Sobrino de Botin: the oldest restaurant in Europe that Hemingway loved and where Goya worked part-time in his youth

There are many restaurants in Europe with a century-old history, but the oldest among them is Sobrino de Botín, located in the heart of the Spanish capital. For this reason, he is even listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

The history of the restaurant began in the XVIII century, when the Botin couple came to Madrid from a distant province in search of a better life. Having lived here for two years, they were never able to get a good job and get a good job. Then Jean Botin, who was a cook by profession, decided to open his own business. Together with his wife, they rented a building that had previously been used as an inn, and, having rebuilt the first floor in it, opened a small tavern there in 1725, which they called Casa Botín ("The Establishment of the Botins"). They then had a large stone furnace, which is still working.

Things went well for the Botin couple, people were happy to come here, and soon an inn appeared on the site of the tavern.

After the death of the owners, the name of the tavern changed from Casa Botín to Sobrino de Botín ("Nephew of the Botins"), as it passed into the ownership of their nephew Candido Remis.

It is said that the aspiring artist Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes worked here for a while as a dishwasher and waiter, when he was poor and needed money.

In the XX century, the Gonzalez family became the owner of the restaurant. In fact, having opened in 1725, this institution has never been closed — even during the war, soldiers were fed here.

Ernesto (that's what he called himself when he was in Spain) Hemingway loved to visit Madrid and spent a lot of time here. And of course, he had a lot of favorite places here — streets, museums, bars, restaurants, which he later mentioned in his works.

"... In Madrid, it's good to walk around the city, sit in a cafe, where you can learn a lot of useful information about who owes whom what, and who cheated on whom, and why he told him: "Kiss me in one place," and who has children from whom, and who married whom before everything, and who is after, and how much time is needed for what, and what the doctor says."

Hemingway adored the Botín restaurant and often came here, immortalizing this glorious institution in his novel "And the Sun Rises": "We had lunch at the Botin restaurant, on the second floor. This is one of the best restaurants in the world. We ate roast pig and drank rioja alta." It is here that the final events of the novel unfold.

Sitting at his favorite table in this restaurant, Ernesto could even write something. And one day, having decided to show off his culinary skills, he asked the owners for permission to cook paella himself. But after a few hours spent in the kitchen, he said, "I'd rather continue to devote myself to literature."

Today, Sobrino de Botín, occupying all four floors of the building, is considered the most prosperous and promoted restaurant in Madrid. Reconstructing it, the owners tried to preserve as much as possible both the appearance of the institution and the atmosphere that always reigned in it.

But still, if you want to fully enjoy the atmosphere of the XVIII century, you should take a place in the basement. Everything here is imbued with the spirit of antiquity, except that electricity can remind visitors that they are not in the XVIII, but in the XXI century.

According to the chef of the restaurant, one of the stoves has remained unchanged for almost three centuries and the fire in it never goes out. This is necessary to maintain a certain temperature. That is why customers can taste dishes prepared according to ancient recipes from 300 years ago.

The specialty of the restaurant is Castilian cuisine. The signature and most favorite dishes of the visitors are fried suckling pigs and young lambs.

As for the wine list, it is huge and diverse here, and every visitor will certainly be able, based on their financial capabilities, to choose a drink to their liking.