I visited Fraunces Tavern, New York City's oldest surviving restaurant, which is older than the nation itself

I visited Fraunces Tavern, New York City's oldest tavern and restaurant.

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

Before New York City was the city that never sleeps — and before the United States even existed — there was Fraunces Tavern.I visited the oldest restaurant in New York City to find out what keeps diners coming back more than 250 years after it first opened its doors in Lower Manhattan.While Pete's Tavern, which opened in Gramercy Park in 1864, is widely recognized as New York City's oldest continuously operating restaurant and bar, Fraunces Tavern traces its tavern history back to 1762. Though the building has served several purposes over the centuries, it remains the city's oldest surviving restaurant.The restaurant, which is located in the Financial District, serves what you could expect from an old colonial tavern — clam chowder, fish and chips, and a few British standards like Scotch eggs — but I was pleasantly surprised by the spacious interiors and decor that really made me feel like I was stepping back in time.Here's what it was like to eat at Fraunces Tavern for the first time.

The tavern predates the United States and played a key role in American history.

Fraunces Tavern was established as a tavern in 1762, before America became a country.