The Walnut Room Holiday Tradition Since 1905 Coffee Mug

This listing is for The Walnut Room Holiday Tradition Since 1905 Coffee Mug.  

A souvenir coffee cup from The Walnut Room in Chicago Illinois. It measures approximately 4" tall x 2.5" round at lip. Screen printed with graphic details on two opposite sides. Overall excellent condition as shown.

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.

One of the most historic restaurants in the city has become beloved for more than its food. “The Walnut Room is best known for its holiday tradition,” said executive chef Brad Saylor in 2022, as a 45-foot-high Christmas tree towered in the middle of his dining room. “We just celebrated our 115th anniversary, so we go back as one of the oldest restaurants in Chicago. I call ourselves the protector of traditions.”

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