The first position on the list of the oldest restaurant in California is Tadich Grill. It is situated in San Francisco's Financial District in California, the United States. As a coffee stand when it first opened in 1849, it is San Francisco's oldest continuously operating eatery. The Tadich Roast marketed itself as the first American eatery to grill seafood over mesquite charcoal, a traditional Croatian technique, in the 1920s.

Three Croatian immigrants named Nikola Budrovich, Frano Kosta, and Antonio Gasparich founded Tadich Grill as a tiny coffee shop in the beginning. On Long Wharf, a pier that extended half a mile into San Francisco Bay, they set up shop. Although coffee was sold in the coffee shop, grilled fish has also always been available. The Tadich Grill moved about over the years before settling in its current position in the Financial District in 1967.

The main dishes on the menu today are seafood, stews, and casseroles. Ingredients are acquired locally, including seafood like sand dab and Dungeness crab. Additionally, the establishment provides a day-of-the-week menu that hasn't changed in many years. Mondays include a lamb roast, Tuesdays feature beef tongue, while Thursdays have corned beef and cabbage. The majority, if not all, of the menu items, are prepared in the restaurant, and oysters are another prominent dish. The Tadich actively avoids selling fish that is overfished, limiting sales of fish like sea bass. The only frozen fish available at the restaurant is prawns.

Year established: 1849
Location: 240 California St, San Francisco, CA 94111, America
Website: tadichgrillsf.com

The Old Clam House has been serving high-quality shellfish and alcoholic beverages since 1861. It has endured numerous urban redevelopments, including the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire. The Old Clam House is renowned for being a sort of hidden retreat filled with antiquated artwork, good food, and a ton of vintage ambiance.

The restaurant, once known as The Oakdale Bar & Clam House, had had a two-mile-long plank road connecting it to downtown San Francisco. When there was a booming fishing industry in the Bay Area at the time, it quickly turned into a gathering place for the waterfront employees and new neighbors.

Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as president of the United States in 1861, the Gold Rush had just ended, and San Francisco was experiencing rapid urban growth. In that year, the City had about 60,000 residents. The Old Clam House was built on what was then the waterfront south of Islais Creek, right below Bernal Heights, when it first opened in this era of young America.

The Old Clam House has endured despite the neighborhood going through a lot of changes, but in more recent years the restaurant was having trouble. However, the Dal Bozzo family bought the Old Clam House in 2011 and renovated it, giving the 158-year-old San Francisco institution fresh vitality.

Year established: 1861

Location: 299 Bayshore Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94124, America

Website: theoldclamhousesf.com

The fifth-oldest eatery in the US, Sam's Grill, debuted in 1867, not long after the California Gold Rush. Its original home was the former California Market, an outdoor food market that was situated where the Bank of America building is today. It was “a great bazaar under a single roof, housing fish stands, vegetable and dairy stands, beer counters and restaurants” according to historian Evelyn Wells.

Morgahan's business was one of San Francisco's top seafood suppliers by the 1890s, and he continued to sell oysters from his stand. When the California Market was demolished in 1906, Moraghan's business kept on selling fish out of other places. In 1919, the California Market was completely reconstructed, and the business changed its name to the Burlingame Oyster Company. In 1922, Samuel Zenovich purchased the business and gave the eatery the moniker The Samuel Zenovich Restaurant. Sam's Grill & Seafood Restaurant became the name of the establishment after Zenovich passed away in 1937.

Sam delivers traditional San Francisco cuisine from the turn of the century alongside incredibly fresh and local seafood. Sam's has been a landmark restaurant in San Francisco for more than 150 years. It features antique booths with curtains and excellent, traditional formal service from servers in tuxedos. Sam’s Grill & Seafood is one of the oldest restaurants in California.

Year established: 1867

Location: 374 Bush St, San Francisco, CA 94104, America

Website: samsgrill-sf.com

The present In 1868, the Cold Spring Tavern opened for business as a stagecoach station. The Long Room, RV Room, and Kitchen were all part of the original building, which is thought to have been constructed about 1860. The early years of the Tavern's ownership are not extensively documented. According to documents, the Doulton family paid $10 for 160 acres in 1900, which included the Tavern. The Miramar Corporation received ownership from the Doultons in 1907; nevertheless, the corporation failed in 1934 and lost its mortgage. Up until the beginning of 1941, Mr. and Mrs. Green served as the property's guardians.

The original "Road Gang House," erected in 1868 by 11 Chinese immigrants, is situated behind the Tavern. This is where they stayed while constructing the toll road through the difficult San Marcos Pass. The building was abandoned by the 1870s. A French ballet school was temporarily headquartered there.

There are a lot of people there on the weekends who want to eat the renowned tri-tip sandwich from Cold Spring Tavern, along with a side of enormous onion rings, a cold beverage, and live music. Numerous motorcycles are typically parked off to the side on weekends, continuing a long-standing custom among bikers from throughout the world.

Year established: 1868
Location: 5995 Stagecoach Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93105, America
Website: coldspringtavern.com

The first position on the list of the oldest restaurant in California is the Union Hotel Restaurant. Although Union Hotel Restaurant in Occidental, California claims to have been in business since 1879, it's possible that the establishment didn't open until 1891. The Jones family built the first structure on the property in 1879. The Jones family gave the site back to Dutch Bill Howard, who had originally owned the lot, after constructing a two-story structure.

The building's lower level was converted into a general store in 1880, while its upper level served as a public hall. Then, in 1891, Giovanni Gobetti and his wife Giovanna purchased the property from Howard. The Gobetti family transformed the structure into the Union Saloon and began serving food and beverages. Finally, Giovanna Gobetti sold the saloon in 1925 to the Panizzera family, another Italian family, who renamed it the Union Hotel. Since that time, the hotel and Italian restaurant have been managed by members of the Panizzera family.

The original Union Hotel Restaurant in Occidental is still open and draws tourists from all over the world. Today, there are a few additional Union Hotel sites, all of which are owned and handled by the Panizzera family.

Year established: 1879 or 1891
Location: 280 Mission Blvd, Santa Rosa, CA 95409, America
Website: unionhotel.com