The Union Oyster House is considered as the oldest restaurant in the United States, operating since 1826 in Union Street, Boston, Massachusetts. The building were the Oyster House is now located was said to have been built around 1704, and before it became a restaurant, it was Hopestill Capen?s business that occupied it. On May 27, 2003, it was listed as a National Historic Landmark, and to no surprise considering its rich historical background.

In 1771, the second floor of the building was used by Isaiah Thomas to publish The Massachusetts Spy. It was also in this floor that Louis Philippe, the king of France in the 1830?s lived on exile in 1796. The restaurant itself received famous people as diners including Daniel Webster and the Kennedy family.

Famous for serving traditional New England food such as poultry, seafood, steak, chops, and baked beans, it was in the Union Oyster House that the tooth pick was first popularized.