My long-time friend Gladys Toulis e-mailed me from New York, saying, “Days…or better, weeks, before you arrive in Madrid, try to book a dinner reservation at Botin.” She went on to say, noted for being the world’s oldest restaurant, she and Bill ate there many years ago, and the roast suckling pig was the most fantastic they’d ever tasted! With such a passionate endorsement, we moved Botin to the very top of our Madrid must do list.

Full house inside, and always folks waiting outside for their turn.

One gets a glimpse into the kitchen area behind Botin’s expert jamon carver

Botin – World’s oldest restaurant, opened in 1725.

Botin’s fully stocked bar.

It was the summer of 2013, and we’d already visited Barcelona, Seville, and Toledo, before the train ride up to Madrid, and our dining experience at Botin. After Madrid, we still had Granada on our itinerary, the last leg of our travels before heading home to the States. And it was during our 4 days in Granada, by chance, while exploring areas within walking distance of our hotel, we found a little restaurant off the usual tourist path, behind Plaza Nueva, called Los Manueles. Serving traditional Andalusian cuisine, it was here at Los Manueles, with the 3 wine barrels outside the entrance, we actually did delight our palates, savoring a most divine platter of roast suckling pig! While this restaurant may not be noted for this particular dish, like Botin in Madrid, for me, Los Manueles topped the Botin experience.

In Madrid two years earlier, after an hour, or so, browsing the main level of the uniquely picturesque Atocha train station, we relaxed upstairs, still enjoying the beauty of the tropical garden below from our new high perch, and thought about where to go for dinner that evening. While sipping Sangria, and snacking on an assortment of cheeses, olives, and chips, I did a search on my iPad for the “best paella restaurants in the city.” Being we were in Spain, any paella restaurant, whether in Madrid, or elsewhere, had to be superior to dining options back home…or so we thought (I learned Valencia is No. 1 for the best and most authentic paella). And, yes, since Madrid, I have had tastier seafood paella, but the service that evening at La Paella de la Reina was congenial and attentive, and the ambiance of the place, steeped in local color, ensnared us with its warmth, spirit, and old Mediterranean, shared-family-style eating tradition.

We’re here for seafood paella.

Carving a whole jamón

Welcoming us to La Paella de la Reina.