Discover Historic Venues in Spain

Spain’s oldest venues are like living museums and always worth a visit if you have a holiday home in Spain. Bars and restaurants that have been in the same family for generations know what they are doing. Spaniards have the highest density of bars and restaurants per capita and do not forgive poor service, bad food or warm beer.

The two oldest venues in Spain are in Seville. “Rinconcillo” has been around for 350 years and has been open continuously since 1670. It enjoys legendary status that reaches far beyond Seville. The Antigua Taberna de Las Escobas is even older and was first mentioned in 1386. It was not open without interruption, though, and moved between several buildings. At times it was even closed for decades. Both venues still have a historic atmosphere.

Historic venues across Spain

Spain’s third-oldest venue is in Madrid. Botín was opened by the family of the same name in 1725. The original oven from that time can still be admired today. The painter Francisco Goya is said to have worked here as a dishwasher in 1765, although this may just be a story. Botín appears as a setting in several literary works and is even listed in the Guinness Book of Records. If you visit Botín, you should definitely order the suckling pig. It is still prepared in the old oven.

In Barcelona you will find Can Culleretes, which has been open since 1786. The inn is located near the Ramblas and is Barcelona’s best-known venue. It is designed in the typical Modernisme style. The name translates as “House of the Spoons” and goes back to the waiters, who often called out to the kitchen “Noies culleretes!” (Girls, spoons!) when they had run out of spoons in the dining room. Guests picked up the phrase and it eventually became the name of the restaurant. Here you are served classic home-style recipes, refined market cuisine and house-brewed beer at reasonable prices.

The next venue is in Aragón. In Zaragoza, a French family of innkeepers first opened a patisserie in 1825, with the first floor later converted into a dining room. Since 2008, it has been run by Ricardo Gil, who specialises in vegetables from his own fields.

Another historic venue in Barcelona is “Set Portes”, which opened in 1836. The name comes from the fact that founder Josep Xifré was so impressed by the verandas in Paris that he built seven entrances in different styles for his own establishment. In total, however, there are eight doors the eighth is reserved for the staff. In the past, many intellectuals and politicians met here; today the restaurant is known for some of the best rice dishes and paellas in Barcelona.

Historic restaurants from Valencia to Almería

If you are looking for a good paella, you can also visit “Bodega Montana” in Valencia, regarded as a guardian of paella tradition. The venue has been located since 1836 in Canyamelar, the oldest harbour district of Valencia. Emiliano García has run the restaurant since 1994 and combines tradition with modern influences.

Lhardy opened in Madrid in 1839. The main hall and its five private rooms are filled with a late Romantic ambience. In 1840, “Paz Nogueira” opened in Santiago de Compostela. It covers 3,000 square metres and has seven dining rooms. The venue has always hosted weddings and wakes. It has remained faithful to Galician culinary culture, and seafood has always played a major role on the menu.

The last of Spain’s ten oldest venues is “Casa Puga” in Almería. Since the 1860s you will find here a tapas bar that serves you tiny cuttlefish called chipirones, fine ham and Andalusian pescaito frito. The décor features old brandy bottles, countless photos and sherry casks.

Historic restaurants on the Costa Blanca in Alicante and the surrounding area

Even if you are only planning a short trip to Alicante and its surroundings, you should make time to visit at least one of the venues that have been run by the same families for many years. Most of them are not as spectacular or as old as the top ten, but each one is unique. One example is the hotel “Pou de la Neu” near Jijona, located at an altitude of 1,100 metres and partly made up of centuries-old circular dry-stone buildings.

One of the oldest venues in Alicante is “Mesón de Labradores”, located in the street of the same name in the old town. When you are there, you should definitely try the patates a lo pobre and the “Chupi-Chupi”, a montadito with homemade sauce that will have you licking your fingers.

Another family-run venue is “Mesón el Vizcayo” in Castalla. Here the star of the menu is gazpacho manchego, a hearty stew based on flatbread and rabbit. A further family restaurant is located near Elche between Murcia and Alicante. “La Masía de Chencho” is surrounded by olive groves and palm trees. Near the train station in Alicante you will find Cervecería Juanito, where you can stop for a beer and some tapas. The bar itself is not pretty, but it has been in the hands of the same family since the 1960s, so clearly they are doing a lot of things right.

Spain’s historic venues are well worth a visit.