California Eats · checked October 2026California's oldest restaurants
18 California restaurants and bars, oldest first, each with an opening year taken from its own history or a dated source. The year counts from when it opened at this address; where a business is older than its current home, its note tells the story.
Oldest first
Hotel Leger Restaurant & Bar
8304 Main St, Mokelumne Hill
On the menu: restaurant, bar · Opened 1851
Gold Country hotel restaurant and bar; site calls it a landmark since 1851 and one of the longest continually operating hotels in California.
Golden Gate Saloon
212 W Main St, Grass Valley
On the menu: brunch, bar bites, saloon · Opened 1852
Gold Rush hotel built around the Golden Gate Saloon (constructed 1852).
Rossotti's Alpine Inn
3915 Alpine Rd, Portola Valley
On the menu: burgers, beer garden · Opened 1852
Creekside beer garden and tavern; its site says it was founded in 1852 as Casa de Tableta and is the second-oldest continually operating tavern in California.
Murphys Hotel Saloon
457 Main St, Murphys
On the menu: breakfast, lunch, dinner, saloon · Opened 1856
Gold Rush hotel with restaurant and saloon, opened summer 1856 as the Sperry & Perry Hotel.
Elixir
3200 16th St, San Francisco
On the menu: cocktails, whiskey, bar · Opened 1858
Mission saloon; its site says it is the second-oldest continually operating saloon location in San Francisco, with saloon service on the corner since 1858.
Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon
48 Webster St, Oakland
On the menu: bar · Opened 1884
Jack London Square saloon on the estuary that opened June 1, 1884.
Swiss Hotel
18 W Spain St, Sonoma
Wine country On the menu: wood-oven baked meatballs, grilled polenta with mushroom ragout, fried calamari · Opened 1892
Hotel, restaurant and historic bar on Sonoma Plaza in a Vallejo-era adobe; same family since 1923. Dinner menu includes wood-oven dishes.
Hob Nob Hill
2271 1st Ave, San Diego
On the menu: all-day breakfast and lunch menu · Opened 1946
Bankers Hill restaurant founded 1944; moved to Juniper and First two years later.
Original Tommy's
2575 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles
Burger stand On the menu: chili cheeseburger, chili cheese dogs, chili cheese fries, tamales · Opened 1946
The original Tommy's stand at Beverly and Rampart, open 24 hours; the chain has 32 locations in Southern California and Nevada.
Sam's Grill and Seafood Restaurant
374 Bush St, San Francisco
On the menu: rex sole, seafood, cocktails · Opened 1946
Downtown seafood grill; its site says it opened in 1867 and calls itself the fifth-oldest restaurant in the US.
Aero Club Bar
3365 India St, San Diego
On the menu: whiskey (1,200+), bar · Opened 1947
Middletown whiskey dive bar that started as a hangout for local pilots.
Nepenthe
48510 CA-1, Big Sur
On the menu: Ambrosia Burger, homemade desserts, terrace dining · Opened 1949
Clifftop Big Sur restaurant the Fassett family built; opened April 24, 1949.
The Smoke House Restaurant
4420 W Lakeside Dr, Burbank
On the menu: steaks, garlic bread, Sunday brunch · Opened 1949
Burbank steakhouse established 1946; moved to its current building in 1949.
Turf Supper Club
1116 25th St, San Diego
On the menu: grill-your-own steaks, cocktails · Opened 1950
Golden Hill cocktail lounge where diners grill their own meat; grill added 1955.
Philippe The Original
1001 N Alameda St, Los Angeles
America's Classic On the menu: French dipped sandwiches, potato salad, pickles, breakfast · Opened 1951
Chinatown-edge deli; its site says founder Philippe Mathieu claimed to have created the French dipped sandwich.
Madonna Inn
100 Madonna Rd, San Luis Obispo
On the menu: dining room, bakery · Opened 1958
Roadside hotel with restaurant and bakery, open since 1958.
The Spot
389 Linden Ave, Carpinteria
Burger stand On the menu: hamburgers, chili fries, tacos and Mexican plates · Opened 1958
Old-fashioned beach hamburger stand; its site says it has served since 1914, and the shack was renamed The Spot in 1958.
Trails Drive In
84520 Trona Rd, Trona
Burger stand On the menu: made-to-order burgers, milkshakes, flavored sodas, soft serve · Opened 1958
Desert drive-in on the road toward Panamint and Death Valley; built by Ruth and Clarence Baker, established 1958.