Formerly: Ebbitt House · The Ebbitt Grill
Washington, District of Columbia · Founded 1856
Old Ebbitt Grill traces a disputed-but-durable Washington lineage to an 1856 boarding-house saloon, then moved through the city before reaching 15th Street in 1983.
Old Ebbitt Grill operates at 675 15th Street NW in Washington, D.C., steps from the White House. The restaurant traces its history to William E. Ebbitt's 1856 boarding-house and saloon enterprise, later called Ebbitt House, though the exact location of that first building cannot be confirmed. After the Ebbitt House closed in 1925, a standalone grill operated at 1427 F Street NW from 1926 until Clyde's Restaurant Group bought it at tax auction in 1970 and moved it to the present location in 1983.
According to Old Ebbitt Grill's traditional history, innkeeper William E. Ebbitt bought a Washington boarding house that became known as Ebbitt House and included a saloon. The original house's exact location is unknown, though the restaurant places it near present-day Chinatown.
Source: Old Ebbitt Grill, About Us; National Trust for Historic Preservation, 'The Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington, D.C.,' February 11, 2016.
William McKinley used Ebbitt House as a temporary residence while he was a congressman and in the period before his inauguration, according to historical newspaper research summarized by Ghosts of DC.
Source: Ghosts of DC, 'What's the History of Old Ebbitt Grill?', June 11, 2012.
The Ebbitt House hotel and boarding-house era ended when the original hotel closed.
Source: Business Insider, 'I Dined at DC's Oldest Restaurant Near the White House,' July 14, 2026; Jim's Dining Guides, 'The Old Ebbitt Grill,' July 21, 2023.
The Ebbitt Grill emerged as a standalone restaurant at 1427 F Street NW. Historical accounts say both The Ebbitt Grill and Old Ebbitt Grill names were used during this era.
Source: Jim's Dining Guides, 'The Old Ebbitt Grill,' July 21, 2023; Old Ebbitt Grill, About Us.
Stuart Davidson and John Laytham, co-owners of Clyde's of Georgetown, bought Old Ebbitt Grill at a federal tax auction for $11,200.
Source: Old Ebbitt Grill, About Us; National Trust for Historic Preservation, February 11, 2016; historical ownership summary.
After the 1427 F Street building was demolished during redevelopment, Old Ebbitt Grill moved to 675 15th Street NW in the Beaux-Arts building formerly associated with B. F. Keith's Theater.
Source: Old Ebbitt Grill, About Us; National Trust for Historic Preservation, February 11, 2016; Business Insider, July 14, 2026.
Graham Holdings acquired Clyde's Restaurant Group, the operator and owner of Old Ebbitt Grill.
Source: Clyde's Restaurant Group historical summary.
Old Ebbitt Grill continued operating at 675 15th Street NW as a Clyde's Restaurant Group property.
Source: Clyde's Restaurant Group official website; Business Insider, July 14, 2026.
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
Old Ebbitt Grill, the National Trust, and recent coverage consistently trace the restaurant's lineage to an 1856 boarding house purchased by William E. Ebbitt that became Ebbitt House and included a saloon. But the restaurant itself says the precise original location cannot be pinpointed and introduces the purchase with 'according to legend,' so the 1856 starting point is a strong tradition rather than a fully documented business-start finding.
Old Ebbitt Grill is widely called Washington's oldest saloon and has a credible lineage to the 1850s Ebbitt House enterprise. But the original location is uncertain, the hotel closed in 1925, the grill reappeared as a standalone restaurant in 1926, and the business later moved and changed ownership. The reviewed evidence does not establish uninterrupted saloon operation or a complete District-wide comparison.
The restaurant has a long Ebbitt House lineage, but the record includes the 1925 hotel closure, a 1926 standalone-restaurant phase at a different address, a 1970 tax auction, and a 1983 relocation after demolition of the F Street building. The reviewed sources do not provide a complete operating, licensing, ownership, and closure record sufficient to certify uninterrupted service from 1856 to the present.
Old Ebbitt Grill's own history and National Trust reporting identify Stuart Davidson and John Laytham, co-owners of Clyde's of Georgetown, as the purchasers at a 1970 federal tax auction. The restaurant says they paid $11,200 after initially seeking its antique beer steins.
Old Ebbitt Grill, the National Trust, and recent reporting agree that the restaurant moved from 1427 F Street NW to its present 675 15th Street NW location in 1983. The move date describes occupancy of the former B. F. Keith's Theater building, not the building's construction date.
Old Ebbitt lore says Theodore Roosevelt patronized the earlier Ebbitt House and that the animal heads above the bar were shot by him. The National Trust uses the phrase 'said to have been shot' and the restaurant does not provide provenance documents. There is no reviewed evidence that Roosevelt donated the displays, and White House history notes that many Roosevelt-era taxidermy pieces were purchased from taxidermists rather than hunted personally.
The National Trust, the restaurant, and recent reporting repeat associations with presidents including Grant, Johnson, Cleveland, McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harding. William McKinley's residence at Ebbitt House has stronger newspaper support than the individual dining or drinking claims for every president. The entry preserves the broad political reputation without certifying each alleged visit.
Clyde's Restaurant Group lists Old Ebbitt Grill among its current properties, and the restaurant's own history traces Clyde's ownership to the 1970 tax auction purchase. Graham Holdings acquired Clyde's Restaurant Group in 2019. This establishes business ownership and operation, not ownership of the 15th Street real estate.
Old Ebbitt Grill has always operated at 675 14th Street NW.
Old Ebbitt Grill's current address is 675 15th Street NW. It moved there in 1983 from 1427 F Street NW after the F Street building was demolished.
Source: Old Ebbitt Grill, About Us; National Trust for Historic Preservation, February 11, 2016; Business Insider, July 14, 2026.
The current Old Ebbitt Grill building was built in 1983.
Old Ebbitt Grill moved into the former B. F. Keith's Theater building in 1983. The year marks the restaurant's move to the building, not its construction.
Source: Old Ebbitt Grill, About Us; National Trust for Historic Preservation, February 11, 2016.
William E. Ebbitt's original 1856 boarding house stood at a precisely known corner of 14th and F Streets NW.
Old Ebbitt Grill's own history says no one can pinpoint the original boarding house's exact location, though it was probably near the edge of present-day Chinatown. The 1856 origin is a traditional lineage claim rather than a precisely located historic property fact.
Source: Old Ebbitt Grill, About Us.
The animal heads at Old Ebbitt Grill were donated by Theodore Roosevelt and proven to be animals he hunted.
The heads are traditionally said to have been shot by Theodore Roosevelt, but no provenance evidence reviewed here establishes that he donated them or personally hunted the displayed animals.
Source: National Trust for Historic Preservation, February 11, 2016; White House Historical Association commentary on Theodore Roosevelt-era taxidermy, March 8, 2018.
Old Ebbitt survived because its later owners treated the Ebbitt name and its political-tavern atmosphere as portable heritage rather than a single surviving building. Stuart Davidson and John Laytham bought the struggling grill at a 1970 tax sale for $11,200, initially interested in its antique beer steins, then took on the restaurant itself. Their Clyde's Restaurant Group preserved the name and assembled a richly layered Victorian-style environment from historic fixtures, railroad dining-car furniture, gas chandeliers, and other artifacts when Old Ebbitt moved into the former B. F. Keith's Theater building on 15th Street in 1983.
Old Ebbitt Grill operates at 675 15th Street NW and traces its traditional history to William E. Ebbitt's 1856 Washington boarding-house and saloon enterprise. The exact location of the original Ebbitt House cannot be confirmed, and the hotel closed in 1925 before a standalone Ebbitt Grill operated at 1427 F Street NW from 1926. Clyde's Restaurant Group bought the grill at tax auction in 1970 and moved it to the current 15th Street location in 1983.
Old Ebbitt Grill is widely described as Washington's oldest saloon or restaurant because it traces its lineage to William E. Ebbitt's 1856 boarding-house enterprise. This register does not certify the title because the original 1856 location is uncertain, the hotel closed in 1925, and the business later operated at different addresses under changing ownership. A District-wide comparison and fuller continuity record are needed.
Before moving to 675 15th Street NW in 1983, Old Ebbitt Grill operated at 1427 F Street NW. The F Street building was demolished during redevelopment, and the restaurant moved around the corner into the former B. F. Keith's Theater building. The current 15th Street location is not the original 1856 Ebbitt House site.
Stuart Davidson and John Laytham, the owners of Clyde's of Georgetown, bought Old Ebbitt Grill at a federal tax auction in 1970 for $11,200. The restaurant says they originally wanted its antique beer steins but unexpectedly became owners of the entire saloon. Clyde's Restaurant Group continues to operate Old Ebbitt Grill.
The animal heads are often said to have been shot by Theodore Roosevelt, who is also traditionally linked to the earlier Ebbitt House. But the sources reviewed do not document that Roosevelt donated the taxidermy or prove he personally shot the displayed animals. The heads should be treated as part of Old Ebbitt's Roosevelt lore, not as verified presidential artifacts.
675 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20005
Old Ebbitt Grill is steps from the White House and can be busy around office hours, events, and political gatherings. Confirm current reservations, walk-in procedures, oyster-bar service, and late-night hours directly before visiting.