Historic Restaurants—the Boston Union Oyster House and More! – Roaming Historian

If you know anything about me, you know that one of my greatest pleasures of going on a trip is dining out and trying new cuisines. If I can combine my love of food with my passion for history…I’m in heaven. Boston provides several opportunities to dine in historic digs while eating tasty treats—some of which were created in the city.  

If you’re like me and like to integrate your love of history into your dining adventures, here are some of the oldest restaurants in Boston: 

Union Oyster House—Built in the early 1700s, the structure originally housed an importer’s shop that sold silks. During the American Revolution, patriot Isaiah Thomas printed the radical newspaper the Massachusetts Spy from this building before he was forced to flee Boston, crossing the Charles with his printing press in a row boat. In 1826, the Union Oyster House was established on the spot and is now the oldest restaurant in America to run continuously. It’s also the oldest oyster bar in Boston. The eatery has great atmosphere. The exterior boasts old menus and newspapers in its windows. Inside, booths are designed with tidbits of history telling about either American revolutionaries or famous people who had dined there. The food is good, too! I enjoyed an amazing crab-filled cake there. The Boston Union Oyster House is one of the few places in town (if not the only one?) where you can get Boston Baked Beans, so I highly recommend a visit.

Location: 41 Union Street  

Parker’s Restaurant at Parker House Hotel—Famous writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadwsorth Longfellow, and Henry David Thoreau all have dined there. Emeril Lagasse worked there, as did Malcolm X and Vietnamese revolutionary Ho Chi Minh. The Boston Cream Pie was created there in 1856. Now the official state dessert of Massachusetts, the spongy, golden cake filled with pastry cream covered with chocolate icing and decorated with white icing and toasted almonds is a sweet treat not to be missed. The Parker House isn’t just known for its elegant décor and tasty dessert…there are also the Parker House Rolls! For lunch when I visited, I dined on award-winning clam chowder so thick that my spoon could almost stand up in it. Served with it were the fluffiest, most buttery rolls I have ever tasted. I’ve eaten many “Parker House” rolls (note the quotation marks because none can will ever live up to the name again) in my life but having the original…