The Oldest Italian Restaurant In The US Is Located In California

Americans have an ongoing love affair with Italian food. From these 100 Italian food and drink words, many of which have made their way into the English vernacular, to the Italian dishes everyone needs to try at least once, Americans crave the delicate pastas, savory pizzas, and sumptuous soups that hail from The Boot. This type of cuisine gained in popularity throughout the 1800s and 1900s, as immigrants made their homes stateside, and while at first it remained inside Italian communities only, gradually restaurants began to appear. And the restaurant that can lay claim to being the oldest still in operation is Fior d'Italia, based in San Francisco, California.

Incredibly, Fior d'Italia (which translates to "flower of Italy") opened its doors first in 1886 — back when Grover Cleveland held the office of president for the first time, and memories of the American Civil War were just 20-some years old. Despite its current reputation as a paragon of fine-dining, at the time it was located in a rather rough neighborhood that served as home base for many gold rushers, sailors, and gamblers.

It should also be noted that Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's Ralph's claimed the title of oldest Italian restaurant in America shortly after Fior d'Italia closed its doors in 2012. However, that only lasted around six months because the Californian eatery was up and running once again in December of that year.

Any restaurant that has been around as long as Fior d'Italia has been is bound to have seen some things, and this Italian restaurant in particular has witnessed more than its share. For example, the establishment wasn't always geared toward fine dining as it is today. That's in part because when it first opened, it occupied the downstairs of a building, while the upstairs housed a brothel. However, that original location was burned down by a fire, less than 10 years after opening (fire apparently had it out for this eatery, as you'll see).

In its second iteration, just up the street from the original, Fiori d'Italia began to attract high society, but it only lasted 13 years there, as the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 rocked it to its core, before the Great Fire finished it off. It was rebuilt in the same location; however, after a tenancy issue, the owner packed up and moved out. The Fior then moved twice more, the second time in 2005 after — you guessed it — a fire. It's currently housed in the ground floor of the San Remo Hotel, and this modern-day location has become a byword for elegance (so don't make these mistakes when ordering Italian food there), with its ambient interior (the North Beach Rhythm Jazz Band has a recurring Sunday gig at the Fior) and ongoing reputation for excellent food.