Discover Botin: Madrid's Oldest Restaurant
If you’re looking for an old world, classic Spanish restaurant with the best of traditional cuisine, nothing beats Botín in Madrid. Depending on who you ask, Botín is either the oldest restaurant in the world or the longest continuously operating restaurant (a subtle, but important distinction). Regardless of which definition you chose, if the stone walls could talk they would tell the history of Spain itself.
Restaurante Botín in Madrid was founded in 1725. It remains one of the standard-bearers for traditional Spanish cuisine.
The Oldest Restaurant in Madrid: Botín
Since Botin first opened nearly 300 years ago, Spain has gone through a lot. In the 19th and first half of the 20th century, Spain went through three revolutions, four monarchs, four presidents and two republics. Put another way, over the course of 150 years Spain had 9 political revolutions.
Through all of that turmoil, this restaurant has never closed, not even when it was occupied by French troops. It has never moved, not even when bombs whizzed past its doors during the Civil War. And it has barely changed. The gold-inlaid wallpaper is the same. The wood-burning ovens are the same. And the family that runs it today is only the second family to keep steward over these walls in 300 years.
Carlos, Antonio and Jose are the third generation of the Gonzalez family to own Botin. They are proud to keep the traditions of what the Guinness Book of World Records deems the Oldest Restaurant in the World alive. And while modern ice cream stalls and souvenir shops have sprung up around the restaurant, the Gonzalez family is making sure that each piece of Botin’s storied history stays intact inside their walls.
If these walls could talk… Hidden corners, underground tunnels, and regal dining rooms have made Botin a favorite for writers, artists, diplomats and even royalty in Madrid!
Behind the Scenes at the Oldest Restaurant in the World
Carlos took us behind the scenes to see Botin through his eyes. If only these walls could talk! He told us all about his family who has owned the restaurant since before the Spanish Civil War and took us into the underground wine cellar where his family and others took refuge when the city was bombed in the 1930s.
Carlos shared that during Spain’s civil war, when soldiers knocked on the restaurant’s door his grandmother greeted them and quickly explained that they could kill her but if they didn’t, she could feed them. From where we sat we could see a portrait of the matriarch. She looks like a lady who could feed an army and still be ready with a salty comeback.
Carlos also told us about Spanish and international luminaries who have eaten at the restaurant but said we couldn’t name any names (hint: the Cold War). What we do know is that while many restaurants in Madrid play the Hemingway card, Botin’s food and wine were immortalized in The Sun Also Rises: “We lunched up-stairs at Botin's. It is one of the best restaurants in the world. We had roast young suckling pig and drank rioja alta”. The owners and staff are always quick to tell you “Hemingway ate here”.
The matriarch and patriarch of Botin watch over the busy dining room.
What to Order at Botin in Madrid
As you can imagine, after over 300 years of perfecting the recipes, the food is fantastic. The house specialty is cochinillo (roasted suckling pig) cooked in a large, wood-fired oven. They say the fire hasn’t gone out in this oven since the 16th century!
Long before Botin opened as a restaurant, it was a traveler’s inn. The building was constructed in 1590, just after Madrid became the capital of the Spanish Empire and the king began building the Plaza Mayor as the centerpiece of his new capital.
In order to not compete with the butchers that sold their meats in Plaza Mayor at the time, Botin wasn’t allowed to function as a restaurant. Instead, travelers had to buy their meat from the butchers in the plaza and take it to the inn to be cooked in the ovens. As soon as that rule was lifted in the early 18th century, Botin morphed from an inn to a restaurant. It hasn’t changed since!
Today, you can poke your head into the tiled oven room to watch a perfectly choreographed dance of clay baking dishes coming in and out of the oven. While the cochinillo is the star, Botin’s menu reads like a tapas greatest hits list. The croquetas are crisp on the outside and molten on the inside, there is a delicious salad with roasted peppers and tuna and the hand-cut jamón is acorn-fed. If the weather’s cold you can warm up with stewed tripe or robust garlic and egg soup.
The wood-burning oven is the restaurant’s heart and soul of Botin, the oldest restaurant in Madrid. There are classic tapas like jamón and croquetas but the cochinillo is the star!
Our Tips for Doing Botin Right
The best time to go is at lunchtime (Spanish lunch is served between 1:30-4:00 pm). Be prepared for a long and leisurely eating event. The waiters are friendly, helpful and attentive. There’s real pride taken in working for such a historic institution.
You can order the set menu with a starter, cochinillo (roasted suckling pig), bread, dessert and a drink. Or you can order off the menu to try a variety of traditional Spanish dishes like baked merluza (hake), melon con jamón (melon wedges draped in thinly sliced jamón ibérico), gazpacho or hearty garlic soup.
Making a reservation is always a good idea!
Be sure to peek in on the chefs to check out the oven and see where the magic happens.
As you enjoy your meal, imagine Hemingway sitting at the table across the way, well into his third bottle of Rioja wine.
Discover Botin with Your Own Madrid Expert
If you’d like to experience a meal at Botin with all the great food, insider gossip and behind-the-scenes restaurant access plus a guided walk through Madrid’s most historic quarter, join us for a private De Paseo: A Tapas Walk Through Historic Madrid. This morning or evening experience is a great way to begin your Madrid journey and discover the history behind the sites!