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Oldest Restaurants in the Washington, DC Area


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Is it a restaurant or just a place to sober up?

Does a change in ownership but not a name change or location change qualify for the list?

I drove by it last night.

Steak'n Egg in Tenleytown. It's been there since 1935

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Is it a restaurant or just a place to sober up?

Does a change in ownership but not a name change or location change qualify for the list?

I drove by it last night.

Steak'n Egg in Tenleytown. It's been there since 1935

It was originally the Toddle House, and the name changed sometime in the early 1980s. When my folks ate there in the 1940s, there was an "honor box" at the door, and you put your check and the amount you owed into it when you left.

Parenthetically, people were still raising chickens in Tenleytown when that restaurant was built.

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OMG, we're missing the Wafle (sic) House on Commonwealth near Glebe Rd. (and RT's) in Arlandria. It's been there forever and still serving the same menu. It now has more of a Latino clientele but (except for a coat of paint lately) hasn't changed since I moved to Alexandria more years ago than I want to admit to.

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THE WILLARD ROOM! It is tied to the history of DC, like no other. The Willard Room at the IHG Hotel. Willard Intercontinental Hotel. If the walls could talk, what great stories they could tell. WOW!

On June 27, 1844, Joseph, Hyrum, John Taylor, and Willard Richards were together [in the Carthage Jail] when an angry mob stormed the jail, ran up the stairway, and began firing through the door of the room they occupied. Hyrum was killed, and John Taylor was wounded. Joseph Smith's last great act here upon the earth was one of selflessness. He crossed the room, most likely 'thinking that it would save the lives of his brethren in the room if he could get out, . . .

1861 Nov 19, 1861 - On November 19th, 1861, Julia Ward Howe was sleeping in her hotel room at Willards Hotel in Washington, DC, now the Willard Intercontinental. Having just visited troop maneuvers outside of town, her pastor suggested she write more appropriate and ...On November 19th, 1861, Julia Ward Howe was sleeping in her hotel room at Willards Hotel in Washington, DC, now the Willard Intercontinental. Having just visited troop maneuvers outside of town, her pastor suggested she write more appropriate and inspirational lyrics to the stirring folk tune, “John Brown’s Body”, which the troops had been singing that day. According to her memoirs, her own inspiration was born both from a “feeling of discouragement” and a desire to make a

1864 Jun 1864 - In June, 1864, Mr. Lincoln, seated in an arm-chair, in a private room of the old Willard's Hotel, Washington, was telling stories to the late JB Blair, Representative from West Virginia. The artist changed the accessories, so as to make the scene an outdoor one.

A RENEWED WILLARD

Published on October 19, 1986

Author(s): William A. Davis, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- In a city where many buildings resemble concrete filing cabinets -- and those that don't are apt to look like marble boxes -- the Willard Hotel is an architectural valentine.

Closed and empty for 18 years (during which time it came perilously near to falling beneath the wrecker's ball), the Willard is back in a blaze of late Victorian glory, ready to resume its traditional role as "the conversational center of the nation." Under

1908 Mar 29, 1908 - Anyhow, on March 29, 1908, they met in the Gridiron Room of the Willard Hotel and learned that two hundred were willing to sign up. A constitution was framed. They would promote social enjoyment among the members, would cultivate literary taste, would encourage ...Anyhow, on March 29, 1908, they met in the Gridiron Room of the Willard Hotel and learned that two hundred were willing to sign up. A constitution was framed. They would promote social enjoyment among the members, would cultivate literary taste, would encourage friendly intercourse among newspapermen and those with whom they are thrown in contact in the pursuit of their vocation, would aid members in distress, would foster the ethical standards of the profession.

1940 Jul 29, 1940 - Congress Leaders, Army Officer Clash In Radio Forum. Speakers were interrupted and feeling ran high, but a clean division of opinion on compulsory military training came out of the confusion and verbal heat of the air-conditioned Willard Room of the Hotel Willard last night.

1968 Jul 16, 1968 - Mimeographed sheets were slid under.guest room doors stating: "g)Dear Willard Guest: With deep sorrow and real regret . . . I must notify you that as of midnight today the Willard will clse its doors permanently." ,The note warned that, by the court order, elevator, telephone, ...

1987 Jan 25, 1987 - You may not want to bother reading this review once you know how hard it is to get a reservation for the Willard Room. ... The Willard Room has a very small menu, as hotels go, with fewer than 10 appetizers or main courses. And in the new American style, they are familiar dishes with a ...

2000 Aug 4, 2000 - WHAT: The restaurant and kitchen staff of The Willard Room toast their Hollywood film debut in "The Hollow Man," starring Kevin Bacon and Elisabeth Shue, by serving up complimentary champagne and film memorabilia for their dinner guests, courtesy of Moet & Chandon and Columbia Pictures ...

2001 Jul 11, 2001 - When we sampled the summer tasting menu at the Willard Room, executive chef Gerard Madani presented a very cool intermezzo course. After the chilled squab consomme was cleared, before the roast Colorado rack of lamb arrived, waiters served a little something to cleanse the palate --

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The Iron Gate Inn has certainly been there for a very long time, but I've googled in vain trying to find a date.

Iron Gate Inn is listed in the 1939 edition of Duncan Hines's (apparently a real guy) Adventures in Good Eating. Also Mrs. K's, the Occidental, the Blair Mansion Inn and Normandie Farms.

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Frozen Dairy Bar since 1950 on Arlington Blvd in Falls Church (in strip mall across from Present). They have photos of the old shop hanging on the wall. The Wash Post says

With a six-foot neon ice cream cone that served as a beacon to cruising teenagers, this shop once attracted long lines to its '50s-era drive-up shop. Developers eventually flattened the place, and after an ill-fated move down the road, the Dairy Bar ended up in a strip mall at its old location.
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Frozen Dairy Bar since 1950 on Arlington Blvd in Falls Church (in strip mall across from Present). They have photos of the old shop hanging on the wall. The Wash Post says

Actually, it moved over to Lee Highway just south of the cemetary and then back to 50. On Lee Highway they continued to use the ElectroFreeze which dated to at least the early '50's (same as Carl's in Fredricksburg and Klein's in Harrisonburg). I stopped in the strip shopping center location twice after the move back and both times the original machine was "on display" and not used. I haven't been back.

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Actually, it moved over to Lee Highway just south of the cemetary and then back to 50. On Lee Highway they continued to use the ElectroFreeze which dated to at least the early '50's (same as Carl's in Fredricksburg and Klein's in Harrisonburg). I stopped in the strip shopping center location twice after the move back and both times the original machine was "on display" and not used. I haven't been back.

Frozen Dairy Bar no longer exists. It has changed ownership, retired the ElectroFreeze, and now goes by the name "Frozen Dairy Bar and Boardwalk Pizza," serving such authentic 1950 ElectroFreeze delights as (ready for this?)

Beach Fries, Jalapeno Poppers, Mozzarella Sticks, Corn Dog Nuggets, Greek Salad, Chicken Marsala, and of course the Specialty Pizzas: Popeye's Favorite, Surf & Turf, and BBQ Chicken.

Shall I stop here? Those two farmer-looking dudes in their baseball caps should be rolling over in their graves right now, but assuming they're still alive and well (which I hope and suspect they are), I hope they're rolling in dough from having sold their business to these new owners.

Best of luck to all, I say, but Frozen Dairy Bar and Boardwalk Pizza is not one of the oldest restaurants in the area, as it was just founded several years ago.

Cheers,

Rocks.

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Iron Gate Inn is listed in the 1939 edition of Duncan Hines's (apparently a real guy) Adventures in Good Eating. Also Mrs. K's, the Occidental, the Blair Mansion Inn and Normandie Farms.

I got married at Normandie Farm ten years ago, and at that time it seemed like the menu hadn't changed since 1939.

The Blair Mansion Inn is still around. I drive by it all the time, but have never had the urge to stop in for lunch. Maybe I should and report back.

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Let me be the first to mention Victor's Pizzeria in Springfield (2 doors down from Whole Foods). The owner told me today it's been in the same spot with the same name for 61 years. That would mean it opened in 1948. I doubt that the Whole Foods was there at the time.

[Victor's is one of those homey, family-run and family-friendly pizza places (with Greek food) that are all over Springfield, Burke and Lorton. But the owner has an orchard of a couple of hundred olive trees back in Greece, and he goes back there every year to supervise a pressing and bottling of Karousos olive oil. There is a basket of these bottles next to the cash register, and I just bought a half dozen ($12.95 each) for Christmas presents. Next to my stove are eight bottles of olive oil, each with a wine spout, which I use in my cooking (and dipping and sipping). Karousos is by far the best, followed by Saifan (Lebanon).]

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Mangialardo's on PA Ave, SE - 1953, moved to their current location in 1958. The old Italian neighborhood is gone, the Feds still come for the G-man subs...

Deli City on Bladensburg Road - at least 30 years since they settled in this once Jewish neighborhood...

Jimmy T's on East Capitol on Capitol Hill dates back about 50 years. Who cares how old it is? It hasn't changed....

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Mangialardo's on PA Ave, SE - 1953, moved to their current location in 1958. The old Italian neighborhood is gone, the Feds still come for the G-man subs...

Deli City on Bladensburg Road - at least 30 years since they settled in this once Jewish neighborhood...

Jimmy T's on East Capitol on Capitol Hill dates back about 50 years. Who cares how old it is? It hasn't changed....

Thanks! I'll verify those years and put them in.

Also, David Chang's favorite, Wu's Garden, opened in 1974, lending even more credence to the old adage, "Wherever chefs eat, go somewhere else." (I'm kidding, sort of.)

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Taj Mahal at 1327 Connecticut Avenue opened in 1965 (citation). It was probably no more than a year after that that I had dinner there with my family. I can't remember what the occasion was, but it must have been a special one, as my family almost never had dinner in a restaurant when I was a kid, unless we were traveling. I'm afraid I haven't been back since. The only thing I remember about the meal was the lemon pickle, which was the hottest thing I had ever tasted till then. Has anyone else eaten there in the last 45 years? I couldn't find any reference to the place anywhere on donrockwell.com.

ETA: Either I don't search too good, or Rocks added it to the list really quickly.

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I am reasonably certain that Booeymonger in Georgetown opened in 1975. They filed their initial trademark application in 1975. The Booeymonger website indicates that the second location on upper Wisconsin Avenue opened in 1976. The website also touts that they are celebrating their 35th anniversary. I suspect that notice was probably placed on the site in 2010 and not within the previous 12 days, so that math gives you 1975.

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The Tombs - 1962. According to its website, it opened the same summer as 1789, which is already on the list.

Richard McCooey opened all three -- The Tombs, 1789 and F Scott's -- all in 1962. He sold all three to John Latham of Clyde's in 1988 when his twin brother casually mentioned in passing that there were more and more cases of DUI resulting in lawsuits to the restaurant owners.....

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I've been a couple of times, it's a favorite of my brother's wife's family.

Compared to newer restaurants ... it's hard to say ... but if I'd seen the menu back in older days I'm sure I'd be impressed.

And I've always quite enjoyed the food and very warm hospitality there.

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In reviewing this list, I've noticed that the following have closed:

1946 - Payne's (Centreville)

1949 - AV Ristorante Italiano (AV is Augusto Vasaio)

1949 - Blackie's

1955 - Yenching Palace

1957 - The Brickskeller

1958 - Coach Stop (Middleburg)

1959 - Market Inn

1964 - Tom Sarris' Orleans House

1965 - Bay 'n Surf (Laurel)

1966 - Alpine

1966 - Japan Inn (present location since 1971)

1967 - Childe Harold

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Add Taj Mahal to the closed list.

Note: I can't remember the exact date I started compiling that list, but if a restaurant on the list closes after that date, it remains (the logic being 1) it's a recent memory, and 2) I don't have time to curate all closures).

So a more accurate title would be "Oldest Restaurants in the Area that were open after the date this list became compiled." I think it also lends a certain air of vulnerability to the whole thing which I like.

But your points are thoughtful, appreciated, and well-taken. I also need to go over every post here, and make sure the list is current (any volunteers? It's actually kind of a fun project.)

Cheers,

Rocks

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Branded '72 - 1972, per their website.

ETA: Actually, a closer read of the website seems to indicate that this is some sort of follow-on restaurant to a place called O'Brien's Pit Barbecue, which opened in 1972. This article makes it sound like Branded '72 is in the same location as the old O'Brien's. I don't know when Branded '72 opened.

ETA2: Since I started this mess, I felt duty bound to go over there and find out the story. The new owners bought O'Brien's Pit Barbeque a few years ago. They changed the name to reflect the new ownership, but kept the O'Brien's menu and recipes. The barbeque sliders were of a pretty good size, but were held back by a dry roll that would not hold up to the sauce without breaking apart. The pulled chicken was very dry; the sliced brisket somewhat less so, but mildly flavorful. The pulled pork was OK. It was lunch time, after all. :)

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When did the Philip's on the Waterfront open? I'm pretty sure we went there in 1977 and 1981 on visits to DC but I wouldn't swear to it.

Before it was Phillips Flagship it was the Flagship Restaurant. By reputation it was always lousy, at least within my memory. I think I ate there once as a lad in the 1960s. Poking around the Washington Post archive, I found an item from 1985, when the Flagship was sold to Phillips, that described it as 57 years old at that time, which would take it back to 1928. Is it the same restaurant? Hard to say. I believe they built the current building during the urban-renewal holocaust (although I could be wrong about that), and it now does business under a modified but not wholly different name.
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Branded '72 - 1972, per their website.

ETA: Actually, a closer read of the website seems to indicate that this is some sort of follow-on restaurant to a place called O'Brien's Pit Barbecue, which opened in 1972. This article makes it sound like Branded '72 is in the same location as the old O'Brien's. I don't know when Branded '72 opened. Oh well. Nevermind.

O'Brien's moved at some point in the late 80's (maybe early 90's) from a shopping center on Gude Drive that also contains the painfully horrible Chicken Basket. Canopy took that spot, then became Charlie's, and now is Hot Stone BBQ - the change from O'Briens to Canopy was a vast improvement - the sliced pork shoulder with Eastern Carolina Sauce still remains one of my favorite sandwiches.

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