Lenox Barbecue closed its doors after 63 years last week. The East End restaurant was closed to give way to a new light rail project.

Also last week, two Houston-born chains marked anniversaries. James Coney Island marked its 86th year of dishing up hot dogs and Prince's Hamburgers blew out the candles on its 75th birthday cake.
Prince's: File photo
And all that got me to thinking about the Houston area's oldest restaurants. Here's a timeline:

1911
Gaido's, the often fussy feeling, still family owned seafood restaurant, opens in Galveston. Not even Ike could keep Gaido's down.

1916
Original Mexican Cafe on Galveston Island.

1917
Christie's Seafood & Steak, another family owned seafood restaurant, opens in Galveston. It relocates to the mainland in 1939.

1923
James Coney Island
Two Greek brothers -- Tom and James Papadakis -- open a hot dog stand that they dub James Coney Island.

1934
Prince's Hamburgers -- founded in Dallas in 1929 -- comes to Houston.

1935
John Davis opens Shepherd Drive Bar-B-Q. Later Jerry Pizzitola takes over as owner/pitmaster. Pizzitola's Bar-B-Cue still makes smokey, expertly-sauced ribs.

1936
Herman and Lorene Brenner opened Brenner's, a diner serving light fare that eventually grew up to be one of the city's most post dining rooms. Closed temporarily in the 2002, the landmark restaurant -- and Mrs. Brenner's recipes -- were purchased and revitalized by Landry's Restaurants.

1938
Brad "Guy" Dickens opens Guy's Meat Market, where you still can buy your meat butchered or barbecued. Also opening that year: Avalon Diner.

1939
Donnelley's Mexican Restaurant begins serving the family's handmade tamales and hot sauce in Baytown.

1941
Cleburne Cafeteria begins comforting its neighbors with its homey fare.

1941
Raul Molina opens the Old Monterrey. Molina's now has two locations, one on Westheimer and one on Washington.

1946
Kozy Kitchen begins serving barbecue in the Fifth Ward.

Houston's oldest restaurants are whippersnappers compared to the three considered to be America's oldest. Those are:

• Boston's Union Oyster House, which opened in 1826;
• New York's Delmonico's, which opened in 1837;
• New Orleans' Antoine's, which opened in 1840.