Union Oyster House
Seafood restaurant · Downtown
41 Union St, Boston, MA 02108
Highlights
Historic eatery serving chowder & oysters since 1826
Historic eatery serving chowder & oysters since 1826
"Is this the best place to get seafood in town? Probably not, but Union’s oysters are always super fresh and the clam chowder is as good as it gets. Get a cuppa and a half dozen for a perfect Boston lunch. Besides, where else can you dine like a Kennedy?" - Tanya Edwards
"The oldest continuously operating restaurant in the entire country, Union Oyster House opened its doors in 1826. The building itself had been built before then, in the early 1700s, and it served as a dress goods business. The Kennedy family were Union Oyster House regulars (and have a dedicated booth), among other well-known diners, and the future king of France lived on the second floor in exile in 1796. Another fun fact: the toothpick’s first use in restaurants was also here." - Katie Chudy
"The earliest mention of St. Peter Stiftskulinarium was in an 803 AD letter to Charlemagne, emperor to the Holy Roman Empire (maybe someone ought to call Guinness World Records). The spot has purportedly served the likes of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Christopher Columbus. The kitchen, though, has kept up with the times, unafraid of transforming the menu to please modern palettes. Today the restaurant serves refined Austrian classics and nouveau European dishes using locally grown ingredients. And when guests head to sit down and enjoy your meal, they have have 11 rooms of a former monastery to choose from, including vaulted chambers of exposed brick."
"As the nation’s oldest continuously running restaurant, Union Oyster House has picked up a lot of famous fans over the decades. Former President Barack Obama has swung in for clam chowder, Leonardo DiCaprio enjoys a private booth by the lobster tanks when he drops in, and two rare orange lobsters briefly called the restaurant home in 2023 before they were released back into the ocean. While the lobsters might demure, others will attest that the chowder here more than passes muster." - Nathan Tavares, Erika Adams, Terrence Doyle
"Union Oyster House is the oldest restaurant in town, and the state’s oldest. Don’t come here expecting anything besides tried-and-true New England dishes like baked beans, clam chowder, and broiled scrod in bread crumbs alongside mashed potatoes. The brick building and multi-paned windows sure look the part in this building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Bonus for history buffs: it’s fittingly right on the Freedom Trail." - Molly McDonough
