Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
City Tavern: The Founding Table--Colonial Dining, Revolutionary History, and the Restaurant at the Center of It All

City Tavern: The Founding Table--Colonial Dining, Revolutionary History, and the Restaurant at the Center of It All

Diamond, Becky Libourel
Staib, Walter

Paperback

Food WritingRegional: Middle AtlanticRevolutionary Period (1775-1800)

Publisher Price: $28.00

ISBN10: 1594164762
ISBN13: 9781594164767
Publisher: Westholme Publishing
Published: Aug 31 2026
Pages: 200
Weight: 0.40
Height: 0.56 Width: 5.44 Depth: 8.44
Language: English

Several blocks from Independence Hall, City Tavern was a hub of life in colonial Philadelphia and its dining table an important political and social meeting place. Like George Washington's Rising Sun chair and the desk where the Declaration of Independence was signed, the tavern table, and the patrons, meals, and discussions it witnessed, captures the imagination. From America's early years, taverns were vital in urban spaces for sharing news, making business deals, holding club meetings, and discussing political issues. When a movement toward independence from Great Britain began to take hold in the eighteenth century, the central seaboard city of Philadelphia became a popular meeting location. By the 1770s, its residents saw the need for a grand, new tavern that could provide food and drink, overnight accommodations, and space for larger political and business discourse as well as social and cultural activities. Built through a subscription model funded by fifty-three of Philadelphia's wealthiest and most socially connected men, City Tavern soon became an important meeting place for political discussion. When the Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia, City Tavern was designated as a neutral spot for delegates to make connections, solicit opinions, and offer off-the-record thoughts and solutions--all over a pint of ale or glass of Madeira. This important role continued throughout the Revolution and beyond. Many of the founding fathers dined there, and George Washington even used it briefly as his headquarters. The tavern also became a social center for music, dancing, and festive dinners.

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