Many Brits will be heading out to Spain this summer to enjoy warm weather, cultural cities and stunning beaches. One particularly popular city is Madrid, which attracts millions of tourists every year.
While the Spanish capital is known for iconic attractions such as the Plaza Mayor and the Museo del Prado, there is one restaurant that certainly cannot be missed on its 300th anniversary. The famed El Botín was first opened in 1725 and has since been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest restaurant in the world. It was owned by the descendants of Cándido Remis until 1930 before the family of the current owner, José González, took over.
The restaurant now has 95 staff and feeds around 500 people a day. The chefs at El Botín still cook everything in its original wood-fired oven from the 18th century.
Although the restaurant will turn 300 this year, its wine cellar is over a century older. According to José González, the cellar dates back as far as 1590 from when it belonged to an inn.
El Botín has only officially been recognised as the oldest restaurant in the world since 1986 because none of the owners considered submitting it to the Guinness Book of World Records. They only did so when an English customer asked them to and it saw El Botín take the crown off French restaurant Café Procope.
During its 300 year existence, El Botín has been owned by two families. It was first owned by the Remis family before being handed to the González family, with José’s son Antonio and nephew Eduardo already in line to take it over in the future.
The restaurant has also attracted a range of celebrities and royalt figures over the years. These include Ernest Hemingway, Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner, as well as Queen Sofia, Nancy Reagan and Jacqueline Kennedy.
Brits visiting El Botín this year will be lucky enough to taste some of the restaurant’s signature dishes. It’s well-known for its Botín sirloin steak with mushrooms and Botín clams.
Other speciality dishes include slow-cooked roast suckling pig and roast lamb, cooked Castilian-style.