14 NYC Restaurants So Old, The Walls Could Tell Stories
New York City’s restaurant scene is constantly evolving, yet some establishments stand timeless, holding stories of the past in their very essence.
These restaurants are living archives of NYC’s culinary history, where the menu remains as classic as the service is legendary. Regular patrons have shared moments and meals that span generations, making these venues more than just dining spots, but treasured narratives of the city’s vibrant character.
Here are 14 of NYC’s oldest and most storied restaurants.
1. Fraunces Tavern
The wood beams seem to scold sneakers, the portraits hover like chaperones. Fraunces Tavern doubles as a Revolutionary museum, yet keeps chicken pot pies steaming for today’s crowds.
George Washington’s farewell speech happened here in 1783. The menu holds chowder, roasted pork, steak on hot stones. Entrées linger from mid-$20s to $50+.
Address: 54 Pearl Street. Hours lean lunch through dinner. Reservations matter on weekends. Visitors whisper it’s half classroom, half feast, always demanding respect for history before dessert.
2. Ear Inn
Outside, the brick looks crooked enough to topple. Inside, ceilings sag low, walls cram with maritime trinkets. The Ear Inn feels less restaurant, more attic filled with snacks.
Menu favors burgers, chili, shrimp, dumplings. Organic produce sneaks in, deep-frying kept minimal. Prices sit comfortably midrange. Dinner stretches until 4 a.m., a rare thing this far downtown.
Address: 326 Spring Street. Once a sailor’s boarding house, then speakeasy, now a casual refuge. Regulars swear the chili tastes older than the furniture.
3. Neir’s Tavern
The bar mahogany darkens with each retelling, and the booths host conversations about racetrack days long past. Neir’s Tavern creaks as though saddles still clop outside.
Food tilts tavern-basic: wings, burgers, sandwiches, fries. Prices modest, plates filling. Tourists take photos where Scorsese shot Goodfellas. Locals just order cheeseburgers and argue about the Mets.
Founded in 1829, renamed several times, rescued from closure in 2020. Address: 87-48 78th Street. Owner Loycent Gordon insists neighbors keep saving it. Woodhaven listens.
4. Delmonico’s
Marble pillars, white cloths, and steak knives heavy as relics. Delmonico’s greets with grandeur that still intimidates. This was America’s first true fine-dining restaurant, and it shows.
Signature dishes invented here: Lobster Newberg, Baked Alaska, Delmonico steak. Entrées soar past $50, sauces as lush as the chandeliers. Dessert insists you respect your appetite.
Address: 56 Beaver Street. Opened 1837, relaunched 2023. Reservations essential. Patrons arrive for bragging rights and leave debating whether history justifies that porterhouse price tag.
5. Pete’s Tavern
The bar stretches long, polished by decades of elbows. Lamps glow amber, booths lean heavy with gossip. Pete’s Tavern looks ready to pour history into a pint glass.
Menu staples: burgers, pastas, shepherd’s pie, steak sandwiches. Prices hover affordable, portions generous. Plates arrive quickly, atmosphere buzzing with writers’ ghosts and office workers’ chatter.
Opened in 1864, surviving Prohibition disguised as a flower shop. O. Henry wrote The Gift of the Magi here. Address: 129 East 18th Street. Still storytelling nightly.
6. Old Homestead Steakhouse
A red awning waves outside, while inside a cow statue looms above the door. Old Homestead refuses subtlety, perfuming the street with charred beef.
Steaks dominate: porterhouse, ribeye, wagyu. Sides land enormous, entrées start at $60 and climb. Servers parade cuts like trophies. The vibe balances nostalgia with Wall Street excess.
Address: 56 Ninth Avenue. Family-run since 1868, now one of NYC’s oldest steakhouses. Reservations recommended. Regulars keep returning, claiming tradition matters as much as the porterhouse.
7. PJ Clarke’s
Checkered floor tiles, tin ceilings, photos of Sinatra, and burgers that leak memory onto napkins. PJ Clarke’s traps time and invites you to chew it.
The burger rules, joined by raw bar and fries. Prices midrange, portions generous. Fries stay crisp, burgers arrive juicy. Lunches stretch into long afternoons with no apology.
Address: 915 Third Avenue. Established 1884. Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Jackie O once regulars. Legends remain, if only through whispers and wall photos.
8. Keens Steakhouse
The ceiling dazzles, lined with thousands of clay pipes once smoked by patrons. Keens looks like a cathedral built for beef, not prayer.
Menu icon: the legendary mutton chop, a prehistoric slab. Steaks, oysters, desserts follow. Entrées $50+. Service formal, lighting flattering, ambiance proud of its past.
Founded 1885. Address: 72 West 36th Street. Presidents and actors dined here. Visitors crane necks at pipes before carving into chops big enough to count as history.
9. Katz’s Delicatessen
Bright fluorescent lights, endless lines, and slicing machines whirring nonstop. Katz’s overwhelms senses before you even taste anything.
Pastrami on rye towers a foot high, costs $25+, feeds two. Other deli staples, knishes, matzo ball soup, flank the pastrami but never outshine it.
Founded 1888, Katz’s slogan still declares: “Send a salami to your boy in the Army.” Address: 205 East Houston Street. Crowds never shrink, sandwiches never soften.
10. Barbetta
Crystal chandeliers, ornate chairs, and a hidden garden where vines climb walls. Barbetta sparkles with old-world Italian opulence.
Menu focuses Piedmontese: risotti, agnolotti, white truffles in season. Entrées upscale, often $50+. Portions refined, flavors nostalgic. Seasonal desserts end with flourish.
Founded 1906 by Sebastiano Maioglio. Still family-owned. Address: 321 West 46th Street. Pre-theater crowds fill quickly. Barbetta claims title of NYC’s oldest Italian restaurant.
11. Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant
The Guastavino-tiled arches echo every order shouted across the seafood counter. Travelers sit elbow-to-elbow slurping oysters before trains depart.
Menu lists dozens of oysters daily, plus pan roasts, chowders, seafood platters. Prices range $15 to $50+. Service brisk, atmosphere buzzing.
Founded 1913 alongside Grand Central. Address: Lower Level, Grand Central Terminal. Closed briefly in the 1970s, reborn as landmark. Still feeding travelers with shells and steam.
12. Lombardi’s Pizza
The coal oven roars like a furnace, crusts blistering black at the edges. Lombardi’s still perfumes Spring Street with melted mozzarella.
Menu minimal: margherita pies, clam pies, white pies. Pizzas $20+, enough for two. Crisp crust, tangy sauce, stretchy cheese. Tourists queue daily.
Founded 1905 by Gennaro Lombardi, credited as America’s first pizzeria. Address: 32 Spring Street. Locals debate loyalty, but history keeps the oven lit.
13. Ferdinando’s Focacceria
Tile floors, tin ceilings, and Sicilian smells drifting through Carroll Gardens. Ferdinando’s feels like Nonna’s kitchen stretched into a diner.
Specialties: panelle sandwiches (chickpea fritters with ricotta), pasta con sarde, spleen sandwiches. Prices modest, flavors bold. Recipes unchanged for generations.
Founded 1904, still family-run. Address: 151 Union Street. Sicilian-Americans return on Sundays. Locals say the panelle sandwich is Brooklyn’s truest heirloom.
14. Le Veau D’Or
Red banquettes, soft light, and French whispers. Le Veau d’Or stages Paris in Manhattan, unchanged for decades.
Menu classic French: escargots, pâté, frog legs, duck confit. Prix fixe $100+. Plates unapologetically old-school, portions elegant, sauces lush.
Founded 1937, revived recently by Frenchette team. Address: 129 East 60th Street. Still murmurs with émigré nostalgia and stubborn bistro spirit.