The Historic Restaurant Where The First-Ever 4th Of July Was Celebrated
There's celebrating the 4th of July in what we think of as a conventional, patriotic way — with classics like hot dogs, burgers, and fireworks. And then there's throwing it back old school style, all the way back to how the Founding Fathers themselves celebrated the very first Independence Day.
To put yourself in the place of the original celebration, you'd have to make the journey to Philadelphia's historic City Tavern, a building and restaurant that dates all the way back to the 1700s and was the site of the earliest 4th of July festivities. We tend to think of our nation's significant historical events as taking place in hallowed halls and government buildings. While plenty certainly did, the people who formed the United States of America also ate, drank, partied, and celebrated. And perhaps nowhere in early America did they do so more often than at City Tavern, which was a buzzing hub of activity and merriment for many prominent, now-larger-than-life members of America's founding.
George and Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Paul Revere were just a few of the high-profile names to eat and drink around the restaurant's tables. And City Tavern would have been the place to be on the very first 4th of July in 1777, one year after the signing and distribution of the Declaration of Independence, which declared the intent to form a free country independent from Great Britain.
The Tavern served authentic colonial meals until recently
City Tavern was situated in the historic district of Philadelphia just a stone's throw from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Within the Tavern's walls, important town meetings were held, such as one led by Paul Revere to discuss important steps in the soon-to-be-country's fight for independence and to bring news of the Boston Tea Party. At some points, the Tavern would even hold prisoners of war within its rooms. Festive dance events were regularly thrown there, as were gatherings assembled to celebrate George Washington's presidential inauguration — and of course, much food and drink was served.
The original 4th of July attendees didn't have any crispy hot dogs or burgers on the grill — the culinary style would have been totally different than the dishes we routinely make today. Up until recently, City Tavern remained fully operational and still served historically accurate dishes carefully crafted to transport diners back in time. Think hearty beef pies and salads made with potatoes and lentils, lamb and prime rib, seasonal veggies like squash and corn, and for dessert, cherry pies and berry tarts. All fine dining 18th century dishes very similar to what the Founding Fathers and co. would have eaten and washed down with Colonial-era ale.
The current state and future plans for the space
City Tavern gave a new definition to what we think of as a long-running restaurant, opening its doors to customers in 1773, before America was even a country. It still served visitors, history buffs, and diners until 2020. Though technically, the Tavern's run was not without pause — the original building caught fire and was demolished in the 1830s before being rebuilt in the 1970s. In 2020, the restaurant in its most recent iteration — which had long been helmed by chef and steward of the Tavern Walter Staib — closed its doors for good, citing challenges brought on by the pandemic and reduced tourism.
The building, owned by the National Park Service, had been entrusted to Staib's guidance and culinary direction since 1994. It remains standing, and in 2023 the National Park Service announced it was officially accepting applications for a new restaurant to replace the tavern, so stay tuned to see how the historic space is revitalized next.