# Union Oyster House
**Union Oyster House** is a seafood restaurant at 41-43 Union Street in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, and is widely described as the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the United States.[1](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/25/metro/union-oyster-house-license-transfer/) It opened on October 7, 1826, when Hawes Atwood began serving oysters in a brick building already more than a century old.[2](https://historyofmassachusetts.org/union-oyster-house-boston/) The restaurant is a designated [National Historic Landmark](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-historic-landmark) and a stop on Boston's Freedom Trail.[3](https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/a2434333-417c-4501-87c0-3fb8021ba5ba) • [1](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/25/metro/union-oyster-house-license-transfer/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Opened | October 7, 1826, as Atwood's Oyster House, by Hawes Atwood[2](https://historyofmassachusetts.org/union-oyster-house-boston/) |
| Location | 41-43 Union Street, downtown Boston, near Faneuil Hall[3](https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/a2434333-417c-4501-87c0-3fb8021ba5ba) |
| Building | Original 1716-17 Georgian brick row house; only the original building contributes to National Historic Landmark significance[3](https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/a2434333-417c-4501-87c0-3fb8021ba5ba) |
| Status | Oldest continuously operating restaurant in the United States; National Historic Landmark[1](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/25/metro/union-oyster-house-license-transfer/) • [3](https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/a2434333-417c-4501-87c0-3fb8021ba5ba) |
| Ownership | Milano family from 1970; in 2026 agreed to be acquired by the Fertitta family of Houston, which would make Landry's Inc. the fifth owner since 1826[4](https://www.boston.com/food/food-news/2026/08/26/union-oyster-house-owner-shares-staff-internal-letter-changes/) • [5](https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/08/25/texas-chain-behind-morton-s-bubba-gump-shrimp-co-looks-to-add-oyster-house-to-it-s-portfolio) |
| Famous associations | Daniel Webster was a constant customer at the oyster bar; an upstairs booth is identified as John F. Kennedy's favorite seat[6](https://www.bu.edu/bhr/2012/09/01/the-cradle-of-american-hospitality/) • [7](https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/food-dining/2016/02/29/tourist-trap-living-history-review-union-oyster-house/Xru3c9Q7LmKAZKsCD9NLXJ/story.html) |
| Signature interior | A semi-circular oyster bar with a soapstone shucking table and stall-type booths, described in the National Park Service nomination as the only known survivors in the United States[3](https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/a2434333-417c-4501-87c0-3fb8021ba5ba) |
## The building
The restaurant occupies the original 1716-17 colonial brick dwelling at 41-43 Union Street, a five-bay, three-and-a-half-story gambrel-roofed structure in the Georgian style with an angled front where Marshall Street meets Union Street.[3](https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/a2434333-417c-4501-87c0-3fb8021ba5ba) Two adjoining buildings were later absorbed into the restaurant: a south addition at 37 Union Street built in 1851 and purchased by the Milano family in January 1995, and a north addition at 14-22 Marshall Street built in 1916 and purchased in 1982. Only the original building contributes to the property's National Historic Landmark significance.[3](https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/a2434333-417c-4501-87c0-3fb8021ba5ba)
**Before it was a restaurant.** The building served as a single dwelling in the early 1700s and then as a specialty store from 1742 to 1826.[3](https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/a2434333-417c-4501-87c0-3fb8021ba5ba) Its first floor housed a silk and dry goods store operated by Hopestill Capen before the restaurant opened in 1826.[8](https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/old-oyster-house)
## Founding and early operation
Hawes Atwood opened Atwood's Oyster House on October 7, 1826, on Union Street adjacent to [Faneuil Hall](https://www.edgepedia.org/faneuil-hall); the Atwood family had been operating oyster shops in Boston before 1820.[2](https://historyofmassachusetts.org/union-oyster-house-boston/) • [6](https://www.bu.edu/bhr/2012/09/01/the-cradle-of-american-hospitality/) The restaurant's own history page states that since 1826 it has known only three owners, and the National Register form records its function as a restaurant from 1826 to the present.[9](https://unionoysterhouse.com/pages/history.html) • [3](https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/a2434333-417c-4501-87c0-3fb8021ba5ba)
The interior retains its early layout. The oyster bar is an open semi-circular oak counter with a soapstone inner shucking table and drain, surrounded by nine cast-iron stools, and the Italianate stall-like booths are numbered and gilded with wreath motifs. The [National Park Service](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-park-service) nomination describes the soapstone bar and stall booths as the only known survivors in the United States, and dates the bar, booths, and cast-iron columns to an alteration of roughly 1850 to 1860, possibly as early as the 1840s.[3](https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/a2434333-417c-4501-87c0-3fb8021ba5ba)
## Famous patrons
The restaurant's guest list is part of its identity. [Daniel Webster](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-webster), who served as secretary of state for three presidents, was a constant customer at the oyster bar; according to the back of the menu, he routinely ate six platefuls of oysters, each washed down with a tall tumbler of brandy and water.[6](https://www.bu.edu/bhr/2012/09/01/the-cradle-of-american-hospitality/) • [7](https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/food-dining/2016/02/29/tourist-trap-living-history-review-union-oyster-house/Xru3c9Q7LmKAZKsCD9NLXJ/story.html) A booth upstairs is identified as President John F. Kennedy's special spot, and a wall in the bar carries plaques honoring hundreds of famous guests.[7](https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/food-dining/2016/02/29/tourist-trap-living-history-review-union-oyster-house/Xru3c9Q7LmKAZKsCD9NLXJ/story.html)
## Ownership and the 2026 sale
The Milano family purchased the restaurant in 1970, and North End native Joe Milano has owned and run it since then.[4](https://www.boston.com/food/food-news/2026/08/26/union-oyster-house-owner-shares-staff-internal-letter-changes/) • [10](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/26/business/union-oyster-house-sale-fertitta/) In August 2026, the Fertitta family of Houston, Texas, whose hospitality empire includes Landry's Inc. and chains such as Morton's and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., moved to acquire the restaurant.[10](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/26/business/union-oyster-house-sale-fertitta/) • [5](https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/08/25/texas-chain-behind-morton-s-bubba-gump-shrimp-co-looks-to-add-oyster-house-to-it-s-portfolio) The sale hinges on transfer of the restaurant's liquor license, requiring approval from the Boston Licensing Board and the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.[4](https://www.boston.com/food/food-news/2026/08/26/union-oyster-house-owner-shares-staff-internal-letter-changes/) Axios reported that Landry's Inc. would become the restaurant's fifth owner since 1826, ending the Milano family's stewardship.[5](https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/08/25/texas-chain-behind-morton-s-bubba-gump-shrimp-co-looks-to-add-oyster-house-to-it-s-portfolio)
**The transition.** Milano, the restaurant's 82-year-old president, told Boston.com the transfer was expected in September 2026 and shared an internal letter to his 143-person staff in which the buyers expressed a commitment to retaining the current team. A representative of the Fertitta family told the Globe the new owners planned no changes.[4](https://www.boston.com/food/food-news/2026/08/26/union-oyster-house-owner-shares-staff-internal-letter-changes/) • [11](https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2026/08/26/union-oyster-house-sold-fertitta-family.html)
## Reception and criticism
The restaurant's food has drawn mixed assessments alongside its history. In a 2016 review marking the restaurant's 190th year, Boston Globe reporter Nestor Ramos found the oysters, at $16.50 for a half-dozen, at the high end of the going rate in town and disappointing in quality, and wrote that the kitchen churned out dishes that seemed like an afterthought.[7](https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/food-dining/2016/02/29/tourist-trap-living-history-review-union-oyster-house/Xru3c9Q7LmKAZKsCD9NLXJ/story.html) Bar manager Jim Sullivan responded in a letter to the Globe, writing that he took great umbrage at what he called a vitriolic attack.[12](https://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/2016/03/07/union-oyster-house-globe-review-rebuttal/)
A 2026 Globe feature marking the restaurant's 200th year called it a food museum that is more than serviceable, praising the chowder while noting the menu's retro character.[13](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/19/lifestyle/union-oyster-200-boston-old-restaurants/) Recent traveler reviews on [Tripadvisor](https://www.edgepedia.org/tripadvisor) are similarly divided: some guests praise the chowder and the historical atmosphere, while others report inconsistent food quality, small portions, and lukewarm dishes.[14](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60745-d321626-Reviews-Union_Oyster_House-Boston_Massachusetts.html)
The restaurant's health inspection record is also mixed. Boston Inspectional Services data compiled by a third-party tracker show 88 inspections with 31 failures and 2 closures, including a failed inspection on April 22, 2026, and a passing inspection with no violations cited on March 10, 2025.[15](https://bostonrestaurantinspections.com/facility/union-oyster-house)
## References
1. [Union Oyster House to be acquired by Houston family, The Boston Globe (August 25, 2026)](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/25/metro/union-oyster-house-license-transfer/)
2. [Union Oyster House: Oldest Restaurant in Boston, History of Massachusetts Blog](https://historyofmassachusetts.org/union-oyster-house-boston/)
3. [Union Oyster House, National Historic Landmark Nomination, National Park Service](https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/a2434333-417c-4501-87c0-3fb8021ba5ba)
4. [Union Oyster House owner shares what's next as historic restaurant changes hands, Boston.com (August 26, 2026)](https://www.boston.com/food/food-news/2026/08/26/union-oyster-house-owner-shares-staff-internal-letter-changes/)
5. [Texas chain behind Morton's, Bubba Gump looks to buy Oyster House, Axios Boston (August 25, 2026)](https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/08/25/texas-chain-behind-morton-s-bubba-gump-shrimp-co-looks-to-add-oyster-house-to-it-s-portfolio)
6. [The Cradle of American Hospitality, Boston Hospitality Review, Boston University](https://www.bu.edu/bhr/2012/09/01/the-cradle-of-american-hospitality/)
7. [Tourist trap or living history? A review of Union Oyster House at 190, The Boston Globe (February 29, 2016)](https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/food-dining/2016/02/29/tourist-trap-living-history-review-union-oyster-house/Xru3c9Q7LmKAZKsCD9NLXJ/story.html)
8. [Old Oyster House, American Battlefield Trust](https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/old-oyster-house)
9. [History, Union Oyster House official website](https://unionoysterhouse.com/pages/history.html)
10. [Meet the new owners of Union Oyster House: A Texas casino family on a buying spree, The Boston Globe (August 26, 2026)](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/26/business/union-oyster-house-sale-fertitta/)
11. [Union Oyster House sold to Texas restaurant magnate who vows 'no changes' at Boston landmark, Boston Business Journal (August 26, 2026)](https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2026/08/26/union-oyster-house-sold-fertitta-family.html)
12. [Union Oyster House Fires Back After Boston Globe Review, Boston Magazine (March 7, 2016)](https://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/2016/03/07/union-oyster-house-globe-review-rebuttal/)
13. [Are Union Oyster House and other ye olde Boston restaurants still relevant? The Boston Globe (August 19, 2026)](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/19/lifestyle/union-oyster-200-boston-old-restaurants/)
14. [Union Oyster House, Boston, Restaurant Reviews, Tripadvisor](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60745-d321626-Reviews-Union_Oyster_House-Boston_Massachusetts.html)
15. [Union Oyster House, Boston Restaurant Inspections](https://bostonrestaurantinspections.com/facility/union-oyster-house)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Animals › Invertebrates › Molluscs › Bivalves › Bivalves and human use › Bivalve cuisine and dining › Oyster dishes, bars, and festivals › Oyster bars and restaurants*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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