16 Bars And Restaurants Turning 150 In 2023

Like 2023 or 1923, 1873 is one of those years that doesn't roll off the tongue. But if one peels back the calendar a century and a half ago, there's a lot to discover. Ulysses S. Grant started his second stint as the President of the United States, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (not named that just yet) saddled up for the first time, and the Preakness Stakes race began! Thanks to 1873, the world can celebrate the 150th birthdays of Rachmaninoff, Enrico Caruso, W.C. Handy, and Ma Baker, and the unification of Buda, Pest, and Óbuda to form the Hungarian capital city of Budapest. That year gave Heineken's brewer its ubiquitous name. Adolph Coors brewed his beer in the Colorado Rockies, and 1873 also saw the chocolate Easter egg spring eternal in the U.K.

Amazingly, there are 16 restaurants, bars, cafés, bakeries, and markets that started in 1873 and are still going strong! Among these establishments is Sigmund Freud's chill spot, and a bar where the White Stripes rocked. Sometimes, the line between their start 150 years ago and current status zigged-zagged. But let's celebrate these institutions that have stood that mighty test of time. Cheers to the 16 bars and restaurants turning 150 in 2023!

The need to keep bowls from breaking on deliveries led Atsuta Houraiken's second-generation owner Jinzaburo to get creative. He crafted sturdier containers made out of wood called hitsu. He also noticed that his customers were enjoying his eel (unagi), but not so much his rice. Working with employee Miss Oume, he up with their signature dish — cutting up the eel finer and mixing it in with the rice and their secret sauce, aka hitsumabushi.

In Nagoya, Japan, a serene stone pathway surrounded by shrubbery leads to the doors of the original Atsuta Houraiken location, a quiet food destination since 1873. The registered trademark hitsumabushi — along with other popular eel dishes like umaki and kimoyaki — are just a few of the delicacies found here and at their two other locations. Famed foodie Andrew Zimmern listed Atsuta Houraiken as one of his "favorite places to eat around the world." "LDK" manga artist Ayu Watanabe noted that the hitsumabushi and Nagoya cuisine "healed [her] heart."

1873 was quite a year for the founding of Spanish casinos that would eventually become vibrant cafes! On the opposite side of Spain from where Café Casino Santiago holds court, in the Eixample district of Barcelona, resides Café del Centre.

By 1904, the casino had been converted into a brewery. Four years later, Agustín Bel Belada turned it into the café — remaining one of Barcelona's oldest eateries. In 1955, Jose Bel Coromina came into possession of the Café del Centre, and his family ran it for generations (including a visit by Jean-Paul Belmondo). But in 2021, Grup Confiteria acquired the spot. Grup Confiteria was founded by two forward-thinking friends, Enric Rebordosa and Lito Baldovinos, who didn't want Barcelona eating and drinking establishments to disappear. They wanted to give them a new lease on life while retaining their histories. Their first venture was revitalizing La Confiteria, after which their company is named. They have also worked their modernist magic on Café del Centre.

A piano hidden behind a piano, baccarat tables, and restored Martí Teixidó paintings adorn the café. Time Out recently gave a five-star review of the location, noting that it was a good sign that the previous owner stops by for lunch. Under the culinary skills of Chef Victor Ferrer, one can casually dine on artisanal sausage, steak tartare, or pork knuckles with a tasty glass of wine.

Pierre L'Enfant was an 18th-century American-French engineer who laid out a grand street plan for the United States' young capital city, including space for public markets. Adolf Cluss was a 19th-century German immigrant architect who designed buildings in Washington, D.C., including Eastern Market. The market opened on November 12, 1873. As its Capitol Hill neighborhood grew, it grew with it — adding additional halls and stalls over time. A 2007 fire almost destroyed the market, but the public and private sectors of Washington, DC rallied to bring it back better than ever.

Vendors of food, drink, provisions, flowers, art, and much more line the interiors and exteriors of Eastern Market. Locals, tourists, and politicians – like Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten– swing by for necessities and treats. Highlights here include cheeses from around the world like from Bowers Fancy Dairy Products, picanha steak at Canales Quality Meats, and blueberry buckwheat pancakes at Market Lunch. Couples have used the market as a backdrop for engagement photos and a venue for their ceremonies. Hollywood has also called on Eastern Market to engage viewers in films like "Mercury Rising," Ridley Scott's "Body of Lies" (standing in for Amsterdam), "Don't Look Up," and the Chris Rock-starring biopic, "Rustin."

While the Frontier Tavern structure in Ellensburg, Washington wasn't standing in 1873, a saloon at its same location has existed since that time. According to researcher Peter Andrijeski, this distinction marks it as the oldest bar located in Washington state. In 1889, a fire destroyed the original saloon. The current one was constructed around 1900.

Regardless of timelines, brick and mortar, and possible previous names like the High Line Pool Hall and then The Hi-Line, the Frontier Tavern considers itself established in 1873. In 2015, freshly minted college grad Michael McNeight joined the family trade and bought the Frontier Tavern. His dad and uncle own the neighboring bar The Tav (only established in 1968). McNeight told the Daily Record, "I grew up here and I wanted to come back... With my dad and uncle next door, I decided this would be a good project."

With billiards, live music, liquor, and Rainier beer on hand, the Frontier Tavern is a well-established haunt for Ellensburg residents. Original Screaming Trees drummer and Kurt Cobain collaborator Mark Pickerel is among them and is a big fan of the bar's pickled hard-boiled eggs. Pickerel told Ghettoblaster Magazine a tale about a friend who trapped a snake, brought it into the Frontier Tavern, tried to feed it one of those eggs, and had his hand bit instead.

When tourists flock to Florence to see the Duomo and how Michaelngo's David is hanging, they often stop by Mercato Centrale for a bite. Lesser known, but perhaps more beloved by locals, is the Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio. Antique seller Rosanna Vannini described to The Guardian the magic of the area, saying, "Sant'Ambrogio is like an island, the last popular Florentine neighborhood."

Designed by architect Giuseppe Mengoni, the market, in their words, is "a gathering place full of colors, flavors, and fragrances." On the outside of the market are fruit and vegetable stalls, clothing racks, and antiques to snap up. On the inside is the best that Tuscany cuisine has to offer — thanks to numerous butcher shops, cheese and fishmongers, and bread and pasta makers.

The market's saying is: "If you don't leave the market with a full belly, then you never went in." Feast on some delicious panini or baked pears at de Rocco Trattoria da Rocca or fresh meat at Macelleria Luca Menoni — a staple of the market since 1921. Enjoy a leisurely glass of wine or grab an espresso like Prince Charles and Camilla did in 2017 (via Instagram).

The Gold Rush in the Rocky Mountains started in 1858. Fifteen years later, Maria Anna Capelli and her husband set up a Denver boarding house with a saloon called Highland House. Over time, it changed owners (next up were the Schlitz Brewing Company), names (Whitie's Restaurant, Platte Bar, Paul's Place), and lost its second floor. However, it still retains a staircase that now leads to nowhere. It was also the bar that Jack Kerouac's friend Neal Cassady wrote to another from prison that he had "a small bill run up, I believe I owe them about 3 or 4 dollars" (via Westword).

Its current name came about when Jim and Angelo Karags took over ownership in 1970. Under the Karagas' watch, My Brother's Bar's burgers became a draw, as well as selling thousands of boxes of cookies on behalf of the Girl Scouts. 

In 2017, former waitress and manager Paula Newman, her husband, and their son became "caretakers" and owners to keep the Denver restaurant alive. They kept everything the same, including remaining sign-less and TV-less. As Danny said, "Our family is going to keep this piece of Denver history alive" (via Historic Denver). While the pandemic dealt a blow to My Brother's Bar, Raising Cane's founder Todd Graves helped through his "Restaurant Recovery" and Cooking Channel series. Graves told Westworld, "We need more family-owned places like this."

Bars enduring for 150 years is a rare feat that should be celebrated. But in New York City, it only makes you good enough to be the 6th oldest serving up pints and smiles. Originally part of an eponymous South Street Seaport Hotel, The Paris Café has continued to welcome seafarers, tourists, local legends, and luminaries long after the hotel checked out for good. In a century and a half, the likes of Thomas Edison, Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill Cody, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Teddy Roosevelt, Errol Flynn, Bob Dylan, and Lauren Bacall have walked through its doors.

John Ronaghan and Peter O'Connell raised the classic bar and brassiere into the 21st century. But 2012's Hurricane Sandy flooded the landmarked Federal Registry of Historic Building with 11 feet of water, causing severe damage to the establishment. The Paris Café stormed back, but the pandemic struck another fatal blow in 2020, as they posted on Facebook that they were "unable to forge a way forward that makes economic sense. We had no option but to close our doors" (via Vanishing New York).

Two years later, The Paris Cafè received a new lease on life, "reimagined" by restaurateurs Chris Reda and Eytan Sugarman (who also runs New York's 9th oldest bar — White Horse Tavern). Patrons can now cheer with Seaport Spritzes i hand while enjoying French onion soup or steak frites.

The 19th-century tale of Sir Roger Tichborne was so scandalous that a countryside British "beer house" deemed it worthy to name itself after him. Tichborne was from a well-to-do family but disappeared at sea in 1854. He reappeared 12 years later as a different man, and then his claim was successfully challenged in court by his family (via JSTOR Daily).

Unlike the impostor, Sir Roger Tichborne has led a quiet existence for the last 150 years as one of the more dependable pubs in Alfold Bars, Billingshurst, located 70 minutes south of London, in Sussex. Pastoral pleasures of The Sir Roger Tichborne welcome guests to their gardens, playground, and sprawling grounds, which have doubled as a wedding venue and a place to practice yoga. Travel guides Sawday's named it as one of the 30 best winter pubs in Britain, and singled it out as a go-to place for roaring fires (via The Telegraph).

Affectionately known as "The Tich," it had a recent makeover by Clare Hudson Design. Great British Life praised the eatery as a "typical village pub meets restrained French country chic." Owner George Vasadi said: "We are a very community-based pub. We are quite rural, so it's important to support the families and people who live around here — they are the life and soul of the place."