One of New York's oldest restaurants is the Financial District's Delmonico's, which opened in 1827 as a French pastry cafe. By 1831, the Delmonico brothers of Switzerland had expanded their establishment into a full French restaurant, ideal for celebrations and fine dining.
The original location, at 23 William Street, burned to the ground in 1835. The brothers then opened a new location at 2 William, aka the Citadel, covering three floors and offering private dining rooms. The best of the best dined at Delmonico's, including the likes of celebrated authors Charles Dickens and Mark Twain.
Numerous Delmonico's outposts were added to the city, with the last opening in 1899 on Fifth Avenue. Alas, by 1923, all of the restaurants had officially closed. Copycats popped up, including Oscar's Delmonico's, which served the same dishes as the original for a time.
In 1999, Delmonico's itself was reborn under new management, and to this day it still serves those famous dishes from 1831.