10 Family-Run Restaurants That Became Part of America’s Story
§10 Family-Run Restaurants That Became Part of America’s Story
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https://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/experiences/news/photos/10-historic-family-owned-restaurants-in-america-worth-traveling-for
From Antoine's in New Orleans to Ben's Chili Bowl in Washington, D.C., these historic family-owned restaurants have preserved recipes, traditions, and hospitality for generations.
Before they became legends, America’s oldest restaurants were long shots—a tiny chili stand, a corner produce market, a neighborhood tavern, an impossible dream. Many began with immigrants chasing a better life, armed with little more than family recipes and determination. Somehow, they survived wars, Prohibition, economic crashes, and generations of changing tastes. Even more remarkable, many are still in the hands of the families that opened their doors long ago. Here are 10 family-run restaurants that prove some recipes—and some dreams—don’t just endure; they become part of America’s story.
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Fossati’s Delicatessen (1882)
WHERE: Victoria, Texas
Locals are said to plan their week around Fossati’s chicken salad melt, though the muffuletta and Reuben have their devoted fans, too. This unassuming little deli in Victoria—strategically located within a two-hour drive from Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Corpus Christi—is widely regarded as the oldest deli in Texas, and possibly the state’s oldest continuously operating restaurant. It all began in 1882, when Italian immigrant Fraschio “Frank” Napoleon Fossati opened a chili stand that soon became a 24-hour saloon. By 1905, he’d moved into the current building across the street and was serving sandwiches for the drinking crowd. Weekend shoppers soon followed. The deli has weathered closures and even a brush with demolition, but in 1985, 30 members of the Fossati family rescued it. More than four decades later, they’re still keeping a Texas—and family—tradition alive, one sandwich at a time.
PHOTO: KIRKIKIS/ISTOCK
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Antoine’s Restaurant (1840)
WHERE: New Orleans, Louisiana
Long before New Orleans became one of America’s food capitals, 18-year-old Antoine Alciatore arrived from Marseille, France, in 1840 and opened a modest boarding house. His French-trained son Jules later transformed it into one of the country’s most celebrated restaurants, where the still-secret recipe for Oysters Rockefeller debuted. Still run by the Alciatore family, Antoine’s is the nation’s oldest continuously operating family-run restaurant. Its 14 dining rooms, seating up to 1,000 guests (George Patton, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Mick Jagger, and Jimmy Buffett are among the slew of famous diners), feel as much a museum as a restaurant, packed with everything from early 19th-century family oil paintings to a decorative Civil War sword to krewe memorabilia. Fifth-generation family member Lisa Blount credits the restaurant’s remarkable staying power to “holding onto the legacy and continuing to evolve.” The menu now includes gluten-free and vegan options, but “Antoine’s remains rooted in the French-Creole traditions that made it famous.”
INSIDER TIP
“Call us and ask for one of the smaller rooms,” family member Lisa Blount says. “You don’t need a fancy event to eat in those rooms.”
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Duarte’s Tavern (1894)
WHERE: Pescadero, California
Frank Duarte paid just $12 in gold in 1894 for a weathered saloon and barbershop in tiny Pescadero, California, about an hour south of San Francisco. Before long, the Portuguese immigrant was feeding local farmers and fishermen, and generations of Duartes have kept the tradition alive ever since. Today, the fourth and fifth generations still serve the tavern’s legendary cream of artichoke soup, fresh cioppino (seafood stew), and towering olallieberry pie, made with berries from the family farm. The original mahogany bar even survived the fire that destroyed much of downtown Pescadero in 1923. More than 130 years after Frank Duarte bought the place, locals still gather, travelers still make the pilgrimage, and the pie is worth every mile.
PHOTO: PAUL SABLEMAN [CC BY 2.0]/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
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The Berghoff (1898)
WHERE: Chicago, Illinois
What do you do when you get shut out of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, where you planned to sell your family’s beer? If you’re German immigrant Herman Berghoff, you set up just outside the gates instead, draw huge crowds, and open your own tavern, famous for 10-cent steins and free sandwiches. During Prohibition, the family stayed afloat by brewing low-ABV near beer and root beer. When alcohol became legal again in 1933, Berghoff secured Chicago’s first post-Prohibition liquor license, which still hangs behind the bar. More than 125 years later, The Berghoff remains in the hands of the fourth generation of Berghoffs, serving schnitzel, bratwurst, sauerbraten, and its famous root beer (and beer) amid heavy oak, stained glass, checkerboard floors, and original murals that celebrate the World’s Fair that started it all.
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Ralph’s Italian Restaurant (1900)
WHERE: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Imagine surviving the Great Depression with nothing but spaghetti and meatballs. That’s part of the legacy of Ralph’s in Philadelphia’s Italian Market. Sicilian immigrant Francesco Dispigno opened the restaurant in 1900, and when the stock market crashed in 1929, the family lost nearly everything except the business. They stayed afloat by selling pasta out the front door for five cents a bowl. More than a century since opening, Ralph’s is widely believed to be the oldest Italian restaurant in the U.S., run by the fifth generation of the same family. “It’s not just about the recipes,” says owner Jimmy Rubino. “Each generation taught the next how to manage people, take care of customers, and keep the restaurant immaculate.” Step inside and little seems to have changed, from the mosaic-tiled floor to the walls of old-country photographs. “It’s a labor of love,” Rubino says. “You’d better love this business.”
INSIDER TIP
Skip overthinking the menu. “Order what your heart tells you,” says owner Jimmy Rubino—but if you want one of his favorites, go with the Veal Capricciosa, layered with eggplant, prosciutto, and mozzarella, then baked in a stewed tomato sauce.
PHOTO: CARMEN K. SISSON/SHUTTERSTOCK
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The Bright Star (1907)
WHERE: Bessemer, Alabama
Deep-fried snapper throats? Yes, that’s a thing at what’s widely considered Alabama’s oldest family-run restaurant. The specialty dates to the 1930s, when the overlooked cut was first fried up for staff. “One of the co-owners, Gus Sarris, didn’t believe in wasting any part of the fish,” says general manager Sonya Twitty, who has worked here for more than 30 years. But the snapper throats are just the beginning. The Bright Star’s menu reflects founder Tom Bonduris’s Greek heritage and the bounty of the nearby Gulf, with favorites including Greek-style beef tips, fried snapper almondine, and pineapple-cheese pie. Remarkably, this 330-seat institution—the first Alabama restaurant to earn the James Beard Foundation’s America’s Classic Award in 2010—began as a 12-seat café in 1907. Murals painted in 1915 still grace the walls, and Bonduris’s descendants continue the family tradition of warm hospitality—something the Greeks and Southerners alike have long been known for.
INSIDER TIP
All first-time visitors get a complimentary cup of seafood gumbo—” a closely guarded family secret,” general manager Sonya Twitty says.
PHOTO: PAH CREATIVE
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J.J. Foley’s (1909)
WHERE: Boston, Massachusetts
Boston’s South End may have changed over the past century, but J. J. Foley’s hasn’t forgotten its roots. Opened in 1909 by County Kerry immigrant Jeremiah J. Foley, this neighborhood favorite has been pouring pints for more than a century. Sure, nachos, fig and goat cheese pizza, and poutine weren’t exactly Irish pub staples back then, but you’ll still find fish & chips, steak tips, shepherd’s pie, and what many regulars swear is the country’s best Guinness. Still family-owned, the pub is now run by Foley’s grandson and his four sons. Vintage Boston and Irish memorabilia cover the walls, the TVs are always tuned to the game, and the Guinness is always flowing. Pull up a stool, and you’ll quickly understand why J. J. Foley’s has outlasted just about everything around it.
INSIDER TIP
J. J. Foley’s is opening The Backyard by Foley’s in Dennis Port, Massachusetts, billed as Cape Cod’s largest outdoor family-friendly venue.
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El Charro Café (1922)
WHERE: Tucson, Arizona
When the one-room El Charro Café opened in 1922, no one imagined it would become what is widely regarded as the nation’s oldest continuously operating Mexican restaurant. Well, its founder, Monica Flin, might have. Fearless and fiercely independent, she hunted and fished, served liquor in teacups during Prohibition, and opened a restaurant when few women owned businesses on their own. Cooking from her mother’s recipes, she served handmade tamales and tortillas alongside the duck and rabbit she hunted. Today, El Charro is renowned for its Sonoran-style Mexican cuisine, but its greatest culinary claim may be the chimichanga. According to family lore, Flin accidentally invented it after dropping a burrito into hot oil, then blurting out “chimichanga” instead of a Spanish swear word as children were nearby. Though the restaurant has been moved (not far from the original), expanded, and modernized over the years, it remains family-owned, with Flin’s descendants keeping both the family recipes and the family legend alive.
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Casale’s Halfway Club (1937)
WHERE: Reno, Nevada
At first glance, it looks like an ordinary old house. In fact, it is—though its glowing neon signs give it a neighborhood-tavern feel. But since opening in 1937, this humble home on the stretch of road halfway between Sparks and Reno (now eastern Reno) has been a beloved institution for Italian comfort food. Newly married Italian immigrants John and Elvira Casale first opened a small market in front of the house, where Elvira’s ravioli—made from treasured family recipes brought from Northern Italy—became a local sensation. Before long, the market expanded into a restaurant inside their home. Nearly a century later, the fifth generation of Casales welcomes diners through the same front door into the cozy, checkered-tablecloth dining room, where the pasta is still handmade, the wine is served by the carafe, and everyone is treated like family.
INSIDER TIP
Be sure to reserve ahead—this intimate, 10-table restaurant fills up fast.
PHOTO: JOAQUIN OSSORIO CASTILLO/SHUTTERSTOCK
10 OF 10
Ben’s Chili Bowl (1958)
WHERE: Washington, D.C.
Ben’s may be the “youngster” on this list, but it’s packed more history into seven decades than many restaurants do in two centuries. When Ben and Virginia Ali opened the tiny U Street eatery in 1958, they served chili dogs, burgers, thick milkshakes—and half smokes that would make them famous. They could hardly have imagined it would become a Civil Rights Movement gathering place and one of the few businesses to remain open during the 1968 riots, feeding police officers, firefights, and activists. The walls are lined with photos chronicling its famous visitors, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama. But the restaurant’s enduring connection to the neighborhood matters most. “A guy came in yesterday and said he remembered coming here as a kid when his family didn’t have money and we gave him food,” says family member Vida Ali. “When you truly serve a community, people don’t forget.”
INSIDER TIP
“We know you’re not a newbie when you walk in and simply say, ‘Half smoke all the way,’” says family member Vida Ali. That is—a coarse-ground smoked sausage made with beef and pork, served on a warm bun, and topped with meat chili, yellow mustard, and diced raw onions.
How to See the Grand Canyon Without the Worst of the Crowds
https://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/arizona/experiences/news/how-to-see-the-grand-canyon-without-the-worst-of-the-crowds
The National Park Service celebrates its 110th anniversary in August 2026, making this a great time to visit a national park.
With 4.4 million annual visitors, Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park is one of the most popular national parks in the country. My parents took me to see it in 1995, so now, I’m taking my son to see the massive gorge formed by the Colorado River.
Most people check this natural wonder off their bucket lists once they’ve spent time at the South Rim, the area containing the most popular viewpoints in the park. South Rim is an easy, accessible option for people who don’t have a lot of time, need paved walkways for getting around, or aren’t able to walk or hike long distances. It has a large parking lot within a short walk to scenic viewpoints, which also makes the South Rim the most crowded place to view the Grand Canyon.
With a little more time and effort, you can soak in marvelous views away from the crowds. We took the park’s free bus shuttle service’s red line that goes west of the South Rim’s visitor center. This bus line stops at nine viewpoints on its way to Hermit’s Rest, a 1914 building styled to look like a miner’s cabin. It’s also the trailhead to backcountry hiking.
My favorite stops on the red line were Trailview Overlook–the first stop on the way to Hermit’s Rest and Mohave Point. Both stops include large overlooks with plenty of space to admire the canyon. Hopi Point is the first stop heading west, where you can see a portion of the Colorado River, although you can see it from Mohave Point too. Powell Point is the most popular overlook for watching sunsets in the park.
Although visitors aren’t allowed to drive themselves along Hermit Road, other roads inside the park allow you to self-drive while stopping at scenic points. After spending one night in the Trailer Village campgrounds, the South Rim’s campgrounds for RVs, I drove our Thor Quantum Class-C RV that I rented on RVshare.com along Desert View Drive. We stopped at Grand View Point Overlook inside the national park, and the Little Colorado River Gorge Overlook, a Navajo-managed park just outside the national park borders on Arizona 64. Both stops were uncrowded and gave exceptional views.
In 2026, the Grand Canyon’s North Rim reopened after the 2025 Dragon Bravo wildfire closed it and even burned down the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. If you’re looking for less crowded views, this is a great place to visit, although you must be prepared for a much more remote experience. It will take years for the Lodge to be rebuilt, but overnight visitors can book just outside of the park at Jacob Lake Inn, or book a campground in the nearby Kaibab National Forest.
10 Passengers Whose Outfits Got Them Kicked Off Flights
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https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/10-passengers-whose-outfits-got-them-kicked-off-flights
Airlines can deny you boarding if they find your clothing objectionable for whatever reason.
A lot goes into planning for travel, but one thing that also deserves attention is the airport look. Passengers agree to the airline’s contract of carriage when they buy a ticket, which means you need to follow their rules. Dressing appropriately—vague as it may be—is part of the deal. Most airlines don’t have written rules on what’s allowed and what’s not, but from past experiences of other passengers, you can make some deductions. No expletives or offensive words; no visible midriff; and nothing too political that may irk other passengers. If you’re unlucky and an airline worker decides whatever you’re wearing doesn’t cut it—for whatever reason—you may be asked to cover up or remove the offensive piece of clothing. The risk of refusing is getting kicked off the flight, and it does happen.
(By the way, if you need a flight-safe outfit, our retro Fodor’s tees are extremely unlikely to cause an airline dress-code incident.)
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German Influencer Told She's “Naked”
A German fitness influencer said in June that Lufthansa shamed her for her clothes when she was flying during a heatwave. Edda Elisa posted a video on TikTok sharing the story of how a gate agent from the airline told her to cover up, “You’re not wearing anything. You’re naked.” The influencer was wearing workout clothes—a sports bra and shorts for her flight from Berlin to Austria when it happened. She complied by wearing an oversized hoodie, but was asked to zip up before she could board the plane.
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Women Asked to Cover Up Crop Tops
For years, women have accused airlines of slut-shaming them. Female passengers are judged more harshly and policed strongly for their outfits. The debate was reignited in 2024 when women passengers were evicted from their flight for wearing crop tops. A Spirit Airlines employee told Tara Kehidi and Teresa Araujo to cover up at Los Angeles airport. The two were wearing crop tops under their sweaters and took off the extra layer in the plane due to warm temperatures. They were booted off the plane along with another passenger who objected and her toddler. The friends rebooked a Delta flight to New Orleans, which cost them $1,000. But in the age of social media, their video of getting escorted out went viral, raising questions about arbitrary enforcement of Spirit’s policies.
Spirit updated its contract of carriage in 2025, and it now specifies that a passenger may be asked to leave if they are “barefoot or inadequately clothed (i.e., see-through clothing; not adequately covered; exposed breasts, buttocks, or other private parts), or whose clothing or article, including body art, is lewd, obscene, or offensive in nature.
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Woman Escorted Out For Not Wearing a Bra
In 2024, a woman was also asked to step out of the plane for not wearing a bra. Lisa Archbold was flying from Salt Lake City to San Francisco when a Delta gate agent escorted her outside after boarding and asked her to cover up. The DJ was wearing a white shirt and baggy pants, and she was allowed to board after she put on a jacket. She posted about it on X and said she felt like a “criminal.” She later confirmed that the airline apologized to her, but the experience was humiliating.
4 OF 10
Woman Denied Boarding for Shorts
Last year, a woman alleged that Spirit Airlines denied her boarding because of her shorts. Tanasia Grayer was flying from Miami to Chicago when she was told at the ticket counter that her shorts were not appropriate for the flight and she would not be allowed on the plane. The altercation escalated, and her sister was arrested for disorderly conduct. Grayer said that she wore similar shorts on her flight to Miami without issues, and she was even wearing a pink robe to not be revealing.
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Man Asked to Change T-Shirt With Palestine Message
In June this year, a New Jersey resident was asked to change his T-shirt by a United staff member. Sam Saadeh was traveling from Atlanta to Newark, wearing a T-shirt that read, “Bombing kids is not self-defense.” He complied with the airline’s directive and was able to fly home. However, he is considering legal defense. According to him, the airline could not justify why the text was offensive.
PHOTO: JAY FOG/SHUTTERSTOCK
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Veteran Kicked Off Flight for Shirt With End Suicide Message
It’s not always revealing outfits that cause tensions on the plane, though. In 2024, a U.S. veteran was asked to change out of her T-shirt because it read: “Do not give in to the war within. End veteran suicide.” A Delta airline flight attendant asked Marine Corps veteran Catherine Banks to get off the plane, and when she did, the crew member told her that her shirt was threatening. The only way she would be allowed, she was told, was if she took off her shirt. Banks turned around and changed into a sweatshirt, and alleged that her paid seat was given away and the flight delay caused her to miss her connection.
PHOTO: JOE NG/UNSPLASH
7 OF 10
Passenger Removed for His Hoodie With F-Word
In 2025, too, a man had to pay for a new flight after he was shown the door by Spirit. John Garcia was wearing a sweatshirt with “FVCK HATE WORLD TOUR” printed on it on the back in bold letters. A Spirit attendant asked him to change out of it, which he initially refused but later removed it. However, he questioned the staff members and was booted off the flight. He ended up booking a new flight from L.A. to San Antonio with a 12-hour layover.
PHOTO: THIAGO B TREVISAN/SHUTTERSTOCK
8 OF 10
Man Kicked Off for Hawk Tuah Girl Meme Tee
A Delta employee asked a passenger to leave in 2024 due to his T-shirt. The passenger was wearing a T-shirt that had President Donald Trump showing middle fingers with the words: “Hawk tuah spit on that thang.” The words refer to a 2024 internet meme that went viral for its obscenity. The passenger was already seated when a flight attendant came up to him and said someone had complained about his T-shirt, and he turned it inside out. But Delta later kicked him off when he flipped the T-shirt back again. According to a Reddit comment, the passenger was also vaping and cussing.
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DJ Forced Out of Plane for Offensive Leggings
In 2022, a DJ from South Korea said that she was humiliated by American Airlines on her flight to Los Angeles when they told her to remove her pants in front of the crew. Hwang So-hee, also known as DJ Soda, was flying from New York to L.A. when the crew asked her to pack her belongings and step off the plane. Her sweatpants had the words “F–k You” on them, and she was told she would need to take the next flight. She said she pleaded with them to let her fly and offered to change into something else. She had to remove her pants in front of them at the gate. “They even sarcastically commented that I could have taken off my pants earlier,” she posted. Eventually, she was allowed on board after she wore them inside out and swore she would boycott the airline after the unfair treatment.
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Woman Blocked From Boarding Due to Halter Top
In 2020, a Southwest employee found a woman passenger’s black halter top objectionable and asked her to cover up. Kayla Eubanks said in a post on X that she was kicked off her flight because “my boobs are “lewd, obscene, and offensive.”” She ultimately made it on the flight to Chicago after the captain gave her a shirt. Southwest ended up apologizing to the customer and refunded her fare.
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