It’s strange to imagine a world without restaurants. But the practice of dining outside one’s own home, and letting someone else do the cooking, had to start somewhere. Luckily, not all restaurants come and go – some date back centuries and are still around! We explore the history of eating out by looking at the 10 oldest restaurants in the world.

Stiftskeller St. Peter, Salzburg, Austria (803)

Bianyifang, Beijing, China (1416)

Zum Franziskaner, Stockholm, Sweden (1421)

Honke Owariya, Kyoto, Japan (1465)

La Tour d’Argent, Paris, France (1582)

Zur letzten Instanz, Berlin, Germany (1621)

White Horse Tavern, Newport, Rhode Island, USA (1673)

A la Petite Chaise, Paris, France (1680)

Sobrino de Botín, Madrid, Spain (1725)

Fraunces Tavern, New York City, New York, USA (1762)