El Botín in Madrid is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest restaurant in the world and this year it will be celebrating its 300th anniversary.
The restaurant first opened in 1725 by Cándido Remis, the nephew of a French chef named Jean Botín and has been serving customers its delicious delights ever since. His family and descendants ran it all the way up until 1930.
The current owner of El Botín is José González, whose family took over from that point onwards. What began as a place with just seven members of staff, has now become a total of 95.
To celebrate the restaurant turning 300 years old, here are five fascinating facts you probably didn't know about the world's oldest restaurant.
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It still has its original oven
The restaurant still cooks everything in the old oven which dates back to when it opened in 1725. It has been running ever since and only ever required minor repairs. Today, the oven feeds around 500 people a day. Even when the restaurant was forced to briefly close during the pandemic, its oven remained lit.
Its wine cellar is even older
The restaurant may be turning 300, but its wine cellar is even older, by more than a century. According to owner Antonio González the wine cellar is from an inn that stood there since at least 1590.
It has only held the title of world's oldest restaurant since 1986
Even though El Botín has been in existence for 300 years, it has only officially ben recognised as the oldest in world in the Guinness Book of World Records since 1986. This is because none of the owners or family members ever thought of submitting it for inclusion. It was only when an English customer kept asking them to do so, that it was finally recognised. The previous holder of this title was a French restaurant, Café Procope, which is in fact a century older than Restaurante Botín, but it changed locations in the 19th century. To be worthy of the title of the oldest restaurant in the world, it must continually be operating in the same place.
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It has only ever been owned by two families during its existence
The restaurant has only ever been owned by two families during these 300 years - the Remis family and the González family. The current owner Antonio González is part of the third generation of owners and the fourth generation - his son Antonio and nephew Eduardo, are already in line to take over in the future, keeping El Botín in the family.
It has never closed, apart from a short period during the pandemic
The Guinness Book of World Records requires a restaurant to meet three requirements to be classified as the oldest in the world. These are not changing location, having the same name, and never having closed, apart from for legal reasons. Throughout it's 300 years, it only closed its doors during the pandemic, according to law. Even during the Civil War, it stayed open. The current owner's grandfather Emilio González kept the restaurant open, serving people wandering the streets during the war. "He stayed there alone, sleeping, stoking the oven every day, and serving people who might need food," current owner Antonio González explained.
Several celebrities have dined at El Botín
Celebrities and royalty such as Queen Sofia, Nancy Reagan and Jacqueline Kennedy have dined at El Botín. Other famous figures who have eaten at this iconic establishment include Ernest Hemingway, Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner.
The restaurant's menu has remained similar too
Their signature dishes, such as Botín sirloin steak with mushrooms and Botín clams have remained popular for many years. Some of their other specialities that have been an almost constant presence here are slow-cooked roast suckling pig and roast lamb, cooked Castilian-style.
Music is an important part of the Botín experience
Since 1959, tunas, no not the fish, but the musical groups, have been an essential part of Botín’s soul. A tuna is a group or brotherhood of university students who wear traditional tunics and travel around singing and playing instruments, just like old fashioned troubadours. Back in 1959, five students decided to sing and play in the restaurant and similar groups have returned night after night. Today, generations of tunos have now passed through the doors of El Botín.
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