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 2:00 PM - 6:00 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!
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| 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.”_
