🍽️ Top 10 oldest restaurants in the world
It's hard to imagine life without restaurants and cafes. Some of them have existed for so long that they have survived more than one century. Here is a list of establishments that have been pleasing their visitors for centuries and are not going to stop.
Stiftskeller St. Peter (803) – Austria, Salzburg
Stiftskeller St. Peter – the oldest restaurant in the world is located in St. Peter's Abbey in Salzburg. Nobody knows exactly when it opened. But the first mention of the institution appeared in 803 in the writings of the scientist and monk Albuin (a devout follower of Charlemagne). The restaurant is said to have served Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Christopher Columbus.
The Old House 1147 (1147) – Wales, Maesteg
The Old House 1147 opened as a pub in the 12th century. Back then it served traditional pies with peas and potatoes.
In 2019, after many years of reconstruction, it was repurposed as a restaurant and the menu was diversified. Guests can now enjoy Welsh mac and cheese and curries, as well as beef, lamb and chicken pies. This place is often chosen for weddings.
Celebrities once loved to visit here. Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and David Bowie were seen within the building ‘s stone walls.
Ma Yu Ching's Bucket Chicken House (1153) – China, Kaifeng
This historic restaurant in Kaifeng, China was opened by the Ma family during the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). Here they sold fried chicken.
In 1854, their descendant breathed new life into the establishment. He started selling chicken in buckets with traditional sauce based on a family recipe.
In 2007, UNESCO awarded the business the title of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Henan Province.
Zum Franziskaner (1421) – Sweden, Stockholm
Zum Franzis kaner was founded by German monks in the Old Town area of Stockholm. The building was rebuilt several times until 1906. It was transformed either into a sailor's tavern or into a gourmet restaurant and did not retain its original appearance. Despite this, it still serves the same type of beer, brewed by the monks, as when it opened.
Honke Owariya (1465) – Japan, Kyoto
Honke Owariya was originally a pastry shop and is now the oldest known restaurant in Japan. They serve traditional buckwheat noodles – soba. And to prepare the broth, spring water is used.
In the restaurant you can meet both a wandering monk and members of the Japanese imperial family having a meal.
La Tour d'Argent (1582) – France, Paris
La Tour d'Argent on the banks of the Seine grew from an inn to a restaurant in 1780. From the top floor there is an amazing view of the river and the almost restored Parisian Notre Dame Cathedral. The establishment is famous for its polished service and haute French cuisine, for which it received a Michelin star. And an impressive wine cellar with hundreds of thousands of rare bottles is worth a fortune.
At the moment, the restaurant is closed for renovations, but the opening is scheduled for June 30, 2023.
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Cafe Chris (1624) – Netherlands, Amsterdam
This oldest establishment in Amsterdam is located in the Jordaan district. Sometimes you can hear the name Brown cafe (Brown cafe) because of the color of the interior. Initially, the establishment was a meeting place for workers who were building the Westerkerk bell tower. In addition to the gatherings, they received their salaries here. The cafe still has old floorboards, large windows and dark wood paneling.
Gran Caffe Quadri (1638) – Italy, Venice
The original name of the establishment was Il Rimedio (“The Healing Remedy”). And all because of the Malvasia wine, which “invigorated the body and mind.” In 1775 it was bought by the family of the merchant Quadri. This is how the story of Gran Caffe Quadri began. In 1830, the establishment gained another floor. And in 2018, the building underwent a major renovation.
The cafe is located on the square overlooking the Basilica of San Marco. The menu offers a light continental breakfast and a heartier lunch – cicchetti (these are Venetian snacks), pizzas, sandwiches and sweets. All this is accompanied by live music.
White Horse Tavern (1673) – USA, Rhode Island, Newport
The oldest operating tavern in the United States, White Horse Tavern was a favorite meeting place for government officials. Due to the fact that payment for food often came from the state treasury, it was nicknamed “the birthplace of the businessman's lunch” or “the birthplace of the businessman's lunch.” This also sounds prosaic because one of the tavern owners was a pirate.
A la Petite Chaise (1680) – France, Paris
A la Petite Chaise is the second oldest restaurant in Paris. Meetings of the political, social and artistic elite took place here. They say that Colette (French writer and actress) often visited here.
The menu is an example of French classics. Dishes include foie gras, snails, French onion soup and boudin noir salads.
Cafe Procope (1686) – France, Paris
Cafe Procope is the first literary café in Paris. It was opened by a Sicilian immigrant, after whom the establishment is named. According to established tradition, they serve sorbet and granita (crushed ice) – the predecessors of ice cream.
King Louis XIV even appointed Cafe Procope as the exclusive producer of sorbets. Its famous visitors include Napoleon, Honoré de Balzac, Paul Verlaine, Victor Hugo and Voltaire.
Sobrino de Botin (1725) – Spain, Madrid
Sobrino de Botin is one of the oldest continuously operating restaurants in the world and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. At one time, the artist Francisco de Goya worked here as a waiter. The establishment and its signature dish, “cochinillo asado”—roasted suckling pig—are even mentioned in Hemingway’s book “The Sun Also Rises.”
Fraunces Tavern (1762) – USA, New York
Today Fraunces Tavern is a whiskey bar and restaurant in the southern part of Manhattan. But during the American Revolution, George Washington settled in the building, of which the tavern is part. It was here that he concluded a truce with the British.
El Fishawy (1779) – Egypt, Cairo
Hidden away in a side street of a bustling market town is a piece of ancient Cairo. The walls, decorated with handmade wood panels, sapphire blue teapots and shiny trays are drowned in exotic aromas. At first, the owner of the cafe served coffee here to his friends after evening prayer. As the establishment became more popular, it expanded, and the menu included tea, traditional snacks and hookah.
The current owners, who are the same as the founder, have preserved the traditions and atmosphere of the establishment.