Why You Should Book A Meal Out At Spain's Oldest Restaurant
By Hillary Louise Johnson
VACATIONS
Madrid, Spain is home to the oldest restaurant in the world, Restaurante Botín. It opened in 1725, and the wood-fired oven has been burning continuously for over 300 years.
The restaurant's history of nurturing talent in the arts and letters began early; the great 18th-century Spanish painter Francisco Goya worked there as a dishwasher in his youth.
Ernest Hemmingway fell in love with Botín and used it as a setting in his first novel. It was also mentioned by novelists Graham Greene, James Michener, and Frederick Forsyth.
The signature dishes here include roast lamb and roast suckling pig, traditional dishes whose simplicity relies on the quality of ingredients and little else.
The restaurant’s sleeper hit seems to be the creamy, Basque-style cheesecake, which Tripadvisor visitors have called "life-changing" and "a masterpiece."