38 Restaurants Turning 100 In 2023

1923 was quite a year for origination, with Walt Disney opening his studio, the birth of Bob Barker, Coca-Cola introducing the six-pack, and the first bottles of Cutty Sark popping open. Joining those titans were everyday men, women, and families working for their American dream by dispensing soda and ice cream at fountains found within drugstores and whetting appetites at divey watering holes all across the land.

Chef and writer Robert St. John says, "Restaurants have souls. They define a town, and tell the story of that place and its people" (via RobertStJohn.com). Let's pay tribute to 38 such treasured spots (four from Tennessee alone!) that were born of humble beginnings in 1923 and have done the improbable — overcoming prohibition, The Great Depression, World War II, fires, endless ownership changes, and a lot more just to make it to the century mark.

Many of these establishments were opened by Greek immigrants, have "Coney Island" in their name, or serve their own well-kept secret chili sauces. Others include restaurants that mark the starting point and terminus of Route 66, Dean Martin and Mike Trout's hometown favorites, Elvis' go-to for BBQ pizza, one that hired Robert Redford as a janitor, and a pair lent their surroundings as a backdrop for Academy Award-winning films.

Wipe off your greasy spoon, and take a seat on a spinning countertop stool, it's time to eat up all the incredible history behind these restaurants turning 100 in 2023! May you all last 100+ years more!

In the Milwaukee area, Papa John isn't a pedestrian pizza delivery place, but the nickname of the restaurateur (and Godfather once linked to organized crime), who opened a namesake old Third Ward Italian restaurant in 1923. Alioto's Garden blossomed in Wisconsin's most populous city, and when John Alioto envisioned a future for his place for his children to take over, he moved his operation (sans "Garden" in its name) to the suburb Wauwatosa in 1958.

His three children — Angelo, Joe, and Frances — honored their Papa by keeping Alioto's going through thick and thin, including a devastating 1981 fire. Today, the third and fourth generations of the family, led by Tom Warren and his children Michael and Catherine, with help from four-decade-tenured Chef Patrick, keep serving up classic Italian fare, fish fry Fridays, and hash browns. Catherine told Fox 6 Milwaukee that she's so close with her customers that they text her and she has laminated name tags for them.

Memphis, Tennessee is a city famed for its barbeque, but about 40 miles northeast of town in Mason, eaters have flocked to "The Pilgrim of Pork" – Bozo's Hot Pit Bar-B-Q. Founded by Thomas Jefferson "Bozo" Williams in 1923, his barbeque joint that first served 15¢ "pig" sandwiches has had a colorful history since filled with slot machines, hot sauce-filled whiskey bottles, trademark battles with Bozo the Clown, and even being used as a backdrop for the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line" (via Tipton County, Tennessee and Haywood County Line).

While "Bozo" Williams passed away in 1935 due to pneumonia, his family business carried on for decades, in several iterations, before settling permanently at its current location in 1950 (one of the first places in Mason to have air conditioning). Bozo's great-grandson Jeff Thompson was the last in the family to run it, before selling the business in 1999. Current owners John and Cindy Papageorgeon told Memphis Magazine, "This is just a very special place, and I feel honored to be its custodian."

Right in the middle of Middleboro, Massachusetts, centrally located on Center Street is the venerable Central Cafe. While its established date is listed as 1923 (and we'll honor that), it's possible the cafe was in business as far back as 1916, when James Kanakis' version of it survived a fire.

The Dascoulias family were long the proprietors of the Cafe (owner Nicholas was charged as an accessory in the arson of his own business in 1932, per The Boston Globe), and their establishment with the mahogany bar was a popular watering hole that eventually ran afoul with neighbors. In 1994, new owners William Fuller and Mark Hannon brought more of a family atmosphere to Central Cafe, and it became a go-to place for pizza. On New Year's Eve 2022, the keys were handed over to Fuller's children, including daughter Morgan who told Fun 107, "We have 100 years in business to support our product, and it's clear that the people of Middleboro and the surrounding towns really care about Central."

Chef's Restaurant has long been warming the bellies of cold Buffalonians and tourists at the corner of Seneca and Chicago Streets. Dishwasher Lou Billittier Sr. worked his way up to owner, and today, his children Lou and Mary Beth welcome customers ready to chow down on their signature Spaghetti Parmesan. That dish was co-created by local TV personality Dave Thomas, whose actor son David Boreanaz grew up nourished and loving the free Bazooka gum at Chef's (via Chef's Restaurant Buffalo on YouTube). Other famous diners include Hall of Famer Buffalo Bill Bruce Smith, who never missed a Friday night there (via Chef's Restaurant Buffalo on YouTube), Buffalo Sabre players including the "French Connection" crew who have a room named after them, and folks like Sugar Ray Leonard, Jimmy Durante, and Keanu Reeves, whose photos adorn the Wall of Sauce Stars.

For their 90th birthday, Chef's hosted "The World's Largest Pasta Dinner," and plans are in motion, per Niagara Frontier Publications, "to do something big" for the centennial in September. Co-owner Lou Billittier told WKNW, "You don't get to 100 without having the best customers in the world."

1923 was quite a year for Los Angeles, with the birth of Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros, the unveiling of the Hollywood(land) sign, the opening of the LA Memorial Coliseum, and the opening of Alejandro and Rosa Borquez's Sonora Café, which would be renamed El Cholo two years later. Their daughter Aurelia and her husband George Salisbury opened their own El Cholo, and their 1931 location is now the flagship, which is currently overseen by their son Ron.

The menu (which lists the dates of when dishes have been introduced to it) has expanded over the years — with nachos and margaritas being novel items at one point — and has been thoroughly enjoyed by the likes of Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Jack Nicholson, Paul McCartney, Mike Love, Tommy Lasorda, Nolan Ryan, and Michelle Phillips, who lends her pipe's for El Cholo's voice mail. Ron Salisbury, who turns 90 himself this year, told the New York Times, "It says something that after 100 years, we're not limping to the finish line." For its anniversary, El Cholo will offer $100 margaritas, "A Taste of History Plate," free food for 100+-year-olds, and a red carpet gala in October (via Shoot Publicity Wire).

Emil Coletta opened his Suburban Ice Cream Company in 1923, and his popular pasta prompted a pivot to become an Italian restaurant – Coletta's. In the 1950s, sailors from a nearby Naval base started requesting pizzas, and Emil's son Horest was sent to Chicago to learn the crusty oven arts. Not only was Coletta's one of the first places to popularize pizza in Memphis, but that town's signature style barbecue inspired a pulled-pork pie that put them on a wider map.

One of the biggest fans of the BBQ pizza was none other than a regal hometown boy, the king himself: Elvis Presley. A room he once ate in is now known as the Elvis room. If you can't make it to the restaurant now run by Horest's son, Jerry, or the second location run by his children, the BBQ or their other famous "Round the World" pizzas are just a Goldbelly order away.

Arthur Fokakis came from Patmos, Greece, and settled in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where in 1923 he set up a fruit stand. When more grocers opened their own shops nearby, Fokakis started peddling hamburgers and hot dogs for 5¢. He brought his children over from Greece to help, and their Coney Island Cafe became a local fixture. Hometown hero Brett Favre even filmed a Foot Locker ad there (watch at iSpot.tv). A cab driver in 1959 told The Hattiesburg American, "You show me somebody never had a Coney hot dog and I'll show you somebody doesn't know the first thing about Hattiesburg."

The Cafe, also beloved for its curly fries and open-face steak, has continued to be run by the Fokakis family, with Arthur Jr. following in his father's footsteps, and then his son Billy succeeding him in 1984. Billy never missed a day of work, but tragically died of cancer in 2018. His son BJ, who told The Daily Meal in an exclusive interview that he didn't "know how to cook a bowl of cereal," has carried the Coney's torch over the century mark, adding, "we plan to be here as long as the good Lord allows!!!"

Greek immigrant Steve Karampilas first arrived in New York and learned the hot dog craft in Brooklyn, before settling in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In 1923, he would start cooking up Texas weiners and hamburgers at his Coney Island Texas Lunch, which would go on to satisfy appetites of all sizes, like members of The Three Stooges and Andre the Giant. What made Karampilas' weiners stand out was his secret chili sauce that had competitors trying to steal it and Disneyworld offering to buy it.

Karampilas died in 1972, leaving his sons Jack and Ted to fill the buns. As they outlasted many of their suppliers, the sons successfully adapted the business to the changing times. Things got complicated when the brothers split and fought over the name, with Jack opening Coney Island Lunch nearby in 1988, with stepsons Pete and Bob Ventura running operations, and the former location becoming the Original Coney Island of Scranton run by Ted and partner Tom Moran, and now by Brendan Bell. It's rare for a restaurant to survive 100 years, let alone be split in two, like a hot dog bun — but both halves are deserving of celebration.

A 1923 tango-themed restaurant named after actress Dolores Del Rio lasted all of three months before its owners sold it off to friend Linda Pigati, who turned it into a white tablecloth northern Italian restaurant that still endures to this day. The Del Rio Restaurant, which resides in the Chicago North Shore suburb of Highwood, hasn't changed much over time — to this day, the restaurant requires little advertising thanks to good word of mouth from happily returning customers eating up their Veal Modenese.

Pigati's son Waddy next ran the Del Rio, and when he was ready to retire, son Bill left a job at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to make sure the sweet music continued at his family's restaurant (where Opera singers come by to belt tunes). Bill told the Chicago Tribune, "Del Rio is an extension of our home. We're inviting you into our house. As my grandma said, 'If you don't feel better after you come here, then we haven't done our job.'"

According to Henry Charlton Beck's "Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey," legend has it that a local hunter bloodily battled a lion to death, lending the name Red Lion to the New Jersey area, and then to an Inn with a building that dates back 300 years. Givino Dipaolo took over the Southampton property in the 20th century and in 1923 opened its doors to the public. The Italian restaurant became a perfect rest stop for Jersey Shore-goers as they returned home on Sundays, or regulars like famed Philadelphia organist Larry Ferrari.

Current owner Stephen Black is the fourth generation Dipaolo to attend to the ins and outs of The Red Lion Inn. He continues to serve popular dishes that were on the menu 100 years ago, like homemade spaghetti, ravioli, chicken parmesan, and fried chicken. Black told the Pine Barrens Tribune, "We all gravitate to the kitchen, each generation making menu contributions and striving to make more delicious and flavorful creations for our 'pasta-holics.' That is our true joy."

Ernest Halsell found his calling barbecuing in Blytheville, Arkansas, and diners ate it all up at his literal Rustic Inn, which was housed in a sawdusty log cabin. While 1923 is commonly marked as its start year, one fortuitous ad in The Courier News stated, "Every sandwich must be just as good as possible. With such a standard we are confident of the future," denotes 1924. Halsell gave up the business in 1946, but was lured back four years later and opened The Dixie Pig BBQ.

For 60 years, Ernest's son Buddy Halsell was as much a fixture in the restaurant as the winking pig logo that overlooks its exterior. He told Talk Business & Politics, "Memphis claims to be the barbecue capital of the world. I got news for them. Blytheville is." Buddy passed in 2018 and his son Bob Halsell is now the main pitmaster at Dixie, which has been nominated for the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame, called a go-to for not-so-Kosher-keeping Jews, and named the tops in the USA by "America's Best BBQ" co-author and chef Paul Kirk.

The Auspitz family immigrated from Poland to Philadelphia, with several brothers soon running a set of successful "Famous" delicatessens. Out of all of them, the one opened in 1923 and run by Sam Auspitz at Fourth and Bainbridge Street remains the last to survive. Sam's son David was an investment banker, but left behind the number crunching in the 1970s to help out with the pastrami on rye munching. In that decade, an election season tradition started with pollsters and politicians dropping by, including Al Gore and Barack Obama. The Deli also co-starred in the Oscar-winning Tom Hanks/Denzel Washington film "Philadelphia," and Adam Sandler has stopped in for a nosh (via Famous 4th Street Delicatessen on Instagram).

By 2005, David Auspitz had tired of the day-to-day (meat) grind. With his daughter not interested in taking over, the family sold the Famous 4th Street Delicatessen to another deli man — Russ Cowan. Per The Philadelphia Inquirer, Cowan is currently seeking a kindred spirit to take over and march "4th," selling their delectable black and white cookies, but should a buyer not arise, he would refuse to close the doors for good.

Fred Herring's Joplin, Missouri, chili parlor started as a 7 seater in 1923 and moved twenty years later to its current home, allowing 16 more diners to enjoy his tomato-less secret recipe (perhaps Williams Chili Seasoning according to Historic Murphysburg Preservation). The joint has gone through many owners and names over the years, from Grover's to Fred & Grover's to Fred & Bud's, and since 1956, the one everyone knows it best as — Fred & Red's.

Herring's final partner was his meat supplier, Red Wilcoxson, and his son Larry who worked alongside Red starting at age 11. Larry Wilcoxson kept customers coming back for more helpings of spaghetti red and chili cheese dogs until he hung "up his grease-stained chili apron" in 2012 and the Fred & Red's shuttered after 88 years (via The Joplin Globe). Thankfully, patron and Joplin native David Schaefer stepped up and reopened Fred & Red's doors four years later, keeping this greasy business as usual.

Since 1923, Gino's Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge had served the community of Hancock, Michigan community in many ways. It was the kind of place where people held their wedding receptions, fell in love, sipped on Grasshopper dessert drinks, and even served as the launch point of many a homecoming parade.

Gino's was run for a long time by Thomas "Shakey" Neher, who retired in 2013. Four years later, the venerable restaurant closed its doors, and in 2018 the Miron family raised it from the dead, learning the recipes from Shakey himself. Gino's is once again a thriving local hotspot, serving pizzas, pasta, and stuffed rolls, and even sponsoring a local women's hockey team. One new great addition has been a 1,000-square-foot patio, which general manager Daryl Williams told TV6 is "the only outdoor seating in Hancock."

Annie Gray began scooping ice cream out of the back window of the Herbert Almy House, in Tiverton, Rhode Island, in 1923. The actual ice cream was made elsewhere, until an addition to the house allowed her to make flavors like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and coffee ice cream right at home. When she died in 1938, daughter Florence Gray Brow ran the ice cream parlor, which added popular flavors rum raisin and frozen pudding to the roster.

By 1955, Gray's was up for public auction, and former employees David Sylvia and Gilbert Pontes took over in a new building starting in 1957. The duo ran the scoop shop for over two decades, before Marilyn Dennis, and later Marilyn Bettencourt took over, expanding Gray's reach with a Bristol dock location. In 2012, Bettencourt told The Bay, "My goal is to make sure Gray's Ice Cream continues with its life. Rhode Island wouldn't be the same without Gray's. It's a landmark, and our customers expect us to be here."

Tennessee pharmacist "Doc" Cook set up a drug store in the heart of Greenback, which, since 1923, also featured a soda fountain, milkshakes, chili-loaded hot dogs, and 5¢ chewables like chlorophyll gum. The combo came in handy when "brave" children who received shots at the drugstore were given the following prescriptions: "Disp: Ice cream cone, one dip."

Cook's son and son-in-law carried on with the Greenback Drugstore, and through successive owners — currently the Tallents — it became more of a place for quickly ready-to-eat meals than one for remedies. While the drugstore portion is long gone, and now houses a town museum that includes some of its former possessions, the name has been retained as the Greenback Drugstore Diner. The Greenback has been a stop for candidates running for Senate, daily hamburger lunches for 90-year-olds, and a subject of national news, like on Good Morning America — for having a waitress carrying her son on her back while serving up signature grilled honey buns.

A decade after Kewpie comics and dolls captured the public's imagination, Samuel Blair borrowed the name and built a boxcar "Hotel" (see the incredible photo on Vehicle City Heritage on Facebook) in Flint, Michigan to sell hamburgers. Since 1923, people were flipping for the "deluxe" Kewpee Hotel Hamburgs and it became one of the earliest fast food chains, with over 400 locations in the Midwest. Bill Thomas was a Kewpee employee, then a franchisee, who eventually took over the original location. Since he didn't own the rights to the name, called his own franchise Halo Burger, starting in 1967.

While the original location was torn down in 1979, and subsequent owners made changes locals didn't like, Halo Country LLC took over the franchise in 2016 to re-right the ship. Marketing manager Domenique Annoni told QSRweb, "We are a Flint community staple that owes its success to its loyal customers," ones who keep coming back for QP (as in "Kewpee") and Olive burgers, cheese curds, and Boston Coolers. Plans are underway to celebrate 100 years, with many community events already scheduled, such as car cruises.

Bachelor George Chironis kept plenty busy at his Chicago Cafe, which opened in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in 1923. At the cafe, lobster salad could be had for 50¢, and cream in your cereal ran an extra nickel. Things only got busier for Chironis when he returned from Greece with his bride Mary in 1934, and later had four helpful sons: Alex, Jim, Louis, and Harry. Six years later, their cafe, which fed the likes of Al Capone, Jerry Van Dyke, and Red Buttons, was renamed The Geneva Restaurant, and son Alex took the lead when his father George passed away in 1957.

The 1980s brought about big changes. When a liquor license was finally obtained, they built an accompanying bar to the restaurant and renamed the new dual establishment after the youngest Chironis brother — Harry's Cafe and Place. The coronavirus shutdown almost led to the family shutting the doors for good, but they had a change of heart. Now they've reached the 100-year milestone, delighting fans of their Bloody Mary-friendly brunches.

Fayetteville, Tennessee is the destination for eaters looking to take a big bite out of a Slawburger, and they even have an annual festival called The Slawburger Festival dedicated to them that is quite "SLAWSOME." Honey's Restaurant is considered the Mecca of Slawburgers, as current owner Lee McAlister told WAFF, "Everybody's uncle started it. But I will say my great-grandfather started it. And I'm sticking to that story."

Weston James Stubblefield had opened a billiards hall in 1923, with a small menu that included a mouthwatering draw — the "Original" Pool Room Slaw. When the excitement of pocketing solid or striped balls died down in the 1970s, the pool tables started to be removed one by one, and by 2006 the only tables in Honey's were ones reserved for munching down their Hamburger Steak, and naturally, the Slawburgers.

Seeking the American dream, brothers James and Tom Papadakis made their way from Greece to Houston, Texas, and in 1923, at Walker and Main Street, opened a hot dog stand. They flipped a coin to see whose name would help sell their chili-smattered dream, and James Coney Island quickly became a fixture for businessmen and everyday folk, once dubbed as "the most famous eating place in the city's history — the maxim's of the masses."

The brothers were resistant to change, but eventually acquiesced on straws, ketchup, and even opening a second location, which came about in 1968. Their sons continued the growth of James Coney Island for decades, before selling to a group of local investors headed by Darrin Straughan in 1990. The original location closed in 1993, but Straughan and company (now called JCI) have done their best "Hotdoggin' It for 100 Years" with what he told Culture Map is "the Rodney Dangerfield of the sandwich category."

Millville, New Jersey is home to two treasures — a national hero and a cherished local eatery that has fed that national hero. Mike Trout is one of Major League Baseball's best and most popular players, and he grew up polishing off six hamburgers in one sitting at his hometown spot — Jim's Lunch.

The Jim in the Lunch was James Arnes, a Greek immigrant who first paid his dues in Greek restaurants in New York and Philadelphia, and when he opened his own place in Millville, didn't have one old country dish on the menu. "Famous blue platter hot sandwiches" (via The Millville Daily) were welcome delights for nearby factory workers 24/7, but starting in the 1950s, the family started the tradition of closing for summer, as they headed to Greece.

Jim's Lunch and his secret chili sauce are now in the safe hands of the family's fourth generation, and lines still form at 6 am when it reopens for the season the day after Columbus Day. And yes, Mike Trout still swings by when in town ... for takeout.

Klavon's served as a Pittsburgh neighborhood apothecary and ice cream shop from 1923 through 1979. While it lay dormant for two decades, its old school charms — marble counters, soda bottle cap stools, and art deco touches — were dusted off for a new century when founders James and Mary's eight grandchildren and cousin re-opened it to much-appreciated fanfare.

After grandson and owner Ray passed, Klavon's Ice Cream Parlor was taken over by Jacob and Desiree Hanchar in 2013. While there were talks of franchising to Cleveland, and even selling the business, the Hanchars have decided to stay put and carry on the Klavon family tradition with their own family. Senator John Fetterman called (per Trib Live) the parlor "The Graceland of Pittsburgh ice cream," and according to Trib Live, the Hanchars will celebrate its 100 interrupted years by creating a "special treat" to honor savior Ray Klavon.

The Lobster, which marks the end of Route 66 and overlooks the Santa Monica Pier, was once a "grumpy little" (per The Los Angeles Times) 773-square-foot seafood shack, dressed up with paintings of fishermen, crabs, and clowns. The 1923 no-frills, all-gills spot was run from the 1950s on by its former dishwasher, Mateo Castillo, until it shuttered in 1985 after the pier was ravaged by storms years prior (watch KCBS-TV coverage via Carousel Corner on YouTube).

The Lobster swam again in 1999 thanks to a set of investors, who hired Howard Laks Architects to preserve the original restaurant and expanded upon it. It now stands as a two-story cantilevered glass building that offers 180-degree sunset views of the beach and ocean that are good enough even for Brad Pitt and George Clooney, who met there for a scheming chat in 2001's "Ocean's Eleven."

William Mitchell named his second restaurant on Jackson Boulevard after his son and eventual business partner Lou, and the diner that preceded the 1926 starting point of Route 66 by three years became one of the first places in Chicago to serve breakfast all day and serve eggs in skillets. Lou Mitchell began to make his own contributions to the restaurant when in 1958 he introduced the Greek tradition of handing out sweets by doling out free donut holes and later Milk Duds.

Lou Mitchell's silverware has been held by Presidents Eisenhower, Carter, George W. Bush, and Obama, was seen close-up on shows like "The Chi," "Electric Dreams," "Chicago PD," and "Top Chef," and in 2006 was added to the National Register of Historical Places. Lou resisted franchising his entire life, and in 1992 sold the restaurant to his niece Kathryn Thanas and her children Heleen and Nick. Heleen told Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, "It was his baby, and it is our baby," adding that Lou Mitchell's "started out in the heartbeat of Americana, and it continues to be."

The luncheonette that Spartan-Greek immigrant George Steven Louvis opened in Montclair in 1923 (via the Montclair Times) specialized in homemade candies, ice cream, and sandwiches. Eventually, the menu expanded to hot items, and the venue became known as Louvis' Char-Broil, where Buzz Aldrin even did a post-moon landing parade drive-by in 1969 (via NJlifeandleisure on YouTube). The restaurant was a total family affair for decades, run by George's son Steve until it was sold in 1989.

The Louvis name was replaced with "Montclair" in the title, and in 2011, after a fire, it was rechristened by owner Gus Markis as the Montclair Diner. Markis sold his business to Eliot Mosby in 2019, who has injected a bit of his Chicago roots into the diner, as well as a waffle named after regular customer Whoopi Goldberg. While the Louvis name may be long gone from the window, it hasn't been forgotten a hundred years later. George's own grandson George, who is the administrator of the Remember Louvis Char-Broil Facebook page, told The Daily Meal in an exclusive interview that he makes sure to stop by for a cheeseburger, fries, and shake whenever he returns home.

Four miles west of Harry's Cafe and Place on Lake Como lies Mars Resort, a once speakeasy cabin turned supper club that has gone through numerous name changes and over a dozen owners in 100 years. In 1923, Floridians Fred and Olga Schmidt opened a seasonal Wisconsin restaurant and bar called "The Old Glory Camp," where gangsters like Bugs Moran and Baby Face Nelson would stop by for a brewski.

Over twenty years later it became the Langwith Resort, and when the Marszalek family took over it became Mars Resort. In the 1970s, the restaurant stayed open year-round and later was further improved upon when current owners Scott Pohl and Arnie Silvestri took over in 2016. The nostalgic supper club atmosphere is still going on strong, while brandy Old Fashions are sipped and barbecue ribs are feasted on at what one patron told the Lake Geneva Regional News is "THE 'Cheers' of southern Wisconsin."

New Castle, Pennsylvania, is known as "The Hot Dog Capital of the World," and according to the Lawrence County Historical Society, the town's infatuation with wieners dates back to 1907. Several "Coney Island"-named hot dog joints started opening up a decade later with Greek immigrants at the helm, and John Mitsos and George Papazekos were two such men to do so with Coney Island Lunch.

According to the company, 1923 is the year when their chili got cooking. They had their run as Coney Island lunch until a dispute with a former partner who named his new restaurant Koni Island Restaurant (via New Castle News), after which they changed their name to MP Coney Island (the MP stands for "Mitsos & Papazekos") and opened their second location in 1971. Mistos' nephew's family now runs the company, which sells their famous chili in supermarkets across four states. They are now open to franchising opportunities, and are throwing a 100 Year 'CHILI'BRATION! (via Facebook)

Not far from where "Twin Peaks" was filmed, in the shadow of Washington state's Cascade Range lies a libations refuge born during prohibition — Mt. Si Tavern. The tavern has been welcoming lumberjacks, loggers, loungers, layabouts, locals, and travelers seeking layovers since 1923, without the need for any advertising, as word of mouth has been leading others' mouths to its door.

Once a place for brawls and those seeking trouble, Rob Sherard brought clean order to the Mt. Si Tavern in 2012, telling 425Business that, "Slow change has kept this place alive."  Per The Valley News, the bar opened its doors to the filming of the 2013 Toni Collette feature "Lucky Them," and current owner David Wheaton keeps the doors open for drinkers who also hanker for a little backyard BBQ or his $2 Faux Pho Cup O'Noodles with green onions and lime, "because we're fancy."

After Anthony Delatore lost an eye working at the mill, he decided in 1923 to open a restaurant at 329 North Street in Steubenville, Ohio. While there were no big pizza pies (that hit like a moon to the eye) to be found on the menu at his Naples Spaghetti House, crooner Dean Martin would certainly sing "That's Amore" about his favorite hometown Italian restaurant. For the record, Martin's usual order included plain spaghetti in marinara (sans meat sauce), a meatball, and tiramisu. We're not sure what then-Vice President Joe Biden ordered on his 2012 campaign visit.

While many residents have left Steubenville, the Delatores have stayed the course, continuing to serve multiple courses at their Naples Spaghetti House. In a documentary short about the restaurant that you can watch via Kayla Cafero on YouTube, Lisa Delatore said, "Just as many generations that have worked here, we have customers that have generations who of their family members who have ate here," adding, "I see it thriving for a couple more generations."

John Lustig ran a grocery store in Stillwater, Minnesota, called Seven Corners, where one could get everyday basics like milk and treats like ice cream. 24 years after its opening in 1923, Lustig died. Art Nelson took over, and when he passed in 1964, nephew Wade stepped in, renaming it Nelson's Dairy Store. Wade Nelson was already in the business himself, running Brown's Ice Cream in Minneapolis, and started serving very generous scoops in Stillwater with the help of his son, Bob, who would go on to be a Super Bowl champion linebacker (via The Lowdown).

Nelson's Ice Cream came close to closing in 2016, but Stillwater residents Bill Bergstrom and Dave Najarian wouldn't let that happen. The Najarian family has since opened a second location in St. Paul, and turned Art Nelson's former shed residence into a tiny coffee house. While Nelson's grows older, the serving sizes seem to keep growing larger, as Najarian told The Lowdown, "We serve the largest ice cream cones on the planet for the price. We like to say they're almost as big as your head."

Tacoma Washington's Manito Park opened its zoo in 1905, and at its entrance was a duck pond encircling a Swan House on an island. By 1923, the pond was filled in and the Peanut Shack was open for families to buy goobers to toss at the zoo's monkeys. When the zoo closed in 1932, the Shack started to feed humans instead.

Over time, the Shack served multiple purposes like holding special events and offering rollerblading and bike rentals, before Paula Johnson opened it as a cafe in 1988. Johnson told the Spokane Chronicle, "I thought it was such a beautiful old building, and I just wanted to do something with it. I thought it would be fun." The Park Bench Cafe offers summer parkgoers shaded respite with beverages and snacks, and during the pandemic, served up Ben & Jerry's. The City of Spokane Parks & Recreation is currently seeking food vendors to run the old Shack for its 100th year of existence.

Howard Cobb and Axel Raven milked their prior dairy experience and opened a counter service fountain extension of their Peninsula Creamery on Hamilton and Emerson in Palo Alto, California. While the celebrated year of opening has long been 1923, it appears that the first day of operation was September 16, 1922 (per an ad in The Peninsula Times Tribune), when curious guests received free cones, including famed hypnotist and magician Ormond McGill – who became a lifelong fan, according to his autobiography, "The Amazing Life of Ormond McGill."

The Santana family acquired the Creamery and dairy plant (which serviced Stanford University) in 1936, and breakfast, sandwiches, and later hot foods were added to the menu. The family leased the fountain to outside interests in the late 1980s, and as The Palo Alto Creamery (also known as The Peninsula Fountain & Grill) they have been cooking up "Simple food, done well." The Peninsula Creamery Dairy Store and Grill lives on a few blocks away from its former home and is run by the third and fourth-generation Santanas.

Out of all the bars in the world, there are only two that proudly display an original Al Hirschfeld celebrity-filled mural — Los Angeles' Frolic Room and Portland, Oregon's own Sandy Hut. The Sandy Hut was once known as a classy night spot, where Sammy Davis, Jr., Neil Diamond, possibly D.B. Cooper, and recently Quentin Tarantino all popped on in. However, it took a bit of a dive over time and was affectionately known to regulars by a cheeky nickname (via The Beer Chaser).

In 2015, Portland restaurateurs Warren Boothby and Marcus Archambeault breathed new life into The Sandy Hut, finding the right balance of "fine diving" by cleaning up the nicotine-coated place and reintroducing the ham-bacon-and-egg Fat Burger that dates back to its opening in 1923. Boothby told Portland Mercury, "Our main goal is to continue the Sandy Hut for another 100 years," adding, "And being the ones to be able to do that, for Marcus and I, it's really an honor."

In 1923, a former fraternity house at the University of Colorado in Boulder was transformed into Somer's Sunken Garden, a bar and restaurant with a fish and fern-filled fountain in the middle of it. By 1949, the place's nickname officially became its name — The Sink, which became home to the Sinkburger, Sink Rats regulars, lively concerts, and groovy murals. They even employed Robert Redford as a janitor, as well as the veterinarian and bodyguard for The Rolling Stones, Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, as a bouncer.

The Sink did become Herbie's Deli for 15 years, but reverted back to its old beautiful self at the end of the 1980s. It remains popular with CU students and served up Ugly Crust Pizzas (and smiles) to such luminaries as President Barack Obama, Éric Ripert, Anthony Bourdain, Andre 3000, Madeleine Albright, Dan Aykroyd, and former employee Redford. Per Westword, to celebrate The Sink at 100, Avery Brewing Company crafted a "1923" beer for the occasion, which can be enjoyed at Friday Afternoon Club – the resurrection of a tradition from the 1960s (although formalwear is now optional).

While Mayberry may be a fictional North Carolina town in which Sheriff Andy Taylor kept a happy order, its inspiration and roots were born out of star Andy Giffith's hometown of Mt. Airy. Some of his favorite spots even got a shoutout on the show, but the last remaining in existence today is the one he used to "get a hot dog when I was a child" – Snappy Lunch (via FoundationInterviews on YouTube). He also gave props to the Main Street artery in his rendition of The Rays' song "Silhouettes."

Opened in 1923 by George Roberson and Deuce Hodge, Snappy Lunch's legend grew after Charles Dowell took over in the 1960s and crafted his perfectly messy World-Famous Pork Chop Sandwich. Dowell often would quip about his tender creation, "Even my customers with no teeth don't have any trouble with it." Dowell passed away in 2012, but fans of "The Andy Griffith Show" still come in droves for a bite of it and those "simpler" times (via CBS Sunday Morning).

At the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, Sutton's Drug Store was billed as "The Students' Drug Store," providing medicine, toilet articles, fountain favorites like frosted malteds, and good times since 1923. Lynwood and Lucy Sutton were the original proprietors, and all owners that followed promised to keep the independent college staple pretty much the same forevermore.

Tar Heel students, staff, and athletes like Michael Jordan were constant customers, and stars like Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner, and Rob Lowe made hamburger-eating cameos while in town. Regulars once had assigned seats with names like "Peyton Place" and "Menopause Manor," and some are even lucky enough to have their pictures up on the wall, which also displays cook Willie Mae Houk's one and only pan that she used over 32 years. The pharmacy portion closed in 2014, and a man whose parents met working at Sutton's — Don Pinney — has taken up the mantle. Per Sutton's Drug Store's Facebook page, a centennial birthday celebration is set for April 12, 2023, where a hundred pennies get you a hot dog, fries, and a drink.

As Charlottesville's oldest restaurant, The Virginian has seen its fair share of collegiate fun, hailing right across the street from the state Univeriery founded by Thomas Jefferson. Cavalier alumni Billy Gooch and Ellis Brown opened The Virginian during prohibition as a soda fountain, but as soon as it was repealed, their taps have flown heavily with beer ever since.

The restaurant, which once had a sign prohibiting tobacco products, "aerobics, spitting, or biting," was called "one of the South's most famous eateries" by writer Coy Barefoot. Andy McClure has been one of its longest-tenured owners, churning out endless helpings of his famed Mac 'n Cheese topped with a cheddar potato cake since 2001. Reflecting upon his property's eternal appeal, which once brought in Michelle Obama, McClure told The Daily Meal in an exclusive interview, "You come to The Virginian to relax and hang out, and feel like you've gone back in time, if only for an hour or so."

While James Coney Island was starting to get things cooking in downtown Houston,  five miles northwest, another pharmacy opened in 1923 at the corner of Yale and West 21st Streets. The Dupuis's Yale Pharmacy was a dependable local shop for medicine and grabbing a bite at its soda fountain. Later on, the pharmacy portion of their building was sold, the place was renamed Yale Grill and Gifts, and after 78 years, the family let someone else run it.

The Yale Street Grill persists to this day thanks to 98% of their customers being regulars, some that even come twice in a single day. They come in to pop a squat in the roomy dining room decorated with pictures of Elvis and notable Texans, and later peruse the curious items for sale in the possibly haunted Lovejoy's Antiques & Collectibles, which occupies the former pharmacy's space. Upon reaching the 100-year marker, Houston Chronicle writer Elisabeth Carroll Parks perfectly summed up its longevity — "the most important thing Yale Street Grill has always served is a sense of belonging. And that's timeless."