The short answer: New York has plenty of restaurants that call themselves institutions. These ten have the history to make the argument. I rechecked the list in September 2026, and all ten are still operating.
Gage & Tollner
Gage & Tollner first opened in Brooklyn in 1879 and became one of the borough’s legendary dining rooms. The important part the old version missed: it was closed from 2004 until 2021.
The landmark space survived fast-casual tenants, a pandemic-delayed reopening and the sort of New York real-estate plot twist that normally kills a restaurant permanently. Gage & Tollner finally returned in 2021.
Nathan’s Famous
Nathan Handwerker opened the original Coney Island hot dog stand in 1916, selling hot dogs for a nickel.
A century later, the original Coney Island location is still there, because apparently New York can preserve history when the history comes with mustard.
Katz’s Delicatessen
Katz’s traces its Lower East Side history to 1888, when Iceland Brothers opened on Ludlow Street. The Katz name arrived later, and the deli eventually became Katz’s Delicatessen.
The pastrami has now outlived several generations of people arguing about whether the line is worth it.
Peter Luger Steak House
The Williamsburg institution dates to 1887, when the place opened as Carl Luger’s Café, Billiards and Bowling Alley.
Today it remains one of the city’s best-known old-school steakhouses, proving that apparently the secret to longevity is beef and refusing to become subtle.
Sylvia’s Restaurant
Sylvia Woods opened Sylvia’s in Harlem in 1962. The restaurant remains family-run and deeply tied to Harlem’s food history.
More than six decades later, it is still serving soul food on Malcolm X Boulevard.
Grand Central Oyster Bar
The Oyster Bar opened inside Grand Central Terminal in 1913.
The old article called it “103 years old,” which is the problem with writing ages instead of dates: time continues despite editorial objections.
Use the opening year. It never expires.
Nom Wah Tea Parlor
Nom Wah opened on Doyers Street in 1920 as a tea parlor and bakery. Its own history describes it as New York City’s oldest continuously operating dim sum restaurant.
That is the kind of restaurant résumé that makes “classic” feel less like marketing copy and more like basic arithmetic.
Keens Steakhouse
Keens opened independently in 1885 in the old Herald Square Theatre District.
The restaurant is still famous for its steaks, mutton chop and enormous collection of clay smoking pipes. New York used to have a lot of rules about where people could smoke. Apparently nobody said the pipes had to leave.
Tavern on the Green
The Central Park building began life as a sheepfold and became a restaurant in 1934.
There is another historical wrinkle worth keeping: Tavern on the Green closed in 2009 and reopened under new operators in 2014.
So yes, it is a classic. No, it did not operate continuously for the entire period.
Bamonte’s
Bamonte’s remains one of Williamsburg’s enduring red-sauce Italian restaurants: the kind of place where nobody needs the menu rewritten around foam, tweezers or a philosophical explanation of a tomato.
It is still operating on Withers Street as of September 2026.
Why These Are “Classic,” Not “The Best”
The old title called these the “Top Classic Restaurants in New York City.”
“Top” requires criteria, ranking and an argument about why restaurant number six defeated restaurant number seven in combat.
This page does not need that.
These are ten long-running New York restaurants with real history, recognizable identities and enough staying power to make the city’s restaurant mortality rate look slightly less terrifying.