JFK Was A Regular

America’s oldest restaurant sits on the Freedom Trail, right near Faneuil Hall serves up traditional New England favorites with a side of history. While no official date was recorded of when the building was built, Union Street was laid out in 1636 and the first record of its existence is in 1742, as Hopestill Capen’s fancy dress house known as “At the Sign of the Cornfields.”

In 1771, as momentum was gaining for the Revolutionary War, Isiah Thomas printed “The Massachusetts Spy”, our country’s oldest newspaper. In 1775, Capen’s upstairs became the headquarters for Ebenezer Hancock, paymaster for the Continental Army. Diners who feast upon oysters and other seafood delicacies today often sit in the very spot that our Federal Troops received their “war wages” while fighting for our freedom.

1826 marked the end of Capen’s dry goods business and the beginning of Atwood and Bacon, a soon-to-be famous eatery where you could order oysters by the plateful for a mere 15 cents! At this time, America was in a oyster craze, where in every town there were oyster parlors, oyster cellars, oyster saloons, oyster bars, oyster houses, oyster stalls and oyster lunchrooms. Atwood and Bacon installed the famous, semi-circular oyster bar where Daniel Webster could be found almost daily, tossing back his tumbler of brandy and water while consuming no less than six plates of oysters.

Whether you are a fish or shellfish lover, the Oyster House has all the New England favorites like Seafood Newburg, with lobster, shrimp and scallops in a rich, creamy sherry sauce served in a flaky pastry shell that is to die for. Baked Boston Scrod, a cod fillet topped with buttery seasoned crumbs and baked to perfection is
what a staple for all New Englanders.

Make time to visit the Union Oyster House on your next trip to Boston. Experience all the history while enjoying a fantastic traditional meal, surrounded by the very walls that helped support the cause that built America.

by L.A. DiNardi