BOTIN
Spanish restaurant · Sol ·
Historic Spanish restaurant serving roast suckling pig since 1725
Historic Spanish restaurant serving roast suckling pig since 1725
"Every local and tourist in Madrid should experience Botín, the oldest restaurant in the world—according to a big-deal world records book—at least once. This Spanish institution is as close as you’ll get to time travel. Servers dressed in crisp white jackets and bow ties move with urgency while providing an appearance of calm, organized chaos, reminiscent of the upstairs/downstairs scenes inDownton Abbey. Depending on where you’re seated—from the musty cave-like wine cellar to Hemingway’s special table with the signatures of Spanish kings adorning the walls—this place feels like a living museum that takes the term “traditional cuisine” literally." - Aileen Weintraub
"Recognized as the world’s oldest continuously operating restaurant, this centuries-old eatery preserves an 18th-century interior and its original wood-fired oven, offering a historic sit-down dining experience that celebrates traditional Spanish roast specialties." - AFAR
"Founded in 1725 and recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest restaurant, this Madrid institution is famous for an oven that has been kept burning for nearly 300 years — a “jewel” that deputy manager Luis Javier Sanchez (who has worked there for more than 45 years) says must never be put out because it imparts a special aroma and stays ready to roast each morning. The kitchen and wine cellar are treated as living links to the past: recipes are handed down from one generation of chefs to the next so the food is meant to “taste like history,” while the wine cellar is described as “breathing history.” Though deeply traditional in its cooking and atmosphere, the restaurant maintains a modern presence with a website and social accounts and attracts mixed reactions from visitors on sites like TripAdvisor; it has also been profiled on YouTube (Great Big Story) as people try to uncover its secrets." - Mike Pomranz
"A historic, centuries-old restaurant renowned for classic dishes, especially roast suckling pig and garlic shrimp, served in a storied, convivial setting." - Mira T. Lee
