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!

Not far from the banks of the Tiber River lies a neighborhood gem that displays the second oldest sign for a café (after Caffè Greco) in all of Rome. While the Antico Caffé del Moro (the "Old" or "Ancient" Café" named after the street it's on) opened in 1873, its famed iron sign hanging above the entrance came 23 years later. According to the Roman historical blog Rerum Romanarum, it depicts two Italian army Bersaglieri infantrymen and a sailor offering a glass of Fernet Branca to three Abyssinian women set during a time when Italy was at war with the Ethiopian empire.

Today, the Antico Caffé del Moro offers beer, liquor, and over 1,000 different bottles of wine to compliment their bruschettas, salads (named after famous women like Coco Chanel and Amelia Earhart), and pasta dishes. In her list of 7 Favorite Eateries in Rome for Forbes, Giada De Laurentiis included Antico Caffé del Moro, saying: "This cozy spot is the perfect place to meet a friend for a cocktail, grab a drink before dinner, or finish off the night. I like to order the Frangelico Frizzante: It's perfectly light and refreshing on any occasion."

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."

Santiago de Compostela, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, once held a casino — luring aristocrats and members to take in the beauty of Café Casino Santiago. Beyond being a gambling joint, it was also a bustling cultural center. This was a place for dance and music and a haven for literary and creative minds. José Saramago relaxed here and Lugín Perez's worked it into his novel, "La Casa de la Troya" ("The House of Troy"). Sculptor Maximino Magariños left his mark here with a series of wooden engravings within the casino's walls.

Since 2002, Café Casino Santiago let go of its exclusivity and opened its splendorous doors for the public to enjoy. Rick Steves recommended it in his "Spain" guidebook for a "taste of turn-of-the-20th-century elegance," and as an "elegant coffee or tea stop." Travelers, locals, and students of the University of Santiago de Compostela sip sangría here and polish their sweet tooth with an array of cakes including Ferrero, Sacher, and Dulce de Leche. Café Casino Santiago continues its literary traditions these days by holding the Premio de Novela Europea Café Casino (Annual Café Casino European Novel Award), where they turn "citizens into judges." Local Galician writers go toe-to-toe with "giants of literature," according to La Voz de Galicia.

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.

In the capital of Austria, important buildings from the past and present line the famed boulevard Ringstraße. The Vienna Ring Road contains the towering Rathaus town hall, Burgtheater, opera house, parliament building, and the University of Vienna. In the words of billionaire and Motorsport executive Toto Wolff to F1, "right in the heart of" the Ringstrasse is a regal namesake café on the ground floor of the Palais Lieben-Auspitz, Café Landtmann, which Franz Landtmann opened in 1873.

The storied coffeehouse had iconic patrons – Sigmund Freud, Gustav Mahler, Gustav Klimt, Emperor Franz Joseph, Marlene Dietrich, Burt Lancaster, and Paul McCartney – stopping in for Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz, or their homemade pastries. Café Landtmann has been captured on film, including the 1973 film "Scorpio" and Art Garfunkel and Nicolas Roeg's 1980 film, Bad Timing."

Café Landtmann will celebrate its 150th anniversary in September, along with a special film and magazine to mark the occasion. In a statement provided to The Daily Meal, the owners said: "[It's] a round birthday that allows us to look back on the one hand and look ahead on the other. We, the Querfeld family, have been leading the history of Café Landtmann for almost 40 years now and are very pleased to be able to celebrate the history of our traditional café together with our guests!"

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."

In Australia, some bars and pubs are referred to as "hotels." This choice reflected an old law that used to require that watering holes also provide accommodations. One of the oldest "hotels" in Melbourne is within the suburb of Fitzroy North. The Empress of India Hotel was opened by John Burke in 1873 and named in honor of Queen Victoria.

Known simply as The Empress Hotel, it was a location where mostly men gathered. However, it became more inclusive when Sandra Eunson and her daughters took over in the 1980s, as "they wanted a safe and comfortable environment for women" (via The Sydney Morning Herald). Live music acts were booked and up-and-coming local bands like Silverchair earned their stripes here, and internationally famous acts like The White Stripes played here, too.

The music stopped, literally and figuratively, at The Empress Hotel in 2013. But two years later, a "new chapter" was written by the next owner, Guy David. The former venue's band room became a beer garden, complete with a retractable roof. Italian specialties like the Empress Parma and Eggplant Orecchiette provided alternatives on the menu to the usual pub standby fare like burgers and fish and chips. At The Empress Hotel, you can check in any time you like for a pint or a game of darts or pool.

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.

Franz Kirchhoff emigrated from Prussia to America and set up an old-world bakery in downtown Paducah, Kentucky. His son, Frank Jr., and grandson, Louis, kept things rising for 84 years. It became one of the largest bakeries in the state. In 1934, they baked a 250-pound cake to celebrate President Franklin Roosevelt's birthday (via The Paducah Sun-Democrat).

Sadly, a fire broke out in 1952. A year later, Louis Kirchhoff sold the business to local bakers and distributors from Illinois — only a year after baking the world's largest peach pie. The bakery shut down for good by 1957. The building became occupied by the Petter Supply Company, who later sold the property back to the city of Paducah. In 1996, it was sold back to the family for $1. In 1997, Kirchhoff's Bakery & Deli was reborn, thanks to Franz's great-grandson, Louis Frank Kirchhoff, and his daughter, Ginny.

The return of the bakery revitalized the long-dormant downtown of Paducah, which in 2013 was designated a UNESCO Creative City. It's also a favorite location for "Top Chef" Sara Bradley and her nearby restaurant Freight House. While it's no longer run by the Kirchhoff family, it's in the safe hands of the revival's first employee, Josh Ryan – a protege of Louis Frank Kirchhoff.

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).

When in Kyoto, Japan, the place to go for stir-fried beef sukiyaki is Mishima-tei. Fodor's described the restaurant as "climbing the staircase of this traditional wood-frame restaurant with its turn-of-the-20th-century atmosphere is like journeying into the past." It's led by 5th generation chef Taro Mishima, who carries on the proud familial traditions.

Their famous marbled sukiyaki comes from Kuroge Wagyu beef. One Honolulu Magazine writer noted that the way it's prepared and cooked is that "the beef was so tender, no knife necessary!" The restaurant, also known for its shabu-shabu and oil-yaki, occupies the second floor of the building situated in Kyoto's busy shopping district. The restaurant strives to create "an atmosphere of calmness and serenity." Author Deborah Kemp even named dropped Mishima-Tei in the sequel to her "Kyoto Connection," "Kiss of the Geisha."

A butcher shop occupies the bottom floor of the townhouse structure, where queues of locals stand at the ready to snap up some award-winning quality meats. They also have a robust takeout menu full of bento boxes and side dishes, so one "can enjoy the taste of the long-established store at home."

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."

William Nicholson, the sharp cricket player and politician, eventually took on the role of running the family's distilling company, J. & W. Nicholson & Co. Producers of "it's clear, it's good" namesake gin, they saw an opening to a natural expansion. Under the umbrella of Nicholson's, they "bought the freehold of six pubs that hadn't paid their gin bills." Since then, they have expanded their portfolio and "been a cornerstone of distinctively inviting British pubs." World War II almost brought the company to an end, but it was acquired by Allied Beer who saved it.

Today, Mitchells & Butlers owns Nicholson's. Mitchells & Butlers operate over 1,700 pubs and restaurants throughout the U.K. Nicholson's name proudly adorns pubs with rich history like London's Old Bell Tavern and Belfast's The Crown Liquor Saloon — where Harry and Meghan washed down their Irish Stew and Sausage & Champ with a half pint of ale (via Hospitality & Catering News).

While the U.K. marches into modern times, Nicholson's pubs retain the sort of old-world charm many seek. However, Nicholson's kitchens have been keeping up with modern tastes with revamped menus. Food sales surpassed drink sales for the first time in 2011. In 2017, the gin brand was revived by descendants Nicholas Browne and Tim Walker.

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.

When the neon "Whiskey" light is on at The Round House Bar in late April, it signals the start of its opening season for the village of Put-In-Bay, Ohio — a tiny enclave on South Bass Island, in Lake Erie. This tradition goes back at least three decades, but The Round House Bar's history hearkens back 15 decades.

The structure, originally known as the Columbia Restaurant, has been rumored to have been built in Toledo and reassembled on Put-In-bay, assuming the name "Round House" by at least 1890. The Round House has always been serving up beers, and once was a cool spot to scoop up ice cream and cottage cheese. Under the ownership of the Greunkes, a round bar was installed, and music performances became a staple of the venue — a tradition that continues today under the McCann family.

Other traditions have come and gone like trash can races, bartender Olympics, and taking a "Mossback Picture" on the steps of the bar at the end of the season. One man's dying wish was to have his ashes reside there, and they were placed on a ledge near the top of The Round Bar, which was a perfect spot as "he could watch the band from there" (via Port Clinton News Herald).

The 2023 season at The Round House Bar is in full season, and they promise a "year of celebration" (via Instagram).

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."