Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Travel
  3. News

These beloved U.S. restaurants are getting $50K grants from Amex

Did your favorite make the list?

By
Kimball House (Decatur, Georgia)
Kimball House, Decatur, Georgia American Express

Fifty historic restaurants across the United States are getting a boost to help preserve their place in America’s culinary story. American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation have announced the latest recipients of their “Backing Historic Small Restaurants” program, with each establishment set to receive a $50,000 grant.

Launched in 2020, the initiative has already awarded more than $8 million to 180 iconic restaurants in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. From neighborhood diners to century-old eateries, the funding helps restaurants restore their spaces, grow their teams, and continue serving their communities.

Recommended Videos

“What started as a pandemic response has grown into a movement to uplift the historic restaurants that shape our neighborhoods and connect generations through food,” said Madge Thomas, Head of Corporate Sustainability at American Express. “Our 2025 grantees reflect the deep-rooted food traditions that define American communities, and we hope these grants spark ripple effects that sustain them in the future.”

The full list

Corner Kitchen Asheville
Corner Kitchen, Asheville, North Carolina Corner Kitchen
  • Al’s Restaurant, St. Louis, MO
  • Anita Street Market, Tucson, AZ
  • Bertha’s Kitchen, Charleston, SC
  • Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery, Milwaukee, WI
  • Black Bass Hotel, Lumberville, PA
  • Bluenose Gopher Public House, Granite Falls, MN
  • Casa Adela Restaurant, New York, NY
  • Casales Halfway Club, Reno, NV
  • Community Grocery, Woodville, MS
  • Corner Kitchen, Asheville, NC
  • Corner Station Deli, Fairview, UT
  • Drew’s Place Restaurant and Catering, Fort Worth, TX
  • Dupuy’s Seafood and Steak, Abbeville, LA
  • El Paseo Inn, Los Angeles, CA
  • Florence’s Restaurant, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Goodies Frozen Custard & Treats, Alexandria, VA
  • Haring’s Noank, Noank, CT
  • Hillsboro General Store Cafe, Hillsboro, NM
  • Ike’s Chili, Tulsa, OK
  • Kimball House, Decatur, GA
  • Later Alligator, Wheeling, WV
  • Lavalettes at Hotel 1829, St. Thomas, VI
  • Locals Food Hub & Pizza Pub, Louisville, KY
  • Lorene’s Fish House, St. Petersburg, FL
  • Manory’s Restaurant, Troy, NY
  • Mee Heng Low Noodle House, San Luis Obispo, CA
  • New Delhi Restaurant, San Francisco, CA
  • One Shot Charlies, Harrison, ID
  • Pheasant Restaurant & Lounge, Brookings, SD
  • Poppy Cafe & Market, Burlington, VT
  • Qusqo Bistro & Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
  • Restaurant Barrachina, San Juan, PR
  • Reynolds Tavern and 1747 Pub, Annapolis, MD
  • Snappers Key Largo, Key Largo, FL
  • South Side Soda Shop, Goshen, IN
  • Spotted Horse Bar and Grill, Arvada, WY
  • Svea, Chicago, IL
  • The Antique Sandwich Company, Tacoma, WA
  • The Barn – Route 66, Newberry Springs, CA
  • The Bull Run Restaurant, Shirley, MA
  • The Famous Chicken Hut, Durham, NC
  • The Florentine Hotel, Germantown, OH
  • The Rock Cafe, Stroud, OK
  • The Summit Diner, Summit, NJ
  • The Trolley Stop Restaurant, Ellicott City, MD
  • The Vasquez 1935, Uvalde, TX
  • The Wandering Goose, Tokeland, WA
  • Vault & Cellar, Middletown, VA
  • Wok Wok Southeast Asian Kitchen, New York, NY
  • Zadie’s Market, Marshall, NC
Amanda Teague
Amanda Teague
Contributor
Amanda, an accomplished freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio, is a dedicated explorer of both the world and the written word… Read Full Bio
Topics
Travel
Cafe Charmant, The Corner Store Crew’s Latest, Puts Food Ahead of the Scene
Clothing, Long Sleeve, Sleeve

I’ll be honest. If I weren’t a writer, there is no way in hell I could have landed a 7:15 Saturday night reservation at Cafe Charmant just a mere four weeks after its opening. The most recent jewel in the buzzy Catch Hospitality Group’s crown, the glitzy eatery is the newest IT restaurant to hit the downtown scene, so chalk it up to one of the perks of the job that I could walk in, order a drink, and be ushered to a corner table for two in under 10 minutes.

Though the state of making prime reservations in New York City may not come as a surprise to many, I’m still not able to reconcile with the current velvet rope of so many of this city’s restaurants. Sure, the 90s and early 2000’s had their Indochine, Moomba (if you remember that one, we need to grab a drink). The Waverly Inn, but for the most part, you could easily make a reservation or even walk in and wait for a table with a cocktail in hand at most popular establishments. And, let’s be honest, half the people weren’t even eating, if you know what I mean.

Read more
Travel
A tasting guide to Livermore Valley, California’s friendliest wine country
Adult, Male, Man

Livermore Valley sits in Northern California’s East Bay, where the hustle and bustle of neighboring Oakland and San Francisco give way to grassy rolling hills, big open skies, and over 40 tasting rooms. The region is home to some of the best wines I’ve tasted in the state, without the pretense and rigidity I’ve come to expect from other tasting rooms in the region.

And thanks to the valley’s marine-influenced winds, varied climate, and diverse soils, I tasted an unusually broad range of wines. Crisp whites, structured reds, and everything in between seem to be able to find their footing here.

Read more
Travel
High Society, Low Alcohol: A Trip to the Hamptons with Heineken 0.0
Ball, Sport, Tennis

After a multi-year bender of back-to-back press trips, I decided to swear off travel this past summer. The old dog was tired, and I desperately wanted to reconnect with old friends, visit family, and continue wooing a lovely lady in New York. Oh, and I needed to find time to actually write the stories I had promised publicists in exchange for gallivanting around the globe on their dime. I am, after all, a professional.

As summer raced by, my inbox swelled with tantalizing invitations. I turned them down one after the next with Spartan fortitude. A junket to the Loire Valley to review wineries? Thank you for considering me, but for the next few weeks, I’m committed to rekindling my relationship with my bed. A sailboat cruise on the Amalfi Coast? I hear it’s beautiful this time of year, but sadly, I’m in the weeds bingeing Landman.

Read more