It’s not easy keeping a restaurant in business – about 60% of restaurants fail in their first year. To keep a restaurant in business for any length of time is impressive, but the oldest restaurants in the world are blowing things out of the water. Lasting through world wars, economic turmoil, changing tastes and social media, these restaurants have stood the test of time for hundreds of years.
NetCredit’s new series of maps reveals the oldest eatery you’ll find in nearly every country in the world… These are the seven of the world’s oldest restaurants still serving food today.
The Oldest Restaurants In The World
1. St. Peter Stifts Kulinarium – Austria
St. Peter Stifts Kulinarium in Salzburg, Austria is Europe’s (arguably, the world’s) oldest restaurant. Its first trace is in a poem by Alcuin of York, in 803. It may also be the only restaurant to have served both Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Clint Eastwood!
The Stifts Kulinarium opened as an inn within St. Peter’s Abbey and today offers ‘upscale’ cuisine amidst a celebration of Austrian tradition.
Opening year: 803.
Specialty dish: Tafelspitz (boiled beef with minced apple and horseradish).
2. Wurtskuchl – Germany
This ancient riverside restaurant has been serving customers since 1146. Since the Middle Ages, much has remained the same to this day: the open charcoal grill, the homemade sausages made from pure pork ham, the sauerkraut from their own fermentation cellar and the well-known Wurstkuchl mustard.
Opening year: 1146.
Specialty dish: Charcoal-grilled sausages and sauerkraut.
3. The Old House – Wales
The Old House Inn in Llangynwyd is a Grade II Listed Building, of picturesque and group value with the church, churchyard walls and telephone call box at the centre of the village conservation area.
Opening year: 1147.
Specialty dish: Old House Pie – Individually made pie served with chips & peas.
4. Ma Yu Ching’s Bucket Chicken House – China
This is a historic restaurant in Kaifeng, Henan, China, said to be originally established in 1153, during the Jin dynasty. The Ma family began trading in bucket chicken in Nanjing, in today’s Jiangsu Province, after the Song dynasty moved to the south.
Opening year: 1153.
Specialty dish: Buckets of chicken.
5. The Brazen Head – Ireland
The Brazen Head claims to be Ireland’s oldest pub. In fact there has been a hostelry here since 1198. The present building dates back to 1754 as a coaching inn. However, The Brazen Head appears in documents as far back as 1653.
Opening year: 1198.
Specialty dish: Bangers and Mash.
6. Piwnica Świdnicka – Poland
This historic restaurant is located in the basement of the Old Town Hall in Wrocław, Poland. The name comes from the nearby city of Świdnica, from which beer was delivered to the restaurant in the Middle Ages. Świdnica was a renowned brewing centre.
Opening year: 1273.
Specialty dish: Pierogi (filled Polish dumplings).
7. La Couronne – France
La Couronne is in the Place Du Vieux Marché, the same town square where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. In 1948, the restaurant served chef and author Julia Child her first French meal, which was said to inspire her to devote her life to promoting French cooking.
Opening year: 1345.
Specialty dish: Pressed duck, standing rib roast, and classic escargot.
I’ve been to Piwnica Świdnicka, it’s an amazing place. This restaurant in the basement impressed me! I recommend to everyone!