13 ancient restaurants, regulars in which were historical figures

This is where you need to go for those who love history. Great historical figures, writers and philosophers, like all ordinary people, sometimes liked to go to a restaurant or skip a glass of tea. Some of them, for example, George Washington or Karl Marx, had their favorite places. Many of them work to this day. Some of them have turned into tourist attractions, while in others the prices are still almost the same as a century ago.

Rules (London, UK)

This is the oldest London restaurant. The rules were established by Thomas Rule in 1798. The restaurant offers its visitors classic English cuisine and Victorian-style furnishings.

Le Procope (Paris, France)

This is the oldest cafe in Paris. It was opened in 1686. Next to the restaurant is the Odeon Theater, the very one in which the French playwright Beaumarchais presented his plays Marriage of Figaro and The Barber of Seville. In the era of enlightenment, the cafe turned into a discussion club for writers and politicians. At various times, Voltaire, Didro, Danton, Robespierre, and much later Balzac and Hugo took part in the discussion.

Landtmann (Vienna, Austria)

This Viennese cafe was a meeting place for politicians in the early 20th century. Gustav Mahler made business meetings here. The writers John Priestley and Thomas Mann also came here.

Café Central (Vienna, Austria)

Trotsky loved to spend time here, Stalin visited. This cafe had another famous visitor who left his negative mark in history - Adolf Hitler. I wonder if he crossed paths with our revolutionaries? They could visit this restaurant at the same time.

The Lafite Forge (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA)

This is one of the oldest bars created in the USA in the 1700s. It was discovered by the famous corsair Jean Lafite. At one time, he was pardoned by US President Jackson. Together they fought in the battles for New Orleans.

Philippe the Original (Los Angeles, United States)

This restaurant was opened in 1908. The institution is known for its organizer Philippe Mathieu invented the French sandwich. It happened by accident. Once, while preparing a sandwich for a policeman who came to have a bite to eat, he dropped it on a hot baking sheet. The bread was fried along with the remains of a delicious gravy of meat. The policeman said he would eat a sandwich anyway. He liked him so much that the next day the whole police department came to dine.

Old Ebbitt Grill (Washington, United States)

This is the first political salon in Washington. Many important figures of American history passed through it. Several US presidents have been regular customers.

Sobrino de Botín (Madrid, Spain)

In this institution, the great Spanish artist Francisco Goya washed dishes. It happened in 1765. This restaurant is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest restaurant in Europe. Despite the fact that in Europe there are institutions much older, only this restaurant has the best preserved supporting documentation. It was built in 1725. Visitors such as Frederick Forsyth, Ernest Hemingway, James Michener added fame to this restaurant. Botin is known for its signature dishes: grilled eel, lamb and milk pig.

La Tour d'Argent (Paris, France)

In this institution the French king Henry III always stayed. It is also famous for the fact that it invented a new cutlery - a fork.

St. Peter Stiftskeller (Salzburg, Austria)

Not a single war that swept through Europe for a millennium could prevent the restaurant from serving people and cooking delicious food. Troops of various armies passed by the streets of the city. The restaurant still preserves the decoration of its baroque rooms. Today, the restaurant is famous for its weekly offer "Mozart's Dinner".

Zur Letzten Instanz (Berlin, Germany)

Beethoven and Napoleon dined here. It was built in 1621. The restaurant has witnessed turbulent German history.

For us, he is interesting because it was here that the Soviet intelligence agent Maxim Maximovich Isaev, aka Stirlitz, brought pastor Schlag from prison to dine. Here he rested with a glass of beer after breaking away from Mueller's agents. "Seventeen Moments of Spring" remember?

La Campana (Rome, Italy)

The eternal city also boasts one of the oldest restaurants. It was founded as an inn in 1518. Two centuries later, it is here that Goethe will meet his Italian beloved Faustina. This was one of the favorite places where Federico Fellini spent his time in Rome in the 1960s. According to the regulars, since then almost nothing has changed - neither the menu, nor the waiters, nor the well-groomed clientele. The restaurant offers unusual traditional dishes that you can hardly find anywhere today - pasta with grapes, delicious spring soup made from legumes and bacon.

Antico Caffe Greco (Rome, Italy)

This cafe located on Via dei Condotti has been feeding its visitors since 1760. People of different classes and nationalities come here, which makes it especially popular for several centuries. But fame was given to this institution by its famous visitors - Byron, Shelley, Keats and Casanova. The interior consists of red velvet chairs, old mirrors, marble tables and many black and white photographs, and several separate rooms are located behind. The restaurant serves hearty, classic Italian cuisine.