This Map Shows The Oldest Restaurants In Each Country Around The World
The thing I love most about travel is that sure, there are many wonderful and interesting differences, but at the heart of it we all have so much in common. A love of good food is one of those things.
Not just for the way it tastes either, food can really tell a story — at least it can when I’m not the one trying to make it. It can have a long history, it can help travellers understand the local culture and it can be a family secret that joins future generations together.
Pretty epic, when you think about it.
This is probably why a lot of the currently operating oldest businesses in the world are restaurants. NetCredit has put together a series of maps to reveal the oldest eateries you can still dine in today and their signature dishes, in nearly every country in the world.
The 10 oldest restaurants in the world
#1 St. Peter Stifts Kulinarium, Austria
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Year Founded: 803
Expect creative dishes and drinks in a surprisingly modern setting at Europe’s oldest restaurant. It actually sits is inside the walls of St Peter’s Abbey in Salzburg.
Their speciality is a boiled beef dish named ‘Tafelspitz’, with minced apple and horseradish.
#2 Wurtskuchl, Germany
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Year Founded: 1146
The name of this Regensburg riverside restaurant aptly translates to ‘sausage kitchen’, which just about sums it up. After the nearby Danube river bridge was completed, the tiny construction office found a new life as a food stand — and it’s still kicking.
Not surprisingly, their signature dish is charcoal-grilled sausages and sauerkraut.
#3 The Old House, Wales
Year Founded: 1147
Although it only reopened again last year after closing for four years in 2015, The Old House is still bloody old. This traditional pub may have undergone an upgrade, but its fireplaces, flagstone walls and other original features remain in tact.
Their signature dish is named ‘Old House Pie’, which is an individually made pie served with chips and peas.
#4 Ma Yu Ching’s Bucket Chicken House, China
Year Founded: 1153
We’re not talking KFC buckets here, allegedly the term ‘bucket chicken’ comes from the way the wings are bent in so it resembles a bucket — the more you know. The Ma family started this enterprise under the Jin dynasty in Nanjing, in today’s Jiangsu Province.
Their signature dish is, of course, their bucket chicken. So take that, Kernel Sanders.
#5 The Brazen Head, Ireland
Year Founded: 1198
If you’re after a classic Irish pub, it doesn’t get more classic than the oldest one in the country. It’s nestled in Dublin near the river Liffey, serving up Guinness and live music, just like you hoped it would.
Their signature dish is Bangers and Mash, so does that mean they invented the dish?
#6 Piwnica Świdnicka, Poland
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Year Founded: 1273
Weirdly, Piwnica Świdnicka is considered a chain, even though there’s just one location: the basement of the Old Town Hall in Wrocław, Poland. It got its name from the nearby city of Świdnica, which used to deliver beer to the restaurant in the Middle Ages.
It’s signature dish is its Pierogis, which you probably don’t need me to tell you are stuffed Polish dumplings.
#7 La Couronne, France
Year Founded: 1345
The oldest inn in France is also its oldest restaurant, located in Rouen, capital of the Normandy region. Sitting inside the city’s historic centre (of course), they’ve chosen to decorate with framed pictures of celebrities. It’s also the place where, in 1948, chef and author Julia Child was served her first French meal.
Their signature dishes are the pressed duck, standing rib roast, and classic escargot. Very French.
#8 The Sheep Heid Inn, Scottland
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Year Founded: 1360
Right in the heart of heart of Edinburgh, this bad boi was a go-to spot for knock-off drinks amongst famous past monarchs and poets, so it’s probably good enough for you too. Today, it remains stylish, and is known for both its seasonal dishes and classic pub food.
The signature dish here is the prime steak with rustic chips, roasted mushroom, confit tomato and parsley butter.
#9 Hotel Gasthof Löwen, Liechtenstein
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Year Founded: 1380
The Hotel Gasthof Löwen has a lot of history, has hosted a plethora of famous guests and offers up comfort food in an even more comfortable setting. Plus it’s got a sunny courtyard to chill in. TripAdvisor reviews would suggest it’s quite a romantic place to stay the night as well.
Their signature dish is sliced veal ‘Zurich style’ with Rösti and vegetables.
#10 Honke Owariya, Japan
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Year Founded: 1465
Honke Owariya started life as a confectionary shop, later becoming the soba noodle restaurant you can visit today when imports of soba noodles were first introduced from China in the 1700s and imports couldn’t keep up with demand. This spot was designated as the ‘purveyor of soba noodles to the Imperial Palace’.
Their signature soba dish has shiitake mushrooms, shredded thin omelet, sesame seeds, shrimp tempura, wasabi, nori, Japanese leeks and grated daikon.
(Lead Image: Instagram / @honkeowariya)
