Madrid has many famous buildings, many with extreme historical value that extend far into the past and tell a story that would have been lost if left to mere words. This is especially important for Madrid and the many popular restaurants and hotels that span the city. The history of these grand buildings can be traced back centuries and is a source of pride and great flavor for the city of Madrid.
Our first destination is the Gran Hotel Ingles; this hotel holds significant value in Madrid as it was the first ever hotel in Madrid to also include a restaurant inside its walls. Built back in mid-December of 1886, this hotel included a grand restaurant that served many delicacies. This hotel later became a staple of the 1920’s era, the grand design of the building’s interior modeled after the influences of an era economic growth for countries around the world.
The restaurant, Casa Lobo, complimented the current 5-star hotel with impeccable quality meals and service. This restaurant includes many staple foods of Madrid including the previously mentioned delicacies of Madrid. The current price of a night at the Gran Hotel Ingles can change depending on the time of day, when you make your reservations, and what day of the week you made your reservations on. For example, the average price during the year 2025 for a single night at this hotel is roughly $450 USD. However, this number changes depending on which room you get, some rooms are as low as $150 USD and some rooms can reach over $950 USD.
Finally, the most historic restaurant in all of Madrid and possibly even the world. The restaurant claiming this great honor and pride in the city of Madrid is Botín. Botín is a high-end restaurant that has been around for over three centuries. The restaurant was created back in 1725 by a French man, Jean Botín. After the death of Botín and his wife the restaurant was passed on to the nephew of his wife as he had no children. Since then, the restaurant has stood the test of time and has been remodeled many times. Currently, the restaurant is owned by the Gonzalez family, Emilio Gonzalez, and Amparo martin. This happened in the late 20th century due to unspecified reasons.
The building that the restaurant Botín resides in has a great history in its own right that is complimented by the customs of Spain from centuries ago. The original building was built back in 1590 and was originally an inn. This stayed true up until Jean Botín’s death as he also used the restaurant as a selling point for his inn. This is especially important due to the Spanish customs used back during the 18th century as inn owners were not allowed to sell people food. Instead, people would bring their own food to the inn and then the inn owners would prepare meals for their tenants using the food and were paid a small fee for their service.
The original owner of the building whose name has gone missing over time paid for an “Exemption of Guests Privilege” which meant that they didn’t have to house government officials when they came to Madrid. The reason why this happened was due to King Felipe the 3rd moving the Royal Court out of Madrid at the end of the 16th century. Because of this, during the 17th century government officials would take up residency in the upscale housing of the people living in Madrid. Similar to when American soldiers would force their way into people’s homes during the Revolutionary War.
Then during the early 1600’s the Royal Court returned to Madrid. Then during the 1620’s, the Royal Court began to renovate and rebuild parts of Madrid. The current area that restaurant Botín resides in was the area in which the Royal Court rebuilt Madrid’s commercial enclave the most. This made the area highly populated and allowed for great business down the line when Jean Botín purchased the building and created his restaurant. Currently the restaurant holds the Guinness world record for being the oldest restaurant in the world.
Sources:
“Traditional Madrid Food.” Gran Hotel Ingles, www.granhotelingles.com/blog/traditional-madrid-food . Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
“Stay at the Best Boutique Hotel in Madrid – Gran Hotel Inglés.” Gran Hotel Ingles, www.granhotelingles.com/ . Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
“Get to Know Botín – Restaurante Botín: Cochinillos y Corderos Asado de Madrid.” Botín Restaurant | Roast Suckling Pigs and Lamb of Madrid, 24 Feb. 2025, https://botin.es/en/conoce-botin/ . Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
“La Carta de Botín – Restaurante Botín: Cochinillos y Corderos Asado de Madrid.” Botín Restaurant | Roast Suckling Pigs and Lamb of Madrid, 24 Feb. 2025, https://botin.es/en/menu-botin/ . Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
Guinness World Records. “Oldest Restaurant.” Guinness World Records, 19 June 2001, www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/76907-oldest-restaurant . Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.