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South China Morning Post
13-06-2025
- South China Morning Post
World's oldest restaurant in Madrid faces challenge as nearby tavern eyes Guinness record
In the heart of Spain's capital, Sobrino de Botín holds a coveted Guinness World Record as the world's oldest restaurant. Exactly 300 years after it opened its doors, Botín welcomes droves of daily visitors hungry for Castilian fare with a side of history. But on the outskirts of Madrid, far from the souvenir shops and tourist sites, a rustic tavern named Casa Pedro makes a bold claim. Its owners assert the establishment endured not just the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s and the Napoleonic invasion in the early 1800s, but even the War of Spanish Succession at the start of the 18th century – a lineage that would make Casa Pedro older than Botín and a strong contender for the title. 'It's really frustrating when you say, 'Yes, we've been around since 1702,' but … you can't prove it,' says manager and eighth-generation proprietor Irene Guiñales. 'If you look at the restaurant's logo, it says 'Casa Pedro, since 1702', so we said, 'Damn it, let's try to prove it.'' Irene Guiñales, owner and manager of Casa Pedro. Photo: AP Guiñales, 51, remembers her grandfather swearing by Casa Pedro's age, but she was aware that decades-old hearsay from a proud old-timer would not be enough to prove it. Her family hired a historian and has so far turned up documents dating the restaurant's operations to at least 1750.
Associated Press
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
The world's oldest restaurant faces a challenge from another Madrid tavern that says it's even older
MADRID (AP) — In the heart of Spain's capital, Sobrino de Botín holds a coveted Guinness World Record as the world's oldest restaurant. Exactly three hundred years after it opened its doors, Botín welcomes droves of daily visitors hungry for Castilian fare with a side of history. But on the outskirts of Madrid, far from the souvenir shops and tourist sites, a rustic tavern named Casa Pedro makes a bold claim. Its owners assert the establishment endured not just the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s and the Napoleonic invasion in the early 1800s, but even the War of Spanish Succession at the start of the 18th century — a lineage that would make Casa Pedro older than Botín and a strong contender for the title. 'It's really frustrating when you say, 'Yes, we've been around since 1702,' but ... you can't prove it,' said manager and eighth-generation proprietor Irene Guiñales. 'If you look at the restaurant's logo, it says 'Casa Pedro, since 1702,' so we said, 'Damn it, let's try to prove it.'' Guiñales, 51, remembers her grandfather swearing by Casa Pedro's age, but she was aware that decades-old hearsay from a proud old-timer wouldn't be enough to prove it. Her family hired a historian and has so far turned up documents dating the restaurant's operations to at least 1750. That puts them within striking distance of Botín's record. Clients and rivals Both taverns are family-owned. Both offer Castilian classics like stewed tripe and roast suckling pig. They are decorated with charming Spanish tiles, feature ceilings with exposed wooden beams and underground wine cellars. And both enjoy a rich, star-studded history. Botín's celebrated past includes a roster of literary patrons like Truman Capote, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Graham Greene. In his book 'The Sun Also Rises,' Ernest Hemingway described it as 'one of the best restaurants in the world.' While Casa Pedro may not have boasted the same artistic pedigree, it boasts its own VIPs. Its walls are adorned with decades-old photographs of former Spanish King Juan Carlos I dining in one of its many rooms. The current Spanish monarch, King Felipe VI dines there, too, albeit more inconspicuously than his father. But the similarities between the two hotspots end there. Casa Pedro was once a stop on the only road heading north from the Spanish capital toward France. Its clientele is largely local regulars, like David González and Mayte Villena, who for years have spent every Friday lunching at the tavern. 'It wouldn't change a thing for us,' Villena said about the restaurant someday securing the Guinness title. Botín, on the other hand, is a stone's throw from Madrid's famed Plaza Mayor, where any day of the week tour guides are herding groups around town — and often straight through the restaurant's front door. Antonio González, a third-generation proprietor of Botín, concedes that the Guinness accolade awarded in 1987 has helped business, but said the restaurant had enough history to draw visitors even before. 'It has a certain magic,' he said. Pretenders to the crown The question then becomes: How can either restaurant definitively claim the title? Guinness provides its specific guidelines for the superlative only to applicants, according to spokesperson Kylie Galloway, noting that it entails 'substantial evidence and documentation of the restaurant's operation over the years.' González said that Guinness required Botín show that it has continuously operated in the same location with the same name. The only time the restaurant closed was during the COVID-19 pandemic, as did Casa Pedro. That criteria would mean that restaurants that are even older — Paris' Le Procope, which says it was founded in 1686, or Beijing's Bianyifang, founded in 1416, or the 1673-established White Horse Tavern in Newport, Rhode Island — aren't eligible for the designation. La Campana, in Rome's historic center, claims over 500 years of operation, citing documents on its menu and in a self-published history. Its owners say they have compiled the requisite paperwork and plan to submit it to Guinness. A dream for Casa Pedro Guiñales and her husband couldn't consult archives from the former town of Fuencarral, now a Madrid neighborhood. Those papers went up in flames during the Spanish Civil War. Instead, they delved into Spanish national archives, where they found land registries of the area from the First Marquess of Ensenada (1743-1754) that showed the existence of a tavern, wine cellar and inn in the small town as of 1750. In their spare time, the couple continues to hunt for records proving that Casa Pedro indeed dates back to 1702, as is proclaimed on its walls, takeout bags and sugar packets. But even if they dig up the final documents and wrest the Guinness honor from Botín, Guiñales concedes that her restaurant's quiet location makes it unlikely to draw Botín's clientele in central Madrid. 'To think that we could reach that public would be incredible,' Guiñales said. 'It's a dream, but it's a dream.'
Times
07-06-2025
- Times
Charlotte Ivers: ‘My road trip through Spain's world-class vineyards'
There's a small strip of land along the Duero River known as the Golden Mile. As is the way of such convenient place names this is, of course, a lie. The golden mile is in fact nearly ten miles long. It's an inauspicious piece of land: parched earth, and the soil doesn't look up to growing much. Drive along the dusty road, and little collections of buildings — sun-bleached, ramshackle, seemingly hastily assembled — spring up on the horizon and disappear as soon as you reach them. There's something of the Western frontier to this place. Or maybe it's more like California during the gold rush, or those early Texas oil towns. But it isn't oil these pioneers are chasing. It's grapes. For a long time this little chunk of Castile and Leon was a destination only for those who knew what they were looking for, and what they were looking for was wine. Madrid to the south and San Sebastian to the north take care of the tourists in search of a bit of glamour and a Michelin-starred meal. Wine connoisseurs — importers, restaurateurs, buyers — come to the Golden Mile to cart back crates of red bottles of liquid gold. In recent years, however, the small Spanish hotel group Castilla Termal, which specialises in converting historic buildings into high-end spa destinations, has opened a five-star hotel in a restored 12th-century monastery. Suddenly, there's a reason for luxury travellers to come to this part of the world. Perhaps there always was: the vineyards here are world-class. If you're into tempranillo, this place is the ultimate pilgrimage site. But this was not an area designed for leisure visitors. It was a hard sell as a mini-break before this extravagant hotel and spa sprang up. Stuck onto the side of tiny San Bernardo, the bottom half of the monastery remains a historical site, and the Catholic church attached is still used by the hundred or so people who live in the village. There is a sense of staying in a living museum: a type of historic grandeur with which no billion-pound new-build could hope to compete. Most rooms are located on the first floor, reached by a walkway looking down into the cloisters below. There are only 79: all spacious, some cavernous, all decorated in an understated, modern manner. We are here as part of a package Castilla Termal has set up. The idea is that you spend three nights here at Monasterio de Valbuena, then two at another of its hotels in the slightly larger village of Brihuega (of which more later). On arrival, the first thing this entails is dinner at Converso: a restaurant set up in the hotel just a few months ago with the advice of Miguel Ángel de la Cruz, a renowned local chef who specialises in vegetarian and sustainable cooking. This restaurant is a clear statement of intent, in terms of sustainability and quality. The ingredients all come from the hotel's vegetable garden and, more impressively, the eggs come from its own hens. It is, quite clearly, Michelin bait. No doubt they will get their star soon: this is the best restaurant around by miles. The next day there's an almost infinite supply of vineyards to be getting on with. We visit Emilio Moro, one of the oldest and most notable vineyards nearby, for a tour, tasting and lunch. (During which the proprietors absolutely did not skimp on sharing their product. We rolled home.) Then there's an extremely pleasant day out to be had at Finca Villacreces, touring the vineyard on electric bikes to see the different terrains, before returning to base for tasting and snacks. In both cases, it is clear that these guys really live their wine; these are guides who can cater for everyone from the most serious of wine professionals to those who just fancy a few glasses of red and a look at the countryside. Back at the hotel the spa is the main event. The thermal pools, indoor and outdoor, contain more means of administering a water jet than you ever thought possible, whether you're standing, sitting or lying down. The best part, however, is the Chapel of San Pedro spa experience. Castilla Termal has painstakingly recreated the beautiful little chapel that sits off the side of the main church. Instead of worshippers, this one hosts a steam room, a sauna and a variety of Roman bath-style plunge pools of varying temperatures. It's a private space: you book your time and don't have to share with other guests. Once you've got over the vague sense of sacrilege and realise that a thunderbolt hasn't actually descended from the sky, it's wonderful. With its vaulted ceilings and pale stone walls, this is the spa you always imagine when plotting a relaxation day — but which never quite seems to manifest in the real world. The view from our vast bedroom window is quite remarkable. Looking out into the romantic garden we can see straight into the treetops. This view isn't hard to come by in this hotel; the rooms here circle the building, most facing outwards into the garden. The room is high-ceilinged and bright, with wood panels and the pale white stone of the original building. It's elegant and modern, yet understated. • 16 of the best vineyard hotels in Tuscany After three nights we drag ourselves away from the pools and head onwards to our next stop: driving a couple of hours east to Brihuega, a small town of fewer than 3,000 people just north of Madrid. Here Castilla Termal has another hotel, rising out of a hill in the centre of town in an old cloth factory. Again, this is a place you would never find on a standard tourist route. Again we find ourselves in the most remarkable building: circular, with a covered courtyard restaurant in the middle, at the centre of which is a vast indoor tree. Gardens in the romantic style surround the hotel, with views across the hills. It's a more casual dining situation here — a fresh, light, à la carte menu — and that's perhaps what we need after several days of red wine at lunch. And this time the town is big enough to sustain several restaurants and bars. Here we get the longed-for opportunity of every European holiday: to sit in a pretty town square with a small beer and some salty snacks. Except for the hotel, this is a locals' town. It only strikes me now that we didn't hear a single passer-by speaking English outside our hotel, quite a rare thing when combined with a luxury spa break. We enjoy our impeccably authentic tapas, negotiating the language barrier as we go, and then return again to the peace of the thermal spas (nearly identical to those in our last destination) and to the hotel's signature massage which, in homage to the building's origins, uses cloths to stretch out our limbs by pulling the fabric to extend or bend them gently. • 25 of the best vineyard hotels to visit in France As a day trip, the hotel team recommends we head an hour or so away, to Cogolludo, to meet quite a remarkable man named Yñigo Miguez del Olmo. Del Olmo has done the thing that every city worker threatens to do but never actually does: he has sacked off the corporate life to head to the hills, where he makes his own wine and has restored a quite remarkable 16th-century convent. Here he has created a makeshift museum, full of his collection of carved stone going back to Roman times. At 11.30am he uncorks several bottles of his wine made, to our excitement, from vines that emerged unscathed by the phylloxera that destroyed the vineyards of Europe in the 19th century. It is a thrillingly rare experience, made more delightful by del Olmo's general sense of joie de vivre. Soon, we are joined by his wife and baby daughter, and there is little wine left. We pour ourselves into the taxi home, utterly charmed by this rare show of hospitality and authenticity. These are the things that make this driving holiday such a remarkable find. So often, travel is a trade-off between luxury and authenticity. The problem with places off the beaten track is that they aren't well-equipped for high-end tourism. The problem with places well-equipped for high-end tourism is, well, they are full of high-end tourism. What a joy to find a means of experiencing the best of both. And it doesn't hurt that it's accompanied by vast rivers of red wine. Charlotte Ivers was a guest of the Luxury Holiday Company, which has five nights' B&B from £1,935pp on a Gastronomy & Wellness in Central Spain itinerary, including flights, car hire, spa treatments, a wine experience and some extra meals ( This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue By Richard Mellor Despite one of the main Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes passing through its compact centre, Logroño remains wonderfully untouristy, aided by the absence of an airport (trains from Bilbao take two and a half hours). The capital of the winemaking Rioja region, it has an elegant old town where all 60-odd tapas joints have their own speciality — be it Juan y Pinchame's langoustine and pineapple skewers, Bar Ángel's fried mushrooms or Torres Gastrobar's legendary calamari-filled buns with lightly spiced bravas sauce. Logroño also does a fine line in bodegas — Franco-Españolas, just across the Ebro River from the old town, was once visited by Hemingway (tours £23; — and, best of all, is exceptionally affordable, even on a Saturday night on the main street, Calle del Laurel. Equally good value and just off that street is the chic Sercotel Calle Mayor hotel, inside a 400-year-old Room-only doubles from £75 ( Fly to Bilbao There's no doubting Girona's headline act. El Celler de Can Roca is the creation of the three Roca brothers — head chef Joan, pastry chef Jordi and sommelier Josep — and has three Michelin stars for its bravura takes on Catalan cuisine (15-course tasting menu, £270). It has topped charts of the world's best restaurants and spawned many sister establishments that are far easier to get into, including a natural wine bar, a comfort-food restaurant and a fancy ice cream parlour ( But this handsome, Catalan-speaking medieval city, 40 minutes by train from Barcelona, also has a raft of other great restaurants to try, including tiny BionBo, where each day's unique, wildly inventive menu might be themed to comedy, sport or music (six courses, £38; As for somewhere to stay, let's turn back to the Rocas: Jordi's Casa Cacao chocolate shop also includes 15 cosy bedrooms (and a rooftop terrace).Details B&B doubles from £219 ( Fly to Girona On the Mediterranean between Andalusia and Valencia, Murcia is a dream for vegetarians. Much produce hails from its surrounding, Moorish-era market gardens, while the local, lauded Torre Pacheco melons and Cieza peaches have protected geographical indication status. Delicious bomba rice and paprika made using ñora peppers are other staples, with zarangollo — scrambled eggs loaded with courgette and onion — paparajotes, a dessert involving batter-fried lemon leaves dusted in icing sugar, among the classic dishes. Far more ambitious takes on those await at Frases, down an alleyway near the grand, gothic-baroque cathedral. Awarded a Michelin star in November, this informal haunt champions a distinctly regional larder (five courses, £63; Nearby, past squares that throng on summer nights, is the simple, stylish Hotel B&B doubles from £74 ( Fly to Murcia Woody Allen's favourite Spanish city is a heartland for the produce of Spain's lush northwest. Most famously there's Asturian cider which, poured from a dramatic height to inject effervescence, can be tried in various old-school sidrerias along lively Calle Gascona, ideally in cahoots with platters of pixin (fried monkfish chunks) and tangy Cabrales cheese, Spain's stilton. You'll also find that, alongside good chorizo, in El Fontan market. Build up an appetite by roaming the student-filled old town, then consider sitting down to a staple plate of cachopo — two large, breaded beef or veal escalopes filled with ham and cheese. An atmospheric former 18th-century hospice, the Eurostars Hotel de la Reconquista serves nice breakfasts, but that doesn't mean you can't have a second one at the renowned Camilo de Blas pastry shop B&B doubles from £135 ( Fly to Oviedo Neighbouring Portugal, Extremadura is a low-profile region where good birdwatching, grand palaces and great galleries converge. Gastronomically minded visitors come chiefly for two of Spain's most sought-after foodstuffs: premier jamon iberico de bellota (Iberico ham from pigs fed on acorns) and gooey torta del Casar sheep's milk cheese. These anchor two of four food-focused driving routes — the others themed on olive oil and wine — that road-trippers might follow past quiet holm and cork oak pastures ( Otherwise, simply head for the beautiful city of Caceres, where storks nest in 12th-century walls and the sustainable, three-Michelin-starred Atrio draws foodies from as far as France for its avant-garde use of Extremaduran fare (19-course tasting menu, £236). The same old-town complex also contains 14 spacious, art-filled and spare contemporary bedrooms around a small B&B doubles from £463 ( Fly to Badajoz or Madrid
Buzz Feed
01-06-2025
- Health
- Buzz Feed
32 Solutions To Dark Spots, Bumps, Fungus, And Other Human Issues We All Grapple With
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