world's oldest restaurant

[Ken Gargett]

thought this was interesting. ate there a few years back. can't recall specifics other than that i do remember it was pretty good and very pleasant staff. 

 

At the World's Oldest Restaurant, the Fire Has Been Burning for 239 Years

MyLoupe / Getty Images

They've never turned the oven off at Madrid's Botin Restaurant. 

MIKE POMRANZ 

February 08, 2018

The restaurant business is notoriously difficult: Tight margins, ever-shifting trends and the difficulty of gaining repeat customers with so many options to choose from means that, for many restauranteurs, simply surviving to the end of your lease can be considered an accomplishment. Meanwhile, Botin Restaurant in Madrid, Spain, has probably been through a few leases: At 293 years old, it’s recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the world.

The YouTube channel Great Big Story recently dropped by Botin Restaurant to see if they could uncover any of its secrets. Deputy manager Luis Javier Sanchez, who has worked for at Botin for 41 years, explained that the restaurant has been open since 1725 (in case you hate doing math).

However, even more impressive is the oven: “It is our jewel. Our crown jewel,” Sanchez says. “The oven has been burning continuously for 293 years. I’ll repeat that: 293 years. We never put it out. It needs to keep hot at night and be ready to roast in the morning. That’s the reason why we must never put it out. There is a special aroma in there; it’s truly incredible.”

 

John Greim / Getty Images

Equally incredible is how dedicated the restaurant says it is to maintaining the cuisine is serves. Though Sanchez describes the wine cellar as “breathing history,” in some ways, the food is intended to taste like history, with each chef learning from his predecessor and then passing the recipes down to the next generation. “Our recipes are very old, from when the grandfathers started the restaurant,” he continues. “And we’ve stayed true to those recipes ever since.”

Still, Botin Restaurant isn’t completely stuck in the past. It has a website and all the necessary social media accounts. And of course, it’s also on TripAdvisor where people can leave reviews like, “Eh, I’ve heard this place peaked back in 1831.”

[Artin]

Very cool.

I know some of you might not be fans of Wikipedia but here's a link to some of the world's oldest companies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_companies

You can do your due research to see how right the list is.

[TheMonk]

I've never been but always been curious. Gonna try and go next month when I'm back in Madrid... but I doubt it will be the highlight of the weekend, considering I finally managed a reservation at DiverXO. 

[Chompers79]

Lived in Madrid in 06-7. Great restaurant. Had the cochinillo (roast piglet), which was memorable. Very good wine list and the service was excellent. Quite touristy though and therefore pricey. You can get the same and better elsewhere, but it's one to remember.

[Chompers79]

27 minutes ago, Chompers79 said:

Lived in Madrid in 06-7. Great restaurant. Had the cochinillo (roast piglet), which was memorable. Very good wine list and the service was excellent. Quite touristy though and therefore pricey. You can get the same and better elsewhere, but it's one to remember.

 

Check out Meson Don Jimeno in Segovia (great day trip from Madrid) for some amazing pig.

[JoeyGunz]

Went a couple years ago with the mrs, stumbled across it, knocked on the door and asked about a dinner reservation only to get laughed at.

In the end he sorted us out, we went back for a late dinner after some drinks at the ME rooftop bar.

Can stil taste the suckling pig.

[Nino]

9 hours ago, Chompers79 said:

Lived in Madrid in 06-7. Great restaurant. Had the cochinillo (roast piglet), which was memorable. Very good wine list and the service was excellent. Quite touristy though and therefore pricey. You can get the same and better elsewhere, but it's one to remember.

Agree with you - old and touristy ...

9 hours ago, Chompers79 said:

 

Check out Meson Don Jimeno in Segovia (great day trip from Madrid) for some amazing pig.

My personal best for cochinillo in Segovia is Meson Casa Candido.

http://www.mesondecandido.es/content/history/

[Chompers79]

8 hours ago, nino said:

Agree with you - old and touristy ...

My personal best for cochinillo in Segovia is Meson Casa Candido.

http://www.mesondecandido.es/content/history/

Looks incredible. Definitely will check it out if I ever get back there. One day hopefully. Cheers