7 Of The First Restaurants To Offer French Fries
French fries have become one of the world’s most beloved foods, but they had to start somewhere! These crispy, golden potato sticks have a fascinating history that spans continents and centuries.
From humble European beginnings to American fast-food empires, certain pioneering restaurants helped transform the simple fried potato into a global sensation. Let’s take a delicious journey through time to discover seven trailblazing establishments that first made french fries famous.
1. Maison Antoine – Brussels, Belgium
Holy fry heaven! Established in 1948, this legendary Brussels friterie sits in the heart of the European Union’s capital, serving what many consider the authentic birthplace of proper fries.
The secret? Double-frying in beef tallow—first at a lower temperature to cook the inside, then cranked up high for that perfect crispy exterior. Locals still line up for paper cones overflowing with golden frites and their famous 29 dipping sauces.
2. Le Restaurant De La Tour d’Argent – Paris, France
Aristocratic potato sticks, anyone? Dating back to 1582, this Parisian institution claims to be among the first French establishments to elevate the humble fried potato from peasant food to haute cuisine in the late 1700s.
Kings, queens, and literary giants like Proust and Hemingway savored their pommes frites alongside roast duck in this Seine-side landmark. The restaurant’s revolutionary move? Cutting potatoes into precise batons rather than irregular chunks, creating the elegant presentation we recognize today.
3. Delmonico’s – New York City, USA
Scandal rocked the 1830s dining scene when Delmonico’s introduced Americans to the foreign concept of “French fried potatoes”! This revolutionary New York establishment, opened in 1837, was America’s first fine dining restaurant and the first to put french fries on a menu in the United States.
Wealthy New Yorkers were initially suspicious of these strange potato creations. The restaurant’s Swiss-born chefs insisted on importing European cooking techniques, serving their fries alongside luxurious steaks that would become another American staple.
4. White Castle – Wichita, Kansas
Forget fancy-pants dining—1921 marked the year french fries went democratic! White Castle, America’s first fast-food burger chain, launched in Wichita with a revolutionary concept: standardized food at lightning speed for everyday folks.
Their tiny square burgers needed a sidekick, and thin-cut potatoes fried in vegetable oil fit perfectly. White Castle’s gleaming white porcelain castles (designed to signal cleanliness during an era of meat scandals) became temples to affordable fries.
5. McDonald’s – San Bernardino, California
Fry revolution alert! In 1940, brothers Mac and Dick McDonald ditched their barbecue menu to focus on burgers, shakes, and—most crucially—french fries that would change global food forever.
Their genius? Perfecting assembly-line fry production. They developed specialized potato-cutting machines, precise cooking timers, and standardized procedures that ensured identical golden sticks every single time. The brothers initially used beef tallow for that distinctive flavor that older generations still reminisce about.
6. Chez Léon – Brussels, Belgium
Mussels might get top billing, but the fries steal the show! Since 1893, this Brussels institution has been serving the quintessential Belgian pairing—moules-frites—with fries so legendary they’ve become a national treasure.
Fontainas Square buzzes with tourists and locals alike, drawn by Chez Léon’s perfectly executed double-fried potatoes. The restaurant’s century-old recipe remains unchanged: Bintje potatoes, cut thick, fried in beef tallow, and served in heaping portions alongside steaming pots of mussels.
7. Dee’s Drive-In – Utah, USA
Car culture and potatoes collided deliciously in 1932! Dee Anderson’s pioneering drive-in restaurant in Sugar House, Utah became an unexpected fry innovator during the Great Depression.
Desperate to stretch ingredients, Dee discovered that cutting potatoes extra thin required less oil and created a uniquely crispy texture that customers went wild for. His “shoestring fries” became the signature offering alongside 10-cent hamburgers, served directly to customers’ cars by carhops on roller skates.
