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Botín

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rhiannon1968
rhiannon1968
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
5
Reviews
8
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Editor Pick

Botin Restaurant

  • May 23, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by LenR from Townsville, Australia
Botin Restaurant

There was no way that I was going to Madrid without going to this – the world’s oldest restaurant. I knew little about it, however. Was it a tourist trap? Was it outrageously expensive? I gave this some thought then decided I didn’t really care. I need not have worried. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and it didn’t break the bank.

The restaurant opened in 1725 on the site of an inn. The building is pretty much still original and the four floors of tile and wood-beam dining rooms have plenty of atmosphere. The waiters are mainly older men who are happy to help with menu suggestions and provide a bit of history at the same time.

It’s difficult to know just how good this restaurant is. Hemingway called it the world’s best, but clearly that is over the top. If, however, you have the specialties of roast pig or roast lamb as I did, you will agree that the food is certainly good. Perhaps one of the things that help is the centuries-old ovens that are still used today. The present owner proudly showed us these after our meal and insisted on having photographs taken with us.

Today, the restaurant is decidedly a tourist spot, since it appears in so many guides. Don't let that put you off, though, because Spaniards still go here to sample the excellent food. You enter on the ground floor and are shown to one of several dining rooms. We ate upstairs on the second level, then later went downstairs to the "bodega" or old wine cellars. The timber steps leading to the upstairs dining areas have been scalloped by centuries of diners and staff. The furniture is traditional Spanish, very heavy and very old.

Main courses in Spanish restaurants do not usually include many vegetables and Botín is no exception. This is just the way it goes - the Spanish tend to separate their vegetables and serve them up as starters. My roast baby lamb was delicious and the portion was more than enough. My wife had Clams Botin and this dish was smaller. We washed all of this down with a pitcher of Sangria and a jug of water. Ernest Hemingway wrote in his Death in the afternoon, “I would rather dine on suckling pig at Botin's that sit and think of casualties my friends have suffered." Those sentiments I can fully understand.

Botin was well worth the visit, but I would probably not repeat. I had wanted to go there for a long time and I am glad I made the effort. It fulfilled my expectations even though I knew that many customers were tourists who knew little about it except that it was old. I would certainly recommend anybody to go just once for the experience. The food and service are good and even with all the tourists, this is still a typically Spanish restaurant where when we visited, many of the patrons were locals.

From journal Madrid Eating and Sleeping

Editor Pick

Botín

  • January 25, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by CasualTraveler from Copenhagen, Denmark
Botín

Founded in 1725, it’s said to be the world’s oldest restaurant. We simply had to try it.

We came around 7:30pm and it was still cerrado (closed). I forgot that Madrillenos ate meals later than usual. With 30 minutes to spare, we just rounded novelty shops nearby. By the time we agreed on a souvenir plate we liked, it was almost 8pm, just in time.

Outside, Botin looks exactly as it was reputed to be, old and maybe a bit weary. The cheery host (owner?) opened the doors, and together with several attendants behind him, we were welcomed inside. Pictures and artifacts were scattered throughout the place, seemingly as testament to the history witnessed by the establishment. The restaurant spanned a few floors, but we opted to stay downstairs because of our baby’s stroller.

Our helpful attendant quickly produced a baby chair and coloring materials to keep her occupied while we perused the menu. I decided on the house menu, which included a soup, main course, and dessert.

I don’t remember what the soup was called. If there’s such a thing as cream of pork, this would probably be it. It looked chunky, with an egg atop it, slowly being cooked in the still-sizzling soup. Surprisingly, the texture was very smooth and creamy, even with the chunks. It looked insanely fatty and unhealthy but was oh so yummy.

Next came their house specialty--roasted suckling pig. The idea of enjoying slaughtered piglets was making me a bit uncomfortable, but the feeling slowly dissipated when I saw how wonderful it smelled and looked. By the end of my first bite, I had completely forgotten all my guilt feelings. Incredible! The pork was so tender and juicy that it almost melts in the mouth. It had a different taste to it, creamy, almost milky, well, probably because it was a suckling pig. And the skin was roasted to perfection: thin, crunchy, and breaking neatly with the knife. The serving portions were more than enough, and although I wanted to savor every lovely morsel, I was (alas!) already too full, even with still about a fourth of the serving left on my plate. By the way, this was served with some roast potatoes, very nice but completely overshadowed by the roast pig.

Last but not least was ice cream--vanilla ice cream enveloped in dark cocoa sauce. They’ve probably had some requests for more sauce because they certainly served a lot more than required for the scoops, and I slurped it to the last drop.

People really started pouring in around 9pm, and I was glad we came early since we didn’t have any reservations. And although Botin is more of a touristy restaurant, I didn’t find much difference with other restaurants, other than the fact that the attendants were more service-oriented. Our bill totaled to about 40 euros per person, and every cent was definitely worth the excellent dining experience.

From journal Holiday in Madrid

Botin Restaurant

  • July 9, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by cola0 from Torrance, California
The roasted suckling pig and lamb were all that the reviews said it would be - excellent. We ordered several appetizers and main dishes to share, along with a pitcher of sangria. The fish and paella seem to be saltier than our Asian and American tastes, but still, this is one of our top restaurant recommendations in Madrid! Try the asparagus, too.

We wandered in around 9pm-ish, ahead of the local dining crowd. Hence, we were able to get a table for eight without a reservation. By 10-ish, the place really fills up though, so if you plan on eating here during peak hours, definitely call ahead and make a reservation.

From journal Madrid, Spain - Weekend in June 2005

Botin Restaurant

  • October 28, 2002
  • Rated 4 of 5 by TimNJill from St. Petersburg, Florida
The Botin Restaurant is a building just off the Plaza Real with lots of small dining rooms upstairs and down. It is in the Guiness Book as the oldest restaurant in the world and dates from around the early 1700's. Hemingway loved the restaurant and called it the best in the world. Enough of the reputation - the food was delicious. The specialties of the house are roast suckling pig and roast lamb. My fiance had one and I had the other so we could share. The flavorful meat melted in your mouth! The waiters are good about taking pictures and all seemed to speak English. Don't be put off that it's in all the tourist guides - this one is as good as its reputation!

From journal Week on the Grand Via

Botin Restaurant

  • January 13, 2002
  • Rated 4 of 5 by rhiannon1968 from locarno, Switzerland
We went because everyone seems to go there and recommend it. I'm not quite sure if the reason is because it's meant to be the oldest restaurant in the world (1725) or because of the delicious food. We tasted the house speciality - the cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig) - and it was delicious. Some other dishes that caught our fancy, but which we did not eat, were the basque-style baby eeels, and the squids cooked in their own ink

From journal small & big wonders of Madrid

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