Europe Seven Oldest Restaurants
Plaza Mayor Madrid
Renfe Malaga - Madrid
From Malaga, we took the fast train, after 2 hours and 50 minutes we arrived at Atocha station in Madrid. Very pleasant and enjoyable journey, with extra thanks to the Australian woman who told the story of how she and a friend managed to lock themselves out on a balcony 2-3 floor in a Malaga holiday letting and was "rescued" by a fire engines ladder.
Botin Restaurant in Madrid
Before we went we reserved a table at Botin Restaurant in Madrid. According to the Guinness Book of World Records Botin is the world's oldest operating restaurant which open in 1725.
Ernest Hemmingway mentioned the restaurant’s famous dish (perhaps the most famous) Cochinillo Asado (roast suckling pig) in his novel The Sun Also Rises 1926.
However, it is true that a few other restaurants throughout Europe also declared to be old if not the oldest and as far as I have found out this is the 7 oldest magnificent restaurants operating in Europe.
Europe Seven Oldest Restaurants
St. Peter Stiftskeller in Salzburg, Austria
St. Peter Stiftskeller in Salzburg, Austria — established in 803
is a restaurant within the walls of St Peter's Abbey in Salzburg, Austria.
It is claimed to be the oldest inn in Central Europe because of a supposed mention of it in the Carmina anthology by the English scholar Alcuin of York, issued in 803 AD when he served Emperor Charlemagne and Bishop Arno of Salzburg.
The former guesthouse of the Benedictine monks was also mentioned by the Monk of Salzburg in the 14th century.
Based on these and other claims, the Stiftskeller is perhaps the oldest existing restaurant in the world, and likely the oldest in Europe
Zum Franziskaner in Stockholm
Zum Franziskaner in Stockholm, Sweden — established in 1421.
There are different stories about the Zum Franziskans age. Some claim to be Stockholm's oldest inn, founded in 1421. Around 1520, the business was moved.
In 2017, they operate with anno 1622 on their own website, while Stockholm connoisseurs say that the inn was established at the current address, Skeppsbron 44 in 1889.
The current house was completed in 1910. Part of the Art Nouveau interior and the Art Nouveau lamps have been preserved from the old house and date back to the 1880s
The Tour d’Argent in Paris
The Tour d’Argent in Paris, France — established in 1582.
The restaurant claims that it was founded in 1582 and that it was frequented by Henri IV, but it offers no documentation to support these or other claims about its history.
The Quai de Tournelle, where the restaurant stands, was not paved until 1650, before which it was "a slope, often flooded and almost always made inaccessible by mud".
The restaurant does not appear in an 1824 list of "The principal restaurants”. Baedeker's 1860 guide to Paris describes the establishment's current location as "out of the way".
Zur Letzten Instanz in Berlin
Zur Letzten Instanz in Berlin, Germany — established in 1621.
The last instance is the name of one of the oldest Berlin restaurants. It was built in the 16th century in a residential building as a brandy room on the ground floor and received several new names.
Around 1715, the owners named the tavern Zum Bierstübchen am Glockenspiel.
Today's listed building complex is a reconstruction after destruction in the Second World War. The restaurant is located in the orphanage in the district Mitte.
Sobrino de Botín in Madrid
Sobrino de Botín in Madrid, Spain — established in 1725.
Calle de los Cuchilleros 17, Madrid, founded in 1725, is the oldest restaurant continuously operating in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records.
The artist Francisco de Goya worked in Cafe Botin as a waiter while waiting to get accepted into the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
The restaurant is mentioned in an Ernest Hemingway novel and the book Fortunata y Jacinta by Benito Pérez Galdós (published 1886-1887).
Tavares in Lisbon
Tavares in Lisbon, Portugal— established in 1784.
opened its doors in 1784 and still retains the name of the Tavares brothers, who took over the business in 1823.
It has become a place of worship among chefs and gastronomic critics from all around the world, whose history of almost three centuries merges itself with the History of Portugal.
In 1861, the businessman Vicente Caldeira wanted to make the house 'the most luxurious place in Lisbon', and he did.
The Tavares has become a national icon and one of the most exclusive and luxurious restaurants in the world. Tavares is closed for architecture rehabilitation at present.
Rules Restaurant in London.
Rules Restaurant in London, England - Established in 1798
a London restaurant on Maiden Lane in Covent Garden, was founded in 1798 by Thomas Rule, primarily as an oyster bar but served, and continues to serve, traditional British cuisine, and describes itself as London's oldest restaurant.
The restaurant stayed in the Rule family until World War I, when Charles Rule swapped businesses with Thomas Bell. Bell's daughter subsequently sold the restaurant to the current owner John Mayhew in 1984.
The restaurant has featured in novels by Graham Greene, Dick Francis, Dorothy L. Sayers and Evelyn Waugh. Rules made an appearance in the James Bond film Spectre and several appearances in the historical period drama Downton Abbey
