America’s Oldest Restaurant Is a 350-Year-Old Tavern Just 40 Minutes From NYC — Once Known As “America’s Spy Prison”

Secret NY ^

[cyclotic]

My wife and I got taken in by the City Tavern scam. “Dine where the founding fathers dined.” Yea right.

I’ve been in plenty of 250 year old buildings. As we were waiting for our “authentic colonial meal.” it dawned on me that the walls were straight and the floors didn’t squeak. When I asked, they admitted that the original tavern burned to the ground in the 1980’s and it was a brand new building designed to look old.

I recently ate at Jean Bonnet Tavern in PA. It is an authentic tavern and Inn that has been operating since the 1760’s. What I really liked was they served contemporary food, not some version of colonial food.

[boop]

"The Union Oyster House in downtown Boston claims to be the oldest restaurant in Boston."

It's a great place to go for a meal!

[woodbutcher1963]

It is fun to sit at the raw bar and slurp down some oysters with a Sam Adams beverage.

[SunkenCiv]

In spite of local claims of much earlier construction (dating to founding of Tappan in 1686), the '76 House appears only to predate the American Revolution by several decades. The earliest confirmed dates concerning any structure on or near the site involve one Antie Myers, a widow, who was licensed in 1705 to sell drink, "as per her recognizance," in her house in the immediate neighborhood of today's '76 House.[citation needed] After her death around 1721 her home was purchased by Yoast Mabie, a brother of Casparus. The house was demolished in 1835. In 1753, Casparus Mabie bought a piece of land from Cornelis Myers, Antie's son.

wikipedia

[SunkenCiv]

I ate there in the late ‘70s, seem to recall that the favorite booths of various historical figures were marked with small plaques. I think we ate in the Daniel Webster booth.

[Jamestown1630]

The original burned down in the 1800s. The building you were in was a replica built on the same site and opened in 1976.

[cyclotic]

I was going off memory about the timeline. Either way, a tavern built in 1976 is nowhere near historic nor authentic.

[Jamestown1630]

Walter Staib seemed to know a lot about how people cooked and ate; and it was advertised as a ‘faithful recreation’ not actually historic except for the location:

https://www.atasteofhistory.org/chef-walter-staib/

[ken in texas]

Washington also stayed at the Taft Tavern, in Uxbridge, Mass, while passing through in 1789. The building still stands, just a few miles from where I grew up. Several sites have memorialized the letter Washington wrote to the proprietor following his stay: George Washington to Samuel Taft, 8 November 1789

[DFG]

I love to watch Walter Staib’s “A Taste of History”.

One of my favorite episodes is “King of Prussia” (S5E6).

Go to Apple Strudel starting at 19:15.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5Penc0WA4E

[Jamestown1630]

thanks. I enjoy him too.