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In a city where history looms from every cobblestone corner, one Boston restaurant is about to celebrate a milestone that predates just about everything else.
This August, Union Oyster House on the Freedom Trail will mark its 200th anniversary, cementing its status as America's oldest continuously operating restaurant—even if it's not quite the much-vaunted semiquincentennial we've spent the last few months hearing about.
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To put that in perspective: The restaurant opened in 1826 when Franklin Pierce was president (exactly), before the Civil War, the invention of the telephone, the founding of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and, yes, even the first Red Sox game.
That's a staggering run for any business let alone a restaurant, an industry not exactly known for longevity.
Located steps from Faneuil Hall, Union Oyster House has served two centuries of Bostonians and tourists in essentially the same space. The National Historic Landmark has undergone only minor renovations over the years, so much of the original architecture remains extant to transport diners to another era the moment they step inside.
The menu remains a love letter to New England. Fresh oysters, clam chowder, lobster, Boston baked beans and cornbread continue to draw diners, repeatedly earning recognition as North America's Best Landmark Restaurant, most recently in 2024 and 2025.
Over the last 200 years, the restaurant has welcomed an extraordinary roster of guests. Presidents including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have dined there, as have Queen Elizabeth II, Julia Child, Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio and Steven Spielberg. John F. Kennedy was famously a regular, often occupying the upstairs booth that now bears his name.
Yet owner Joseph Milano, whose family is only the fourth to steward the restaurant since it opened, says the anniversary is really about the everyday diners who return year after year.
"We wouldn't have the restaurant without the support of these families," Milano said in a statement. "I've had the pleasure of seeing kids turn into adults who then bring their kids. It's very special."
As America gears up to celebrate its 250th birthday, Union Oyster House's bicentennial serves as a reminder that some of the country's oldest traditions are still very much alive. And serving chowder.
Union Oyster House is located at 41 Union Street and is open Sun.–Thu., 11am–9pm; Fri. & Sat., 11am–10pm. For more information and to make a reservation, click here.