Sobrino de Botín is the oldest restaurant in the world in continuous operation, according to the Guinness Book of Records.
The restaurant was founded in 1725 in Madrid, Spain, by a Frenchman, Jean Botin and his wife and was originally called Casa Botín but it was more of a tavern than a restaurant.
It was inherited by a nephew called Candido Remis and had a name change to Sobrino de Botín, which survives to this day. Sobrino is the Spanish word for nephew.
The basement is from 1590 and is very old in comparison to the restaurant.
During the 18th century, the establishment could only cook food that guests brought into the restaurant. This was because selling food was banned at the time because it could hurt other businesses.
Apart from using the original recipes, the restaurant has also kept the flame burning in the oven continuously, never to be extinguished.
Throughout the centuries, many noteworthy authors have dined there, from Ernest Hemingway to F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The restaurant and its speciality of Cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig) are mentioned in the closing pages of Ernest Hemingway’s novel ‘The Sun Also Rises’.
Its other signature dish is sopa de ajo (an egg, poached in chicken broth, and laced with sherry and garlic): a favourite pick-me-up with Madrileño revellers.
Most of this write up was extracted from Wikipedia.
