The History Of The Walnut Room, The Oldest Operating Department Store Restaurant

For many Chicagoans and frequent visitors to the Windy City, The Walnut Room is a tradition built on elegant, comforting fare and a trip through history. It opened in 1907 in the Marshall Field's department store on State Street in Chicago and still thrives today, despite the store having become Macy's in 2006. This makes The Walnut Room America's longest running continuously operated restaurant within a department store.

The Walnut Room was originally called the South Grill Room, but its interior was so striking with Austrian crystal chandeliers and Russian Circassian walnut paneling that, eventually, the destination was renamed for that rich paneling. The Walnut Room is a still-surviving member of an important trend that grew from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century: the rise of department store restaurants. These became early places where it was acceptable for women to socialize outside of the home on their own. They were even societally approved places for women to work. At the time, these opportunities were limited to white middle- and upper-class women, but the introduction of some freedom in public catalyzed future progress.

Walnut Room patrons in the restaurant's earlier decades dined on delicacies like creamed New England salt codfish casserole, fruit salad in a lettuce cup with peppermint candy-dusted whipped cream, and a chicken and apple salad-stuffed cranberry jelly ring. There were also dishes we'd still find tasty today, too, like corned beef hash, pork chops and Brussels sprouts, apple pie, and angel food cake.

Today, the enduring legacy of and high-quality food at The Walnut Room makes it one of the best restaurants in Chicago. In 2024, the restaurant seamlessly blends tradition with thoughtful modern updates. The menu includes a longtime favorite that actually predates the restaurant itself, going back to 1890: Mrs. Hering's chicken pot pie — it's a classic chicken pot pie perfected by the woman who ran the Marshall Field's tearoom until 1910. Around the holidays, you can also get an open-faced sandwich and salad dish from the restaurant's menu in the 1940s. Classic cocktails remain popular there, like a walnut old fashioned tipple. There are also plenty of new touches, though, like Irish coffee and mint cheesecake made with Frango chocolate mints, another famed Marshall Field's offering since 1918, plus Mandarin chicken salad, a Beyond Burger patty melt, caramelized salmon, and roasted vegetable couscous. 

Events at The Walnut Room also reflect a balance of old and new. Three years ago, the restaurant started hosting drag brunches, for example. Now, you can catch famous drag artists like Chicago-based Shea Couleé of "RuPaul's Drag Race" fame. Meanwhile, for an annual embrace of the restaurant's history and tradition, The Walnut Room hosts a Christmas tree lighting each November. Friends and family gather for the lighting or visit during the holiday season to find the restaurant decked out and festive, making it a perfect time to extend The Walnut Room's appeal to yet more future generations.