Union oyster house boston reviews

Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion. Opening its door in and earning a place on the National Historic Landmark list, the Union Oyster House is Boston's oldest restaurant.

Few restaurant red flags loom quite so large as the attached gift shop. So it goes at ye olde Union Oyster House — everything here is ye olde — where there are about as many plush lobsters in ye olde adjacent gift shop as live ones in the tank. Nearly everyone who has spent more than a few days in Boston has made at least one visit to Union Oyster House. Over its years, it grew into the kind of place that celebrities and politicians stopped for a photo op whenever they swung through town. That makes Union a real institution. Its enduring popularity and exorbitant prices feed hopes it might rise above the gimmicky Wall Drugs of the world.

Union oyster house boston reviews

By day they run Visual Dialogue , a branding and design firm where Susan leads strategy and Fritz leads creative. By night, they can be found sharing meals and opinions at restaurants all over Boston and beyond. This national historic landmark, located just outside Faneuil Hall at 41 Union Street, dates back to and is the oldest restaurant in continuous service in United States. While most Bostonians think of it as a tourist trap and we cannot deny that it is , it does have an interesting history—one that makes it worthy of a review. In , around the time that oysters were becoming increasingly popular as an American staple, proprietors Atwood and Bacon bought the property. After installing a coal range and the semi-circular oyster bar that stands today, it became a prominent gathering spot for a growing city. Here famous colonists like John Adams , John Hancock , and Daniel Webster would order tall tumblers of brandy and water and plates of oysters. Legend has it that Webster seldom had less than six plates! Today the restaurant attracts local Bostonians and tourists from all over the world. Though colonial-era buildings are generally thought of as small, the current incarnation of Union Oyster House is quite expansive with over 12, square feet spread out over three floors and eight rooms, each of which has its own distinct feel.

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And one of these hidden treasures is none other than the Union Oyster House, proudly holding the title of the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the country. Indeed, the walls of this iconic eatery have stood witness to pivotal moments in history dating back to before the Revolutionary War. The Union Oyster House has quite the history, running deep into the annals of American heritage. This eatery threw open its doors back in , but the building itself had seen plenty of action long before that. The year brought a dash of royalty to the Union Oyster House, as the future King of France, Louis Philippe, took up residence on the second floor. Exiled from his homeland, he found a rather intriguing way to make a living — teaching the finer points of French to the fashionable young ladies of Boston.

Union oyster house boston reviews

At this point, it is believed that the open coal range on which oysters were roasted was installed in the kitchen. By the establishment was simply referred to as Union Oyster House, the name it holds today. After 87 years in business the Atwood family sold the oyster house in to the Fitzgerald family who owned the property until at least The Greaves brothers of Nova Scotia, Canada, owned the property by and began to operate satellite branches in other parts of town. The restaurant itself had been expanded in when a second floor dining room seating 50 persons opened. In , the oyster house opened three new dining rooms on the second floor and installed a new kitchen and bakery with all new cooking and dishwashing equipment.

Nest seekers

Nearly everyone who has spent more than a few days in Boston has made at least one visit to Union Oyster House. A hearty choice for a cold, winter night in Boston. Enter Email Sign Up. While still colonial in feel, the Heritage Room is lighter and brighter than the adjacent Pine Room. Five of the paintings from this room are original—can you tell which ones? Here famous colonists like John Adams , John Hancock , and Daniel Webster would order tall tumblers of brandy and water and plates of oysters. Dining Out Tourist trap or living history? Register Now. Was this rolling oyster cart a precursor to the food truck? By day they run Visual Dialogue , a branding and design firm where Susan leads strategy and Fritz leads creative. All rights reserved. In , around the time that oysters were becoming increasingly popular as an American staple, proprietors Atwood and Bacon bought the property. Hold the water.

But more than these quantitative characteristics, the oldest restaurants in the country have lasted this long because of unique qualities that are much tougher to define. Clearly the livelihood of this restaurant is extremely important to the people of Balltown. Louis' Lunch New Haven, Conn.

Is the food as interesting as some of our other favorites? A hearty choice for a cold, winter night in Boston. The fresh-shucked oysters came from Cotuit and Duxbury, but we think this monster lobster may have been pulled up near the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant. One cautionary note: locals hardly ever eat here. Any sweetness in the flesh has been replaced by what surely is the essence of the tank where the poor thing spent its last days. A review of Union Oyster House at The first room, the Pine Room, has an old tavern feel with dim lighting, drawn curtains, and high wooden booths. Log in with social media: Log in with Facebook. Hold the water. Log in with user name:. And Union Special Lobster is special indeed: A wan and ludicrously expensive lobster is disemboweled and then crucified on a skewer, its innards replaced with a mushy brown stuffing. By night, they can be found sharing meals and opinions at restaurants all over Boston and beyond. By signing up for the newsletter, I agree to the Privacy Policy. To the left of the bar is the Freedom Trail room, which features informal dining space and a series of bas-reliefs depicting historical sites in Boston.