Is Sobrino de Botín recognized by the Guinness Book of Records?

Sobrino de Botín holds a record listing in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest restaurant in the world.

What are the signature culinary dishes at the restaurant?

The kitchen specializes in roast suckling pig and garlic soup prepared with poached egg, sherry, and chicken broth.

Does the restaurant appear in works by Ernest Hemingway?

The establishment and its roast suckling pig are described in the final pages of the novel The Sun Also Rises, although literary research debates whether this referred to a related venue.

Who holds ownership of the restaurant?

The restaurant is owned and operated by the González family.

Did the restaurant operate without interruption throughout modern history?

The restaurant closed its doors during the pandemic.

Madrid · Spain

Sobrino de Botín: what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

Residents around Cuchilleros navigate dense evening crowds outside the tavern before adjusting their dinners to madrileño schedules.

Sobrino de Botín · CC BY-SA 4.0

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About the place

Sobrino de Botín operates as a historic Madrid tavern whose reputation rests on wood-fired roasts and a disputed claim to continuous operation.

The tavern holds a Guinness World Record recognition as the world's oldest operating restaurant, though archival research complicates that lore. Popular accounts credit French cook Jean Botín and his Asturian wife with founding the business, yet the present site on Cuchilleros Street began as a pastry shop under nephew Cándido Remis. The González family later took control of the property and consolidated the commercial name.

Read on

Traditional kitchen service centers on roast suckling pig alongside garlic soup made with chicken broth, sherry, and a poached egg. Ernest Hemingway featured the dining room and its pork specialty in the closing scenes of The Sun Also Rises, linking the cellar to foreign literary lore. Although the house prides itself on uninterrupted meals, regional health restrictions during the pandemic forced a temporary shutdown.

Associations

Cochinillo asadoRoast suckling pig prepared as the house specialty in traditional ovens.
Ernest HemingwayThe author featured the dining room in the final pages of his novel.
Guinness World RecordOfficial designation as the world's oldest continuously running tavern.
Disputed originsArchival records contradict popular claims about early founding details.
Sopa de ajoGarlic soup with poached egg and sherry favored by late-night crowds.

Facts

The Guinness Book of Records recognizes the restaurant as the oldest continuously operating establishment in the world.
Archival research indicates the establishment at Cuchilleros Street originally opened as a pastry business under Cándido Remis.
The González family acquired the tavern and later bought out the competing original brand at Plaza de Herradores.
Mandatory pandemic closures temporarily interrupted the restaurant's record of uninterrupted service.
The kitchen serves sopa de ajo made with poached egg, chicken broth, sherry, and garlic.

Updated September 8, 2026Source: Wikipedia

Sobrino de Botín: what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

What is around32

Sobrino de Botín operates as a historic Madrid tavern whose reputation rests on wood-fired roasts and a disputed claim to continuous operation.

Getting there and staying

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