First opened in 1725,Sobrino de Botin holds the record for the world's oldest restaurant.Credit:iStock
For nearly three centuries,Sobrino de Botin in Madrid's historic centre has been continually firing its ovens and serving food without fail. Even through a ferocious civil war and — more recently — pandemic times when forced to close,the glowing embers of evergreen oak have never gone out.
A man checks his watch while camera phones point and lenses click. The crowd is a reasonable size,and all are focusing their attention on a small wooden front door. It's almost 1pm. Meanwhile,next door,an elderly barber leans against the back of his chair and calmly looks up from his newspaper:his blank face says the melee gathering outside isn't anything new. He licks a finger and turns a page. After all,this is likely an everyday occurrence when you find yourself beside the world's oldest restaurant.
Once inside,we ascend a narrow,dark staircase to the first-floor dining room,where we're seated in a secluded corner with tiled walls and low-hanging timber beams. The cheery smile of our waiter — adorned with white jacket and bowtie — greets us with English-written menus (there are seven languages available),and we order two courses and a modestly priced half bottle of Rioja to share.
The venue - and its menu - has barely changed in 300 years.Credit:Getty Images
Swiftly the tables surrounding us begin to fill with wide-eyed patrons,but these aren't the frenzied sightseeing pack we've seen outside. A Spanish couple next to us asks if I'd be kind enough to take a picture of them,and a well-dressed elderly couple next to them peruse the wine menu carefully,while the table opposite is full of businessmen deep in conversation. This isn't quite the crowd I was expecting.
As you'd imagine,many people,including some more famous than others,have pulled up a chair over the years since the restaurant's beginning in 1725. Besides royalty,politicians,and actors,the most notable is the American author Ernest Hemingway.
As my wine glass fills,I learn he was a frequent diner here,and this part of the restaurant was his favourite to eat,drink,and tap away at his typewriter — before drinking significantly more. So much a favourite,in fact,that the closing scene of his early novel,The Sun Also Rises,is set in the restaurant with the protagonist proclaiming,"[Botin] it is one of the best restaurants in the world".
Simple but delicious:suckling pig at Sobrino de Botin.Credit:Getty Images
This one line would spur on a wave of popularity right through the 1950s,which is yet to subside.