Old Ebbitt Grill

Old Ebbitt Grill
Old Ebbitt Grill from 15th Street.
Restaurant information
Established	1856
Current owner(s)	Clyde's Restaurant Group
Head chef	Salvatore Ferro
Food type	American
Dress code	Casual
Street address	675 15th Street NW
City	Washington, D.C.
Postal/ZIP code	20005
Country	United States
Seating capacity	398
Reservations	Suggested
Website	www.ebbitt.com

Old Ebbitt Grill is a historic bar and restaurant located at 675 15th Street NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It is Washington's oldest bar and restaurant, and as of 2012 was owned by Clyde's Restaurant Group. It opened as an unnamed restaurant in the Ebbitt House Hotel. The Hotel distinguished itself as the first hotel in Washington to remain open all summer instead of closing when Congress adjourned. In 1827 the Hotel was razed and rebuilt in the same location. Ebbitt House Hotel was razed in 1925 to make way for the National Press Building, built in 1926. The restaurant was incorporated by Anders Lofstrand, Sr., as a stand-alone business. It moved into new quarters at 1427 F Street NW. After Lofstrand's death in 1955, the restaurant was purchased by Peter Bechas in 1961. The restaurant was sold at a tax sale in June 1970, and was purchased by Clyde's Restaurant Group. The 1427 F Street NW location was demolished in 1983 during redevelopment, and Old Ebbitt Grill moved into its current quarters at 675 15th Street NW.

For many years as part of Ebbitt House, the bar/restaurant had no stand-alone name or identity. It began using the name "New Ebbitt Café" in November 1910. In 1926, after the restaurant became incorporated as a stand-alone business, it was known as both "Ebbitt's Grill" and "Old Ebbitt Grill". Over time, only the "Old Ebbitt Grill" name was used. It retained that name after its ownership changes in 1961 and 1970.

Since 1970, because of its popularity Old Ebbitt Grill has been frequented by numerous politicians, some known for scandals and maneuvering. It has also been the site of parties hosted by famous actors and singers. For many years, it has been the restaurant with one of the highest amount of sales in the United States. Old Ebbitt Grill created a popular annual event known as the Oyster Riot in 1995.

The building which later was owned by William E. Ebbitt was located on the southeast corner of F Street NW and 14th Street NW in the city of Washington, D.C. In June 1798, William Crawford obtained title to four parcels of land on the southeast corner of 14th and F streets. The four parcels lay west-to-east along 14th Street. In 1800, Crawford built two four-story Federal-style houses on the two easternmost parcels of this property. The garden of the houses extended west onto the two empty lots on the corner, and down the hill in the rear almost to Pennsylvania Avenue. In 1833, Bushrod W. Reed relocated to the District of Columbia from Westmoreland County, Virginia, purchased the two easternmost lots from Crawford, and between 1833 and 1836 built a double-wide, four-story, Federal-style building on the corner next to the Crawford homes. Crawford's daughter, Sarah, married Richard Forrest, one of the first eight clerks appointed in 1801 by Thomas Jefferson in the United States Department of State. William Crawford installed Richard and Sarah Forrest in his houses, and they inherited them upon his death. Richard Forrest died in 1828, and Sarah died in 1832. Although it is unclear what happened to the property after Sarah Crawford's death, some time prior to 1856 it was purchased by William J. Smith. Smith joined the two houses into a single unit, and named them "Frenchman's Hotel" (because he employed a French immigrant as the manager of the facility).