What Do America’s Earliest Restaurant Menus Teach Us About America?

July 3, 2026

Union Oyster House (previously known as The Old Oyster House and Ye Olde Oyster House) is a restaurant at 41–43 Union Street in Downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Now part of the Blackstone Block Historic District, it has been open to diners since 1826, making it the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the United States. While not quite as old as the Union Oyster House, the good folks at The Pudding have created an interactive exhibition of the New York Public Library’s collection of American restaurant menus between 1880 and 1920. View the slideshow >

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