Chicago's Love Affair with Oysters Began in 1835. "RESTAURANT REVIEWS"

Chicago's Love Affair with Oysters Began in 1835. First served in Chicago's Finest Restaurants, the "Lake House Hotel" has been offering fine dining since 1838.

New Englanders brought a taste for oysters as they settled in Chicago in 1835. Delivered by sleigh from New Haven, Connecticut, the first fresh oysters in Chicago were served in 1838 at the Lake House Hotel on Kinzie Street. The Lake House Hotel was Chicago's first foray into fine dining, offering East Coast imports to its well-heeled clientele. It was the first restaurant in Chicago to use white tablecloths, napkins, menu cards, and toothpicks. This spurred Chicago's earliest love affair with the oysters.

New Englanders settled in Chicago, bringing with them a taste for oysters. Chicago had become an enormous oyster town, with sizeable multilevel oyster houses. These houses would have a dance hall, lunchroom, formal dining, and taprooms in one massive building. 

This spurred Chicago's earliest love affair with the oyster. By 1857, there were seven "Oyster Depots" and four "Oyster Saloons" in the city. Chicago's population in 1860 was 109,000. Peaking in the Gilded Age with a population of 1,001,000 in 1890, it waned with Prohibition. Oyster consumption was always plentiful in old Chicago.

Chicago's population is approximately 2,746,400 as of 2025.

Barker’s Grand Oyster Emporium

“Where the Shell Meets the Shot” Clark Street, Chicago – Est. 1857

OYSTERS, FRESH FROM THE EAST, Delivered by sleigh, served with swagger.

• Raw on Lake Ice – With lemon wedges from Havana.
• Stewed in Cream & Cognac – A favorite of aldermen and rogues.
• Deviled Oysters – Spiced with cayenne and scandal.
• Pickled in Madeira – For the adventurous palate.
• Escalloped with Sherry & Breadcrumbs – Served in silver shells.
• Smoked & Butter-Roasted – With cracked pepper from Zanzibar.
• Oyster Pudding – Not a dessert, but a dare.
• New Orleans Style – With Creole sauce and a warning label.
• Steamed Muscles – With lemon wedges from Havana.

Oyster prices range from 10¢ to 85¢ per dozen. 

Credit extended only to gentlemen with top hats and visible pocket watches. 

Barker’s Grand Oyster Emporium is a respectful establishment. We serve women with male escorts in the second-floor dining room.

LOCAL WILD GAME SPECIALTIES

From the prairies, woods, and swamps of Chicago.

• Venison Cutlets à la Fort Dearborn – Pan-seared with juniper berries
• Roast Wild Duck – Stuffed with apples and regret
• Beaver Tail Terrine – Served cold with aspic and French mustard
• Squirrel Fricassee – A dish for the daring debutante
• Otter Pie – With root vegetables and a crust of mystery
• Prairie Rabbit Stew – Slow-cooked with molasses and sass
• Buffalo Sausage Platter – Smoked over oak, served with pickled onions
• Bear Shank Roast – For parties of six or more; includes complimentary toothpicks

TAPROOM LIBATIONS

Hunter’s Happy Hour 3:00 PM - 6:30 PM DAILY.

To wash down your sins and your supper.

Chicago River Punch – Rum, brandy, and questionable decisions

Hunter’s Tonic – Gin, bitters, and a splash of pond water (filtered)

Oyster Liquor Shot – Served in a shell, chased with rye

Ladies’ Cordial – Rosewater, clove, and plausible deniability

HOUSE RULES

• No dueling before dessert.
• All raccoon coats must be checked at the door.
• Gossip is encouraged, but must be historically accurate.
• Patrons caught impersonating aldermen will be charged double.

NEWSPAPER REVIEWS FOR "THE DISH ON CHICAGO " COLUMN.

1.) Review by William B. Ogden, First Mayor of Chicago

Venue: Lake House Hotel Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Title: “A Supper Most Refined: Where Elegance Meets Edibility.” 

_“Upon the occasion of last Tuesday’s supper, I did find myself—despite municipal burdens—graced by the genteel environs of Lake House. Linen of bleached perfection adorned the tables, and the service was rendered with a courtesy befitting a Parisian salon. Gentlemen were gloved correctly, and the ladies had scarcely a parasol out of place. Menu cards were presented, nay paraded, with such a flourish one might’ve thought themselves at Buckingham’s own dining hall. Toothpicks—a recent innovation—were supplied liberally.

If one seeks not simply nourishment but civilized sustenance, he shall find no rival in this house. I recommend the demitasse of oyster bisque, followed by their famed boiled oysters with mignonette. God bless New Haven for its sleighs, and God bless Chicago for knowing what to do with their cargo.”_

2.) Review by Bertha Honore, Young Society Belle (Later Mrs. Potter Palmer)

Venue: Barker’s Grand Oyster Emporium Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ For our "Dish on Chicago" Article, Title: “Dear Diary, I Ate Eight Types of Oysters and Now Require a Loan.”

_“Papa took me to Barker’s today after my pianoforte lesson. The menu was immense—a veritable encyclopedia of oyster preparation. Stewed, smoked, pickled, butter-roasted, fricasseed, deviled, escalloped, and presented à la New Orleans. Prices began at 10¢ but soared to 85¢ per dozen—scandalous!

A young man at the neighboring table ordered something called ‘Oyster Pudding,’ which I mistook for a dessert. It was not. Mother would faint at the spice. It was Duck & Oyster pudding, I'll try this dish next visit.

DUCK AND OYSTER PUDDING
 

Though the bill did rival my weekly allowance, Barker’s staff, clad in matching waistcoats, kept our water goblets filled and our gossip discreet. I dare say, I left half drunk on oyster liquor and wholly drunk on extravagance.”_

3.) Review by “Long John” Wentworth, Towering Congressman and Oyster Enthusiast

Venue: Moses’ Oyster Saloon on Clark Street Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ For our "Dish on Chicago" Article: Title: “By the Lord’s Brine, These Mollusks Are Marvelous!”

_“Let it be known: I have consumed oysters from Boston wharf to Baltimore bay, yet none have stirred my constitution so resolutely as Moses’ hand-shucked briny gems. They are tender as a campaign promise and twice as convincing.

Roasted over firewood and dusted with black pepper ground from a Turkish mill, they leap from the shell with vigor. The raw varietal is served upon a tray of Lake ice with lemon imported from Cuba. I did have fourteen in one sitting and walked out straighter than my reputation.

Heavens! The taste lingers, haunting as a political rivalry. If you call yourself a Chicagoan and have yet to indulge, be advised—you are living a half-life.”_

By Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Copilot, Assistant.

The Truth Behind the “1908 Cubs Celebration” Photo: A Crowd Out of Time

Mislabeled Photo: "Cubs Win the 1908 World Series"

Downtown Chicago, Looking North on State Street from Madison Street,
Mid-April 1940 - Most lightly, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus arrived, which performed in Chicago from April 24 to May 5, 1940.  
CLICK HERE TO ENLARGE THE PHOTOGRAPH.

The Truth Behind the “Cubs Win the 1908 World Series” Photo: A Crowd Out of Time.

For decades, a photo has circulated purporting to show jubilant Cubs fans flooding Chicago’s streets after clinching the 1908 World Series. Even Major League Baseball once labeled it as such. But the truth is far more layered—and frankly, more intriguing.

This image is not from 1908. It’s from the 1940s, and the visual clues are too loud to ignore.

Tell-Tale Signs of a 1940s Chicago Scene

Automobiles: The cars in the photo have the rounded fenders, chrome accents, and body shapes typical of 1940s models—not the boxy, brass-era vehicles of the early 1900s.

Fashion: Men in wide-lapelled jackets and fedoras, women in tailored coats and waved hair—all unmistakably mid-century styles. No bowlers, bustles, or Edwardian garb in sight.

Storefronts and Signage: Look closely and you’ll see neon signs, modern typefaces, and business names that didn’t exist in 1908. Some storefronts feature post-Depression design aesthetics.

Marshall Field’s Clock: Though the clock shows a time that would’ve aligned with the 1908 Game 2 ending, that’s a visual coincidence—not historical evidence. Like stumbling on a sundial that happens to match your wristwatch—it doesn’t make it 1908.

Street Density: A crowd stretching four blocks deep suggests a major mid-century event. Marshall Field’s Christmas windows drew attention, sure—but not a sea of people like this.

What Was the Real Event?

The most plausible explanation? The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performed in Chicago from April 24 to May 5, 1940. Though there was no train depot at State and Washington, circus parades often marched through downtown with elephants and performers, stirring citywide curiosity and drawing massive crowds—right into the heart of Lake Street and beyond.

This wasn’t a sports celebration—it was an urban spectacle.

Why It Matters

Mislabeled photos like this aren’t just errors—they shape how generations remember history. When institutions like MLB inadvertently validate myths, they embed false nostalgia into the cultural narrative. And in a city like Chicago, where memory and mythology dance so closely, accuracy matters.

Let’s call it what it is: a glorious photo of Chicagoans enthralled by the moment—not by the myth.

Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.