debut there and it was a favorite haunt of the Kennedy clan; JFK's favorite booth is marked with a plaque. The Union Oyster House has had only three owners over the years, and its interior is a rustic and cozy time capsule of Boston history.

Art and Marie Murray opened Murray's Steakhouse in 1946, and it soon became a must-visit for Minneapolis' hoi polloi. Art and Marie were gracious hosts, attracting legions of regulars who turned it into one of the city's most popular restaurants. It remains a timeless classic and one of America's best steakhouses to this day. Many signature menu items including garlic toast, pretzels, pies and its famed Silver Butter Knife Steak — a 28-ounce strip sirloin carved tableside — are still served. Three of Art and Marie's grandchildren are currently on the management team.

Built as a private home by settler Joseph Huston in 1834, what became the J. Huston Tavern was soon converted into a boarding house and stopover for the hordes who passed by on their journey west. A mercantile store and ballroom were added over the course of the following decades, and a large dining room and modern kitchen were added in 1955. There are now three dining rooms and the store has been converted into a great bar, and museum spaces provide a glimpse into pioneer life in the 1800s.

The oldest continually operating tavern west of the Mississippi, Glur's opened in 1876 as the Bucher Saloon and was a favorite hangout of Buffalo Bill while he was rehearsing his Wild West show nearby. While the interior may have more of a 1970s rec room vibe these days, there's still an old "saloon" sign swinging over the front door, and it's even earned itself a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The Red Arrow opened in Manchester in 1922 and since that time it's changed very little and has achieved a level of national renown that even the owners are hard-pressed to explain. Photos of all its celebrity visitors line the walls (Paul Newman and RuPaul have dropped by, and Adam Sandler, who grew up in Manchester, is something of a regular), but if it has one claim to fame, it's its association with the New Hampshire Primary. It's become a must-visit for politicians on the campaign trail, a place to connect with the locals. This is a true old-school hangout, and one of the best 24-hour diners in America.

The compound that La Posta de Mesilla is a part of was constructed in the 1840s, and after the Civil War, it became an important stop on the Butterfield Stagecoach Line. The restaurant itself opened here in 1939, and since then it's grown to incorporate more than 17,000 square feet of the compound and includes private dining rooms, two cantinas, shops and a courtyard. It offers a true taste of New Mexican cuisine and is an ideal place to try both red and green regional chili styles, carne adovada and flan. 

Downtown Raleigh's Roast Grill takes pride in how little it's changed over the years. It still serves one of the best hot dogs you'll find anywhere (topped with only mustard, slaw and/or homemade chili and charred on the original grill) and glass-bottled sodas, as it has since it first opened in 1940. Should you visit this old-fashioned lunch counter nowadays, whatever you do, don't even think about ordering your hot dog with ketchup. Run by George Poniros, who inherited it from his grandmother, the Roast Grill is a true slice of old Raleigh and remains a reflection of the hard work of the city's many Greek immigrants in the early 20th century.

Largely thanks to its prime location halfway between Cincinnati and what was then called the National Road (now Route 40), The Golden Lamb has been a popular gathering spot for travelers and locals since New Jersey native Jonas Seaman first opened its doors in 1803. Ohio's longest continually operating business, it got its start as a two-story log cabin, which was soon replaced by a brick structure and became a popular stagecoach stop. It was home to the town's first theater and hotel, hosted everyone from Charles Dickens to Daniel Webster and has been owned by the same family since 1926. When you visit, be sure to check out the period rooms, which are full of Shaker furniture and rare artifacts.

Founded as a small saloon in 1879 and moved into its current location in 1910, Huber's got its start as the kind of place where a whiskey came with a free turkey sandwich and coleslaw. By the 1940s, the menu had expanded to include steaks, seafood and salads (no longer free of charge, sadly). Its signature drink — Spanish Coffee, prepared tableside with Bacardi 151 rum, triple sec, Kahlua, coffee, whipped cream and nutmeg — was invented in the 1970s and is largely the reason why Huber's is the largest user of Kahlua in the U.S. among independent restaurants today.

White Horse Tavern isn't just historic, it's the oldest restaurant in America. This National Historic Landmark began serving guests in 1673, when it was used as a meeting place for the colony's general assembly and city council. During the Revolutionary War, it was taken over by Hessian mercenaries. After being threatened with demolition in the 1950s, it was acquired by the Preservation Society of Newport County in 1954 and faithfully restored to its former glory. Today, it's an impeccably maintained, cozy fine-dining restaurant with white tablecloths and an old-time ambiance that's exactly what you'd expect from a restaurant with such an incredible history. And after your meal, you can visit the nearby Breakers, one of the largest mansions in America.

Opened in 1909, Spearfish Canyon Lodge and its Latchstring Restaurant were originally only accessible via horseback or railroad, and served as a rest stop and launching point for early nature-seekers and outdoor adventurers seeking to explore some of the country's top natural wonders. Latchstring is a rustic and inviting log-cabin-style dining room, and it's exactly the type of place you'll want to visit after a day spent in the surrounding nature. When the sun goes down it's quite romantic. 

The Big Texan is best known as the place where folks attempt to down an entire 72-ounce steak, shrimp cocktail, baked potato, salad and a roll with butter in under an hour for a chance at culinary immortality. But it's a lot more than just a gimmick. Founded along America's great lost highway, Route 66, by Bob Lee in 1960 and in its current home since the late 1970s, The Big Texan is about as Lone Star State as it comes, with a Wild West theme, an ungodly amount of taxidermy and memorabilia lining the walls and a menu of big Texas classics like ribs, prime rib, chicken fried steak and smoked barbecue beef sandwiches. But it doesn't end there: There's an on-site brewery, gift shop, RV park with a pool, horse stables, outdoor concert space and even a house limo to shuttle diners to and from local hotels.

Built in 1790 as the Stagecoach Inn, Ye Olde Tavern was home to the town's first telephone line and houses many curios from its time as a hotel and antique shop in the 1930s. It was extensively restored in the 1970s, and today a visit really is like stepping into the past, complete with uneven floors, slightly crooked doorways and a menu chock-full of Yankee favorites like pot roast, scrod and roast tom turkey.

When Canlis opened in 1950, its groundbreaking architecture and menu of fresh, seasonal local ingredients earned it instant acclaim. The high-ceilinged space, inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and designed by architect Roland Terry, uses native wood and stone to evoke forests and creeks, and with a cantilevered design and huge windows, it gives the impression of hovering over Queen Anne Hill. Today, it's still an architectural gem, the food is still spectacular and it remains one of the most beautiful restaurants in the world.

The Greenbrier is a legendary (and legendarily luxurious) resort that has been luring well-heeled guests to the Allegheny Mountains for more than 100 years. It's hosted 27 presidents, royalty and business leaders, and while a resort has been on this site since the 1700s, the current structure was constructed slowly from the early 1900s through the present day, making it one of the oldest hotels in America. The Southern mansion-inspired Main Dining Room, with custom chandeliers and arched windows, requires a jacket and tie for dinner, and it's a throwback to an earlier era. 

A true Wild West restaurant and barroom, The Virginian is located inside the 1880 Occidental Hotel, which was expanded into a "grand hotel" in the early 1900s and has hosted the likes of Buffalo Bill, Calamity Jane, Teddy Roosevelt and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Faithfully restored over 10 years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, The Virginian is named after Owen Wister's famed novel of the same name, which was supposedly inspired by the many characters he encountered while staying at the hotel. Visit today and you can enjoy a buffalo steak in one of the towns that truly look like they're stuck in time. 

More from The Daily Meal: 

The 50 Best Foodie Towns in America

The Best Doughnuts in Every State

Chain Restaurants We Bet You Forgot Existed

The Strangest Fact About Every State

Fast-Food Restaurants We Wish Were in the US