Sobrino de Botin (World's Oldest Restaurant), Madrid (must see)

Sobrino de Botin, founded in 1725, is the oldest restaurant in the world in continuous operation.

The restaurant was founded by Frenchman Jean Botin and his wife, and was originally called Casa Botin. Initially it was more of a tavern than a restaurant. After Mrs. Botin passed away, the establishment was inherited by her nephew who changed the restaurant's name to Sobrino de Botin, meaning "Botin's Nephew" in Spanish.

Botin has three dining rooms. Its specialty dishes are cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig) and cordero asado (roast lamb). Apart from using the original recipes, the restaurant has also kept the flame burning in the oven continuously, never to be extinguished.

The restaurant has been associated with some famous people in its history. The Spanish painter Francisco de Goya worked in Cafe Botín as a waiter while waiting to get accepted into the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Ernest Hemingway is said to be a regular of the restaurant and even mentioned the restaurant in the closing pages of his novel "The Sun Also Rises". He wrote in the novel: "We lunched upstairs at Botín's. It is one of the best restaurants in the world. We had roast young suckling pig and drank rioja alta".

If Ernest Hemingway said the restaurant was good, you better believe it.

Opening Hours: daily: 13:00-16:00 (lunch) / 20:00-24:00 (dinner)