It started with an unhappy customer and, thanks to the quick thinking of chef and restaurant owner Ali Ahmed Aslam, ended with a dish that has become a real British classic: the chicken tikka masala. Ali recently passed away, aged 77, and will be remembered as the inventor of one of the UK's favourite dishes. He's pictured here in his restaurant, Glasgow’s Shish Mahal, which has become a pilgrimage spot for fans of the dish. Read on for more on how he invented it.
As Ali told it, this true British icon was invented entirely by accident and necessity in 1970, when he was attempting to please a fussy customer. The diner had said his chicken tikka dish was too dry, so Aslam emptied a can of tomato soup over it and stirred in some yoghurt and extra spices. It was an instant hit and is still the most popular dish in the restaurant today, with Morgan Freeman apparently among its fans.
Now read on for more of the world's most historic restaurants, from centuries-old taverns to fine dining institutions that have witnessed major events.
Boston’s oldest eatery also claims to be America’s longest continuously-operating restaurant with a building that predates the American Revolution. The exiled future king of France, Louis Philippe, lived here in 1796 and America’s oldest newspaper, The Massachusetts Spy, was printed in the building too. Since the restaurant opened, in 1826, its many claims to fame include being the then-congressman JFK’s favoured Sunday lunch spot and, according to a framed artefact on the wall, where the toothpick was first used in the US.
The world’s oldest restaurant is a hotly contended title but this Madrid restaurant can officially make that claim. Sobrino de Botín, opened in 1725, holds the Guinness World Record for being the oldest continuously-operating restaurant. When French cook Jean Botín opened the kitchen, restaurants were only allowed to prepare food brought in by the guests. Now, diners feast on roasted meats cooked in a wood-fired oven. That same oven has been here from the start, witnessing centuries of history including romantic painter Francisco Goya working here as a dishwasher.
This Florence building had already been here for centuries when the restaurant first occupied its walls in 1882. It was originally a church edifice dating back to the 14th century, and it’s said the cellar was used for secret meetings by the Rosa Croce (or Rose Cross) society, a mysterious medieval religious group. The restaurant sensitively occupies its storied surroundings, serving classic Tuscan dishes beneath low, curved stone ceilings and under the watchful gaze of pious statues.
Laying claim to be America’s oldest tavern, this Newport favourite has survived decades of neglect and the threat of demolition to keep its history alive. And it’s a history worth preserving. It was opened in 1673 by William Mayes, Sr, with ownership later transferring to his son – a pirate who, some believe, still haunts the tavern today. It was a popular spot for local councillors, who enjoyed long, lazy lunches at the public expense. Now it’s best known for clam chowder – and its resident ghost.
Dating back to at least 1345 according to parchment deeds, this classic fine dining restaurant in Rouen, Normandy claims to be France’s oldest still-operating inn. Though the menu showcases plenty of modern techniques and flair, with traditional French dishes lifted with emulsions and foams, there’s no mistaking the history of this place. It oozes from each tablecloth, framed photograph and inch of wood panelling – which is all part of its considerable charm.
The Laff – located in Château Lafayette House – is officially older than the city in which it resides. Ottawa was established in 1855, six years after this tavern, then called Grant’s Hotel, first opened. It’s had several other names since then and there are rumours that it once operated as a brothel. The classic Canadian pub fare, like poutine (fries topped with cheese curds and gravy), has attracted famous patrons from Dan Ackroyd to Justin Bieber – and apparently encouraged a few ghosts to hang around in the basement too.
China’s (and, some argue, the world’s) oldest restaurant is believed to be Ma Yu Ching's Bucket Chicken House, or Ma Yuxing, established in 1153 in Kaifeng, Henan. But this spot is equally historic – and its Peking duck is legendary. Bianyifang was established in 1416 and is now a nationwide chain, with its original location, on Xianyukou Hutong in Beijing, considered the city’s oldest duck restaurant. It’s famous for cooking the birds in antique closed ovens for extra juicy, flavoursome meat – and also for using everything from the beaks to the feet.
Though sprightly compared to many on our list, Cuckoo Restaurant embraces the past more than most. The Bavarian-themed spot, which sits in the low mountains of the Dandenong Ranges with gorgeous views over Melbourne, started life in 1914 as a café for travellers. It was bought in 1958 by German-raised owners who opened a smorgasbord restaurant and later introduced floor shows and themed costumes. The name was apparently inspired by the owner hearing a cuckoo calling in the night.
You can’t fake the type of atmosphere that comes with centuries of history. Thomas Rule opened this opulent, velvety spot as an oyster bar in 1798. Today it claims to be the oldest restaurant still operating in London – there’s even a plaque outside that says so. The litany of famous people to have dined on its game-heavy menu includes Charles Dickens, H. G. Wells, Sir Laurence Olivier and the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), the latter having a favoured table-for-two at which he wooed actor and socialite Lillie Langtry.
This Stockholm restaurant has a history stretching back to 1421, when it’s claimed a beer cellar was imported to the Swedish capital by German monks. It’s had many incarnations since and settled in its current building in 1910. It still feels as old as time, though, with wood-panelled walls, discreet booths, beer served in steins and a menu of wurst platters and Scandi-style comfort food.
Sydney favourite Mr. Wong only opened its doors in 2012 but the building’s history stretches back to the mid-19th century. The former warehouse space has been revamped with a long bar, teak furniture and soft green accents, but it still oozes history and old-fashioned charm. Cantonese dishes like barbecued duck are served beneath exposed pipes and beams, while a soundtrack of low-key jazz adds to the sense of going back in time.
Newcastle upon Tyne is known for its medieval streets and (really) old taverns, and Blackfriars Restaurant claims to have the oldest dining hall in the country. The current restaurant opened in 2001, serving elevated pub grub, but the attached Banquet Hall – often hired for weddings, parties and events – dates back to the 13th century. It was even used by King Edward III to welcome Scottish royal, Edward Balliol, to the city in 1334, and has very much stuck to its medieval roots with dark wood, chandeliers and intricate wall coverings.
Intricately patterned stained-glass windows, exposed stone walls and dark wood accents give only a hint at the history of this Montréal institution. L'Auberge Saint-Gabriel was built in 1688 and became the first inn (or ‘auberge’) on the continent to be granted a liquor licence in 1754. It became a townhouse in the 19th century but returned to its role as a restaurant in 1914, and is now one of the most popular spots in the city for dishes like the very traditional roasted Cornish hen.
This hole-in-the-wall diner on Jackson’s once-thriving Farish Street may not look much from the outside but it witnessed some important moments of the Civil Rights Movement. Mississippi leader Medgar Evers, who was assassinated outside his Jackson home in 1963, rented the small upstairs apartment as an office and held strategy meetings in the small restaurant – most likely sampling some of the pig ear sandwiches that have been served here since it opened in 1939.
Sally is world-famous for her buns. Baker Sally Lunn invented the ‘Bath bun’ on this very site in the late 17th century, and her kitchen is now part of an on-site museum paying testament to the restaurant’s history. The building itself dates back to 1482, making it one of the oldest in Bath, England. Those famous buns are still the main menu event and made to the original recipe, with a texture and taste somewhere between a brioche and a fluffy burger bun.
This legendary Kraków spot is as opulent – and as storied – as they come. Wierzynek’s rather glamorous past stretches back to 1364. Wealthy merchant Mikołaj Wierzynekan, after whom the restaurant is named, hosted an epic 20-day feast to celebrate the wedding of King Casimir the Great’s granddaughter. The restaurant – which feels more like a fine art gallery with its detailed wall paintings, stained-glass windows and knights’ armour – has stayed true to its royal roots, serving up feasts of meat, pâtés and dumplings, rounded off with fantastical desserts.
The exterior of this Chicago institution resembles a retro theatre and it’s charmingly old-school inside too – from the wood-panelled walls and chandeliers to the menu of traditional German dishes like schnitzel, bratwurst and potato pancakes. Originally German immigrant Herman Berghoff had a beer stand at Chicago’s World Fair in 1893 and opened a permanent restaurant five years later. It was mainly about the libations until prohibition hit, forcing a shift in focus to food.
Argentina’s longest-running restaurant opened in Buenos Aires in 1860, named El Imparcial – ‘The Impartial’ – in an attempt to persuade diners to leave politics and religion at the door. Its signature dish was boiled chicken stew and today it still serves typical dishes like paella and custard caramel in the tradition of the city’s bodegones – restaurants where Spanish, Argentinian and Italian cuisines mix in the most delicious ways.
This rustic Haubstadt spot has a pretty significant claim to restaurant fame: Abraham Lincoln stopped here in 1844 as he travelled through the Midwest during a presidential campaign for Henry Clay. It’s also one of the country’s oldest coach stops, opened in 1825 as Noon Day Stage Coach Stop and Trading Post. It maintains a cosy, homely feel in both its décor and food, with dishes like grilled catfish and roasted ham served family-style, piled on the table so everyone can dig in.
The legendary founder of this beloved spot started the business in 1925 with a hand-dug BBQ pit and a makeshift table in his backyard. Robert ‘Big Bob’ Gibson’s slow and low wood-smoked chicken and pork proved so popular that he opened a restaurant, drawing lines around the block. He also invented the ‘Alabama white’ sauce, a tangy mix of mayonnaise, vinegar and pepper. All this history – and the smoky, butter-soft meat – means this Decatur institution is something of a pilgrimage site for BBQ fans.
The Old House 1147 was indeed founded in 1147 and is definitely old. It’s considered one of Wales’ oldest pubs in fact, though there’s ongoing debate as to which spot should hold the ultimate title. The cosy inn, located in the village of Llangynwyd, serves hearty, old-fashioned pub grub beneath its pretty thatched roof, and is especially famed for its pies. Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and David Bowie are among those who have been drawn in by the pub’s history.
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Honke Owariya, in Kyoto, is believed to be the first place to produce soba noodles outside of monasteries. Previously only Zen monks made the buckwheat noodles but they struggled to meet demand. This restaurant – which first opened as a sweet shop in 1465 – stepped in as the official purveyor of soba noodles to the Imperial Palace, serving the court and surrounding temples. It’s still most famous for its variety of soba noodles, cooked fresh in a delicate broth, and attributes the delicious taste to Kyoto’s pure well water.
This Salzburg restaurant, tucked within the ancient walls of St. Peter’s Abbey, claims to be the oldest in Europe, dating back to at least the year 803, when it was first mentioned in records. It first opened as an inn and now serves traditional Austrian comfort food plus a modern brunch menu. Famous faces that have enjoyed its culinary delights range from Wolfgang Mozart to Clint Eastwood.
New York City has more than its share of historic restaurants and Fraunces Tavern, opened in 1762, pretty much trumps them all. This is where George Washington hosted a lavish farewell dinner for his troops in 1783, and where founding father John Adams ate what he described as “the most splendid dinner I ever saw”. There’s an on-site museum and the menu is filled with historic references, including the fact that the slow-roasted chicken pot pie was Washington’s favourite.
Pushkin, Tolstoy, Chekhov and Russian royalty are among the elite to have dined in this palatial Moscow restaurant, which opened in 1826. The building wasn’t always so grand, beginning life as a wooden house with tucked-away dining rooms and even a royal box added on. It was rebuilt as a columned, ornately decorated palace in 1910, where classic dishes like veal stroganoff and chicken Kiev are still served – usually with a backdrop of live music and elaborate dance performances.
Florida’s oldest restaurant opened as a small café in 1905 and now dominates an entire block of Ybor City, an area of Tampa founded by Cuban, Italian and Spanish cigar barons in 1885. It’s still owned and operated by the same family and claims to be the world’s biggest Spanish restaurant. People come for the history, which oozes from every fresco and chandelier, as well as the regular flamenco show and dishes such as the Cuban sandwich (a meaty affair some claim was invented here), black bean soup, paella and baked, stuffed grouper.
This family-run New Haven spot, open since 1895, is officially recognised by the Library of Congress as the birthplace of the hamburger sandwich. It was a hasty invention: in 1900, a customer asked for something he could eat quickly so owner Louis Lassen placed ground steak trimmings between two slices of white toast. It’s still made from the same mix of five cuts of beef and served on toast with onion, tomato and cheese.
Ireland’s oldest pub opened in 1198 and is something of a Dublin institution thanks to its old-school atmosphere, live music and courtyard restaurant, which serves traditional food like Irish stew and steamed mussels. The name apparently relates to a 13th-century legend of a marble-mounted brass head said to predict the future, but only by answering questions with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. The pub is packed with original and antique features, from the grandfather clocks to the pressed ceilings and rather low doorways.
Antoine’s is New Orleans’ oldest restaurant, opened in 1840 by Antoine Alciatore and still run by the same family. It’s credited with shaping the city’s cuisine with inventions including chicken Creole and oysters Rockefeller. Beyond the dining rooms, the building is a labyrinth of secret rooms including areas belonging to Mardi Gras ‘crewes’ and a concealed doorway in the ladies’ toilet, which led to a tiny drinking den during Prohibition.
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