7 Historic U.S. Hotel Restaurants You Should Dine At

From bucolic bed-and-breakfasts to high-rise hotels that once welcomed elite members of society in the Roaring ’20s, historic accommodations across America allow guests to experience bygone eras. And you’d be remiss to book a night at one of the storied properties without making a reservation at one of their on-site dining establishments. Their offerings often include recipes carried down through generations, enjoyed by the likes of U.S. presidents and celebrities over the decades. Check out these seven hotel restaurants that are just as famous now as they were back when they started.  

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Palace Hotel – San Francisco, California

When it opened in 1875, the Palace Hotel was the largest hotel in the world and the most luxurious accommodation in San Francisco. As such, it was only fitting that the food at the five-star property’s banquets exceeded that of other establishments, and even the salads deserved extra attention. In 1923, executive chef Phillip Roemer invented green goddess dressing here, naming it after William Archer’s 1921 hit play The Green Goddess. 

Today, guests can still experience the grandeur of dining in the glass-domed hall beneath crystal chandeliers as they indulge in the iconic Palace Crab Salad. The starter celebrated 100 years in 2023, and still features the signature dressing atop mixed baby greens, crab meat, and locally grown vegetables.

Dining Room at the Grand Hotel – Mackinac Island, Michigan

The stately Grand Hotel is a bright white beacon of hospitality for those arriving by ferry to car-free Mackinac Island, located on Lake Huron between Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas. Welcoming vacationers since 1887, the resort has a tea room, jockey club, coffee shop, ice cream parlor, pizza company, and more.

But the main dining room is where guests gather for breakfast, lunch, and five-course formal dinners with a dress code. The restaurant is particularly famous for its Grand Pecan Ball — a nutty dessert popularized in 1947 that was recreated from an Indianapolis department store recipe. According to the hotel, staff prepare more than 60,000 pecan balls each year.

Round Robin Bar at the Willard InterContinental – Washington, D.C.

The cozy, oak-paneled Round Robin Bar inside the Willard InterContinental in Washington, D.C., is such a popular meeting place for politicians that Condé Nast Traveler dubbed it the “Oval Office of Bars.” 

Known for its menu of classic cocktails and warming small plates, such as red wine-braised beef grilled sandwiches and croque monsieurs, the pub caters to a variety of cravings. The crown jewel on the menu is a Southern-style mint julep that dates back to 1830, when Kentucky Senator Henry Clay taught a Round Robin bartender to make it with sour mash corn whiskey distilled in his native Kentucky. 

Chatham Bars Inn – Chatham, Massachusetts

You can still dine at America’s original farm-to-table restaurant in the seaside town of Chatham, Massachusetts, in Cape Cod. The main lodge at Chatham Bars Inn, which has been welcoming guests since 1914, features an 8-acre farm nearby that produces thousands of fresh vegetables harvested by hotel staff each year, using innovative farming practices such as Slovenian beekeeping and hydroponics. 

The property now has five restaurants, where visitors can indulge in meals made with local ingredients and learn more about the Indigenous tradition of cooking lobsters in sand pits with potatoes and seaweed — a practice still used by the hotel chefs. 

Lockwood Restaurant at the Palmer House – Chicago, Illinois

Bertha Honoré Palmer, the wife of Chicago real estate developer Potter Palmer, asked the chef at their opulent namesake hotel in the Windy City to make a unique dessert to serve at the Columbian Exposition World’s Fair in 1893. And thus, the brownie was born. The original chocolatey recipe featured sugar-coated walnuts and was served in squares to festivalgoers. It gained popularity across the nation not long after. 

You can try one of America’s favorite desserts at the hotel’s Lockwood Restaurant, which serves the famous recipe that inspired entrées such as Bertha’s Brownie Pancakes. In addition to inventing the delicacy, the hotel itself was the first in the U.S. to incorporate lightbulbs, elevators, and telephones. 

Harvest at Hotel Hershey – Hershey, Pennsylvania

Hershey, Pennsylvania, is hailed as America’s chocolate town, as it was the site of confectioner Milton Hershey’s iconic chocolate factory. And guests staying at Hotel Hershey should embrace their sweet tooth. Opened in 1933, the historic property goes above and beyond when it comes to dessert, but the must-try is the signature chocolate cream pie, made with dark chocolate custard, whipped cream, and a cocoa cookie crust. 

The beloved pie debuted in 1976, and guests can still find it on the menu at Harvest, the farm-to-table restaurant on site. When you’re done satisfying your chocolate craving, be sure to learn more about chocolate’s history at the Hershey Story museum. 

J. Graham’s Café at the Brown Hotel – Louisville, Kentucky

In the Roaring ’20s, the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, was in its heyday — after it opened in 1923, more than 1,000 guests made the trip to the property each night to partake in its evening “dinner dance.” With the large turnout, chef Fred Schmidt grew tired of making the same ham-and-egg entrée every night, so he created an open-faced sandwich featuring bacon, tomatoes, and Mornay sauce (a classic béchamel sauce made with Gruyère cheese and sometimes Parmesan). 

The sandwich is now called a “Hot Brown” and became popular across the state. Today, the hotel is a wonderful place to experience Kentucky culture, from dressing up for the annual derby to trying the famous dish at the sophisticated J. Graham’s Café.