Sobrino de Botín Restaurant

On your right, you’ll spot Botín – a restaurant with countless stories to tell. It’s officially the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the world! At least, the oldest one with a written record to prove it. There’s a document from 1590 in which the owner requested exemption from a tax placed on public establishments that refused to host the royal court during its stays in Madrid — because, at that time, the court was based in Valladolid. Later on, a French cook named Jean Botín took over the business. Here’s something surprising: he didn’t cook his own food, but prepared what guests brought with them. That may sound strange today, but until the mid-18th century, inns in Spain weren’t allowed to sell basic goods like meat, bread, or wine. These were protected by powerful trade guilds, and any competition was forbidden. Not exactly a recipe for a thriving inn! That’s where the old Spanish phrase una posada española comes from — meaning a place where you’re only served what you bring yourself, or a potluck. Fun fact: in 1765, the famous Spanish painter Francisco Goya worked here washing dishes. Today, the restaurant is called El Sobrino de Botín — “Botín’s nephew” — because the childless couple who ran it passed it onto their nephew. The name stuck, even though the González family has now been running the kitchen for three generations.