Meet the 25 Historic Restaurants Across America Honored in $1 Million Grant Program
You know we love classic restaurants here at Resy. Today, American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation announce the 25 historic and culturally significant restaurants in the U.S. that will receive $1 million in funding through the Backing Historic Small Restaurants Grant Program.
Each restaurant will receive $40,000; the funding will help each restaurant enhance restaurant exteriors, build new outdoor seating areas, and upgrade online businesses to help mitigate operating costs as they work to recover from the financial impacts of the pandemic. The hope? To ensure that these legacy restaurants are able to survive this crisis stronger than ever, and that their stories continue to be told, because in turn, these restaurants represent the stories of our cities and our communities.
All selected grantees are restaurants owned by underrepresented groups, particularly those in the Black, Latinx, and Asian communities. The restaurants were selected by American Express, in partnership with the National Trust, with input from a chef advisory committee assembled by Resy consisting of chefs Deborah VanTrece, Edouardo Jordan, and Kwame Onwuachi.
Harold & Belle’s Restaurant
Since 1969 | Los Angeles
Family-owned and operated for over 50 years and now run by third-generation owner Ryan Legaux, Harold & Belle’s has long been a slice of New Orleans in Los Angeles. It has received numerous awards for its southern-style cooking — file gumbo, crawfish etouffee, jambalaya, and fried seafood — and always in large portions.
Ben’s Chili Bowl
Since 1958 | Washington, D.C.
From Kwame Onwuachi’s ode to Ben’s:
“For more than six decades, this landmark restaurant on U Street — the street was known as “Black Broadway” — has been an integral part of this city’s history and its ongoing civil rights movements. The food at Ben’s is a vehicle. Food is fuel. Food is connection. When you have that symphony of multi-layered representation, beautiful things can happen. People can celebrate, people can recharge, and people can meet over a meal. Ben’s has been providing that essential platform to D.C. for decades.”
Alfreda’s Soul Food
Since 1964 | Houston
Alfreda’s is surrounded by universities, and the historic soul food restaurant has done its part to educate their students. Owners Troy and Marguerite Williams have long incorporated community into their operations, from working with those colleges to supporting the Red Cross to mentoring those who are transitioning from prison.
Baker’s Keyboard Lounge
Since 1934 | Detroit
Since the 1930s, the legendary music venue — billed as the world’s oldest jazz club! — has been an anchor of its Detroit neighborhood. Over the decades, the most stellar lineup of legends graced the stage at Baker’s Keyboard Lounge: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, and many more.
Casa Vicky
Since 1968 | San Jose, Calif.
Founded by immigrants and still led by women, Casa Vicky has spent decades providing soulful Mexican food and handmade tortillas to its loyal San Jose customer base.
Chinatown Garden
Since 1998 | Washington, D.C.
Chinatown Garden holds a special place in the city as one of two remaining Chinese restaurants in D.C.’s present-day Chinatown that still provides traditional banquet-style dining.
Daddy D’z BBQ Joynt
Since 1991 | Atlanta
There’s no place in the country like Daddy D’z, one of the finest restaurants in all of Atlanta. The barbecue joint serves up beautiful meats cooked on a hickory and oak pit, and draws all Atlanta folks day after day.
Dooky Chase Restaurant
Since 1941 | New Orleans
Dooky Chase became a New Orleans destination, thanks to the magic of Leah Chase, who died in 2019 but whose legacy still reigns supreme over this restaurant, a veritable American culinary landmark. History has unfolded at the restaurant, from the Civil Rights movement to Hurricane Katrina to the numerous presidents that have sat down for a plate of red beans and rice.
El Cristo
Since 1972 | Miami
Little Havana is the hub of Latino culture in Miami (and beyond), and El Cristo is a place where Cuban culture translates to the table. Started as a Westchester cafe serving the guava and cheese pastelitos alongside Cuban coffee, El Cristo has grown to a fully fledged restaurant, one of Miami’s best stops for Cuban food.
The Four Way Restaurant
Since 1946 | Memphis
The Four Way Restaurant has been a landmark in the South Memphis community for over 70 years. During the Civil Rights era, it was frequented by leaders of the movement, including Dr. Martin Luther King, and now under the ownership of Willie Bates, it remains a place for community activism
Galloway’s Landing Bar & Restaurant
Since 1951 | Boqueron, P.R.
The wooden buildings at Galloway’s date were built as Boqueron’s fish market and fisherman’s lodge. In the 1950s, two cousins — David “Javo” Cofresi Ruiz and Ismael “Mao” Ruiz Irizarry — purchased the structures and made them into a restaurant. Now, after more than 70 years, that restaurant remains in the same family — Wanda Carlo is the current owner — and still serves traditional Criollo fare as the region’s largest full-service restaurant and a veritable Boqueron landmark.
John’s Place
Since 1949 | Cookeville, Tenn.
John’s Place is a pillar of West Cookeville and especially its Black community. It is an historically significant site that helped integrate the town and improve race relations in the entire Upper Cumberland region. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
Kegel’s Inn
Since 1924 | Milwaukee
Anchored in the working class community of West Allis, family-owned Kegel’s Inn offered locals a fine dining option outside of downtown Milwaukee. Its hand-painted murals, original mahogany bar, and hand tooled woodwork have gone unchanged throughout the generations of ownership, and where Kegel’s Inn was once one of dozens of German restaurants in the area, it now stands as one of two remaining in Milwaukee.
La Fonda El Taquito
Since 1978 | Kansas City
La Fonda El Taquito is the center of Kansas City’s Mexican American community, a gathering place for community leaders and activists. The food is delicious, of course, but as they put it: “We are more than a restaurant, we are centerpiece of the community. Providing a place to gather and share lived experiences.”
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La Posta de Mesilla
Since 1996 | Mesilla, N.M.
In 1939, Katy Griggs Camunez started her own “little chile joint” with four tables on a dirt floor, no running water, and her mother preparing food from century-old recipes from local families. It’s still in the family, now run by Katy’s great niece, Jerean Camunez Hutchinson, the expanded La Posta compound is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.
Lee Lee’s Baked Goods
Since 1971 | New York City
At Lee Lee’s, Carolina native Alvin Lee Smalls has been creating magical rugelach for decades, with the motto “Rugelach by a Brother!” His bakery has become an essential part of Central Harlem and has played a major role in its second renaissance, thanks in large part to participating in community events, celebrations, and more.
Maneki
Since 1904 | Seattle
Mankei turns 117 years old this year, having survived the Spanish Flu, two World Wars, and its Japanese community’s return from internment camps. Now decorated with awards, it has long been the heart of Seattle’s Japantown, serving as a community hub for generations of families, business leaders, and social organizations.
Nakato
Since 1972 | Atlanta
Back in the 1970s, founder Tetsuko Nakato worked with then-Governor Jimmy Carter to help woo Japanese businesses to set up outposts in Atlanta. Nakato knew that restaurants could be a key to unlocking culture, so she built her eponymous business to showcase Japanese cuisine and dining traditions. Not only did she succeed in impressing those 1970s-era businessmen, but she was able to spotlight her Japanese culture to the entire Atlanta region.
Neir’s Tavern
Since 1829 | Woodhaven, N.Y.
Easily the oldest restaurant on this list, the historic Neir’s Tavern bills itself as “The Most Famous Bar You’ve Never Heard Of.” You’ll still find the original pre-Civil War bar counter there, and multiple films have been shot on site, including “Goodfellas” and “Tower Heist.” Owner Loycent Gordon is a Jamaican immigrant who felt a calling to give back after receiving the opportunity to come to America to receive a formal education and the American dream.
Ray’s Luncheonette
Since 1964 | Montclair, N.J.
Even through the pandemic, the neon sign still glows at Ray’s Luncheonette, founded in 1964 by Ray Festa. Plus, the menu has barely changed, though the old-timers apparently still grumble at the inclusion of paninis alongside the meatloaf and eggs.
Stutts House of Bar-B-Q
Since 1993 | Tulsa
This stretch of Apache Street used to be home to numerous Black-owned barbecue restaurants that were pillars of the Tulsa community, some dating back to the 1950s. Stutts House of Bar-B-Q is the only one remaining.
The 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre that destroyed Black Wall Street, about three miles from Stutts House of Bar-B-Q, is a reminder of how important it is to preserve the Black businesses of Tulsa.
Suehiro Cafe
Since 1972 | Los Angeles
Junko Suzuki and her sister, Yuriko, opened Suehiro Cafe in 1972. At the time, Located in, they were the first female owners of any business on their Little Tokyo block, a designated historic site where Japanese families gathered before internment. Today, the restaurant is run by Junko’s son, Kenji, and it has become the oldest restaurant in the neighborhood. One of his goals? To continue to serve the community like his mother did.
Sweetheart Cafe
Since 1996 | Oakland
The first boba milk tea shop in the East Bay, Sweetheart is a cornerstone of Oakland’s Chinatown, with owner Jialin Pan working closely with the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce and other Chinatown business owners to create a prosperous business community. Recently, Pan supported movements to prevent violence against the elderly AAPIs in the area.
Tex Miller’s
Since 1937 | Cameron, Texas
The burgers at Tex Miller’s started from a food truck, and helped evolve the business into a small restaurant serving its faithful for the last eight decades. Burgers are made fresh to order, by rolling ground beef into balls and then smashing them on the 1950s-era grill.
Wanda J’s Next Generation Soul Food Restaurant
Since 1974 | Tulsa
Wanda J’s Next Generation is the epitome of down-home, family-run American dining. It is the second location for the family restaurant, run by Wanda’s five granddaughters, who are doing everything they can to ensure that the Black community has a strong future in Tulsa.
In this year of commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre that destroyed Black Wall Street on Greenwood Avenue — where Wanda J’s still stands today — and threatened to drive away the entire Black population of Tulsa, preserving these neighborhood restaurants is especially important.
