Exterior of restaurante Sobrino de Botin
One of the true joys of central Spain cooking is the asador. Asadors are restaurants that feature a wood fired oven in which a variety of meats are roasted. The two most popular of these are cordero (lamb) or cochinillo (roast suckling pig). Although there are wealth of these restaurants located in the city and the surrounding countryside, only one can make the claim of being the oldest. Madrid’s Sobrino de Botin is the oldest asador in Madrid, but it doesn’t stop there. Not only is it the oldest restaurant in Spain, it is documented by the Guiness Book of World Records as the oldest restaurant in the world.
Since 1725, the cooks at Sobrino de Botin have prepared their mouth-watering roast meat dishes. The restaurant itself is located just down the hill from Madrid’s famous Plaza Mayor on Calle Cuchilleros, or the street of the culters. Most likely the name comes from the cluster of workshops that were once located in this busy corner of the city.
Even before the present day establishment was opened in 1725, it is highly possible that another restaurant operated on the same spot. As early as 1590, an inn and restaurant are believed to have been serving meals to the muleteers and traders who had recently completed their business at the nearby Plaza Mayor.
Much like those early traders, our family negotiated the wide square of Plaza Mayor and headed down the hill to Calle Cuchilleros and Sobrino de Botin. Unlike those early traders, we weren’t celebrating a successful day of business. Instead we made our way to Botin to celebrate my 35th birthday. After all, where better to celebrate a historian’s birthday than at the oldest restaurant in the world.
The entrance to Botin off of the street is nothing spectacular. It has a wooden front with big picture windows showcasing the restaurants history and signature dish, Cochinillo. After lingering a moment to read some of the history and excerpts from some of the world’s best known authors about the restaurant, we headed inside for lunch. In regards to some of these famous authors, Botin had been no stranger to the literary world. The restaurant is mentioned by several notable writers these include Spaniard Benito Perez Galdos, American James Michener, and of course lover of all things Spanish, Ernest Hemmingway.
Interior of Botin
Towards the end of his seminal first novel, The Sun Also Rises, the main characters of the novel lunch at Botin. To quote Hemmingway, “We lunched upstairs at Botin’s. It is one of the best restaurants in the world. We had roast young suckling pig and drank rioja alta. Brett did not eat much. She never ate much. I ate a very big meal and drank three bottles of rioja alta.”
View from our table upstairs at Botin.
Like Hemmingway’s characters we ate upstairs, I dined on roast suckling pig, and drank rioja. Unlike his characters though, I stopped at half a bottle. Had I followed the passage exactly, I think they would have had to carry me out of the restaurant.
The restaurant itself is a delightful maze of rooms spread thoughout three floors and a basement. Some claims are even made that the cellar may be part of the foundation of a much earlier building. Today it is just another dining room. After being seated upstairs we all placed our orders. Douglas ordered his favorite croquetas, and heuvos revuelto de la casa. The huevos revueltos are essentially scrambled eggs with different ingredients added to them. In the case of the huevos revueltas de la casa, that meant scrambled eggs with potatoes, and crumbled blood sausage. The dish was actually quite good and Douglas was very happy with his choice. For her part, Kelly ordered ensalada mixta and pollo asado. Ensalada mixta is a house salad that usually features iceberg lettuce, fresh tomatoes, onions, and canned tuna on top. It is traditionally dressed with olive oil and vinegar. The pollo asado is roast chicken prepared in the same wood fired ovens that are used to cook the lamb and suckling pig.
When it came time for me to order, I decided to go all out and have the Menu de la Casa. At Sobrino de Botin, this means a first course of Sopa de Ajo, a second course of Cochinillo, a dessert, coffee, ½ a bottle of rioja wine, and bread. With a feast like this, Benjamin was the luckiest of the bunch, getting to sample off of all of our plates.
Sopa de Ajo
The Menu didn’t disappoint from the first course. Sopa de Ajo is a garlic soup topped with an egg. The soup is similar to french onio soup with a tasty broth supplemented by chunks of fresh bread. Unlike french onion soup, the dish is not topped by cheese, but instead by a poached egg. It is also not nearly as salty as french onion.
Cochinillo
The second course of my meal was something that I had been looking forward to ever since I began to familiarize myself with food of central Spain. Despite this, I held off on ever ordering this signature dish. I guess my reason for this is that when I ordered Cochinillo for the first time, I wanted to make sure it was top shelf. If you’ve read my earlier blogs, you’ll remember that I took the same approach when it came to Cocido Madrileno. Cochinillo is roast suckling pig that is cooked in a wood-fired oven. When you first put your knife into it, the skin is thin and crispy. Underneath is a thin layer of fat that keeps the meat moist. Under that is some of the most delicious pork you could ever eat. It truly lived up to expectations.
To complete the meal we all indulged in dessert. I stuck to the traditional Arroz con Leche (rice pudding), Kelly had an apple tart, Doug white chocolate cheese cake and Ben enjoyed flan. Overall, it was a wonderful traditional Spanish meal in a truly special location. The only drawback was that the place can be a bit touristy. Despite this, it is a must visit if you are spending time in Madrid.
Douglas and Benjamin enjoying lunch at Botin.
