For generations, the same story (or legend) has circulated from mouth to ear between stoves and glasses of wine: Casa Pedro, a traditional restaurant in the El Pardo area, may have been founded in 1702. It could have. However, neither the family story nor the inherited certainty is enough.
In Madrid there is another restaurant that boasts with data and documents that it has been open for 300 years. Therefore, in order to snatch the title of the oldest restaurant in the world from Casa Botín, Casa Botín Centenaria has decided to go from myth to proof. To do so? Scientific method and document by document.
The dream of a world title
“It’s very frustrating to say ‘we’ve been here since 1702’ and not be able to prove it,” confessed Irene Guiñales, current manager and eighth generation at the helm of the restaurant, in statements to the Associated Press. Together with her husband, she began a search in national archives to confirm what her grandfather always told them: that Casa Pedro predates Botín, which is recognized as the oldest restaurant in the world.
There is a key finding, which is that of the Cadastre of the Marqués de la Ensenada, dating back to 1750, which already mentions a tavern in the area in the name of Juan Lopez, presumed ancestor of the family. For Irene, the next step is to prove this family link: “Now we have to go to the Church to prove that Juan López was part of the family”, she told Infobae. In the meantime, they continue to look for evidence that traces the origin of the premises back to 1702.
Botín and the good relationship between rivals
The comparison with Botín is as inevitable as it is recurrent. Founded in 1725, in the middle of Cuchilleros street next to Plaza Mayor, it has maintained continuous activity according to Guinness criteria: same location, same name and uninterrupted operation. “If they really meet these requirements, I understand that they will do everything possible to obtain recognition,” Botín told El Español a month ago, making it clear that the relationship between the two houses is cordial.
Castilian cuisine at Casa Pedro
Beyond the Guinness competition, Casa Pedro keeps alive the spirit of the traditional fonda. The restaurant, run by Pedro Guiñales, Irene’s father, is also a gastronomic reference that preserves dishes such as tripe, pickles, sweetbreads with onions, lamb brains or pig’s trotters.
Its menu is divided by Madrid specialties, and roast lamb and suckling pig continue to be the attraction of many diners, including King Felipe VI and King Juan Carlos I, and even Alfonso XIII, according to AP.
In its century-old cellar, located in caves that date back to Arab times and served as a refuge during the Napoleonic occupation, customers can choose historic wines, some as far back as 1920. And it is in this space where Pedro, who at 77 years of age still serves as maître d’, tells anecdotes of kings, artists and travelers who stopped at Casa Pedro.