Louis' Lunch
| Louis' Lunch | |
|---|---|
Louis' Lunch Landmark building
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| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1895 |
| Current owner(s) | Lassen family |
| Head chef | Jeff Lassen |
| Food type | Hamburgers |
| Dress code | Casual |
| Street address | 263 Crown Street |
| City | New Haven |
| State | Connecticut |
| Postal/ZIP code | 06511 |
| Country | United States |
| Seating capacity | 30 |
| Reservations | Not taken |
| Other information | Credit cards not accepted |
| Website | louislunch |
Coordinates: 41°18′23″N 72°55′49″W / 41.30644°N 72.930298°W
Louis' Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut, United States, advertises itself as the first restaurant to serve hamburgers and as being the oldest hamburger restaurant still operating in the U.S. Opened as a small lunch wagon in 1895, Louis' Lunch was also one of the first places in the U.S. to serve steak sandwiches. According to Louis' Lunch, the hamburger was created in 1900 in response to a customer's hurried request for a lunch to go. In 1917, Louis moved the business into a square-shaped little brick building that had once been a tannery. In 1975, the restaurant was moved four blocks down to 263 Crown Street. Hamburgers cooked in the restaurant are made on antique vertical cast iron gas stoves from 1898 and the toast made in an antique toaster from 1928. The hamburgers are a broiled blend of five cuts of steak. Toppings include cheese, tomato or onion, but the restaurant does not offer other condiments. Louis Lassen's restaurant is recognized in the Library of Congress as the origin of the hamburger, but other claimants and detractors exist. The restaurant has been highly rated by Travel Channel's Chowdown Countdown and others, but has been the subject of criticism over condiments.
Louis Lassen (1865 - March 20, 1935 New Haven, Connecticut) was a "blacksmith by trade and preacher by vocation" and immigrated to New Haven from Denmark in 1886. He became a food peddler, selling butter and eggs from a wooden cart. Lassen purchased a home at 45 Elliot Street and stored his cart in a shed in the backyard. In 1895, Lassen began adding lunch items to his cart. According to the 1899 New Haven directory, Lassen was a butter dealer and included his home address.
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