Long History, Good Service and a Suckling Pig

By Meredith Rideout

The city of Madrid, Spain, is rich in history. It has been inhabited since the Stone Age and is currently the capital of Spain. Madrid is known for its art museums, food markets, and the royals. It's also known for its sunny blue skies, exhilarating nightlife and unique neighborhoods. Madrid is a bustling city full of life.

When walking down the small cobblestone streets of Madrid, one may notice a small, shiny golden plaque outside of a restaurant or store. This plaque is a badge of honor signifying that the establishment has been around for over 100 years. Madrid currently has over 170 establishments that have been awarded centennial plaques by the city hall.

The golden plaques were originally put in place in 2006 to celebrate the small businesses that have historically defined commerce in Madrid.

One particular restaurant in the heart of Madrid definitely deserves the award of a golden plaque because it has been in service since 1725. Sounds pretty ancient, right? Correct. Restaurante Botín has been in service for almost 300 years and holds the title of the “World’s Earliest Restaurant” by the Genius Book of Records.

The existence of the building that currently houses Restaurante Botín dates back to 1590.

Restaurante Botín is proud of its deep history, delectable food and high quality service. The servers at the restaurant want their customers to not only eat delicious pig and lamb but also learn a bit about Botín’s journey to success. The restaurant even provides a recap of its history on the menu so its customers can fully immerse themselves in the culture and past of Botín.

The restaurant was originally called Casa Botín until founder Jean’s Botín's nephew changed the name to Sobrino de Botín. Sobrino is the Spanish word for nephew.

History

If the stone walls of Restaurante Botín could talk, they would have a lot to say. The restaurant has been around since the mid-1700s. It has survived three revolutions, four monarchs, four presidents and two republics. Spain went through much turmoil in the 19th and the first-half of the 20th century. Through all of the turmoil, the restaurant has never closed. Botín’s journey to success is one filled with endurance and pride.

A French cook named Jean Botín arrived in Madrid by way of Asturias with his wife in 1725. A nephew of Botín’s wife opened a small inn on the street of Calle Cuchilleros, the current location of the restaurant. This prime location is in one of the most historic and authentic quarters of Madrid. It is a short walk to Plaza Mayor and the La Latina neighborhood.

The menu includes a map of parts of Madrid in relation to the restaurant from 1725.

The small inn served food cooked for travelers and quickly sparked the interest of Madrid locals. With the sensational success of Chef Botín, the inn eventually became a tavern and later the high-end establishment of Restaurante Botín.

The restaurant maintains its original architecture with wooden beams spanning the ceilings and tiles covering the floors.

Jean Botín eventually passed on the restaurant to his nephew. Then, the Gonzalez family took ownership in the 20th century. The business is currently being run by the third generation of the Gonzalez family. First Antonio, then Jose and now Carlos is the current owner of Restaurante Botín. The Gonzalez family are all dedicated to maintaining Botín’s age-old commitment of filling the stomach’s and reaching the hearts of its guests.

The past and current owners of the Restaurante Botín: Antonio, Jose and Carlos Gonzalez.

The restaurant still has all of its original architecture and maintains its charming atmosphere of a traditional tavern. A few renovations have been made over the years but none of Botín's characteristic features have been changed such as its large wooden doors and wide windows, allowing travelers to have a peek inside the restaurant.

Botín is ranked by the prestigious magazine Forbes at number three on the list of the world's classic restaurants

The building is made up of four floors and includes an underground cave-like wine cellar that dates back to 1590. Guests can choose to dine on any of the four floors, the front patio or in the underground wine cellar.

The original owners of Restaurante Botín took refuge in this wine cellar when Madrid was bombed in the 1930s.

A current waiter at Restaurante Botín named Christian Eansado loves the atmosphere of the wine cellar. He said, “I don’t know how to explain it, you have to feel it." Dining in the wine cellar is not something that can just be talked about, it must be experienced.

Signature Dish

Restaurante Botín still uses its original wood oven that dates back to 1725. Waiter Christian Eansado describes how the wood oven attracts more people to come to Botín. He said, “Customers receive traditional recipes in a traditional kitchen, it is the original oven that makes us different.” The original wood oven continues to attract tourists with its sensational cooking embers and tempting aroma.

The oven is operated by red-faced chefs wielding long wooden paddles.

The wood oven is decked out in blue and white tiles painted with pastoral scenes. The most famous meal that is cooked in this traditional oven is the roasted suckling pig. This is Restaurante Botín’s signature dish.

The suckling pigs are browned under the heat of the slow and solemn old oven.

The restaurant receives shipments of the best Segovia suckling pigs about three to four times a week. The flavors of salt, pepper, lard, white wine, bay leaf, onion and garlic are harmoniously distributed by the firewood embers of the wood oven.

Botín’s second most popular dish is the roasted lamb that is also shipped from Segovia.

Julia Palomba, a young tourist from America, visited Restaurante Botín this past week with her friends. She talked about her meal by saying, “Ernest Hemingway described the roasted suckling pig as the world’s best, and mentions it in his novel The Sun Also Rises, so I had to try it.” Following his first visit, Ernest Hemingway became fascinated with Restaurante Botín.

Hemingway became a regular at the restaurant when staying in Madrid to cover the Spanish Civil War. The owners were so honored and grateful for his presence that they affectionately called him, “Don Eernesto.” The restaurant even named one of their rooms after Hemingway.

This picture shows the Hemingway room. Hemingway quoted in his book, “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.”

Julia and her friends got to dine on their roasted suckling pig in the Hemingway room. The pig was definitely big enough to share. Julia said, “We all received a different cut of the pig, from belly to shoulder, and it was all delicious! I definitely understand what Hemingway was talking about.” The centuries-old charm of Restaurante Botín and the immaculate food has been mentioned in numerous novels and newspapers over the years.

Mariano de Cávia mentioned the restaurant in some of the pieces from his “Platos del Día” series.

Service

Restaurante Botín is not only famous for its World Record title and roasted suckling pig, it is also famous for its high quality service. Christian Eansado speaks highly about the work ethic of his fellow co-workers. He said, “We have 80 workers here with all of our departments, and we have good chefs and very professional service.” The servers at Botín put the proper care and attention into their service as the chefs put into each dish.

The servers at Restaurante Botín emphasize how quality is part of the tradition of the restaurant.

Restaurante Botín is the best spot for signature cuisine and for centuries of tradition. Julia Palomba describes it best when saying, “The charm and hospitality of Restaurante Botín did not go unnoticed, and it truly is a piece of Madrid history.” Head over to Restaurante Botín for good food, good service and to immerse yourself in the culture and history of Madrid.