Where and when was the first restaurant in the world?
China A Song Dynasty teahouse from the painting Along the River During Qingming Festival, by artist Zhang Zeduan (1085–1145)Food catering establishments which may be described as restaurants were known since the 11th century in Kaifeng, China’s northern capital during the first half of the Song Dynasty (960–1279). With a population of over 1 million people, a culture of hospitality and a paper currency, Kaifeng was ripe for the development of restaurants. Probably growing out of the tea houses and taverns that catered to travellers, Kaifeng’s restaurants blossomed into an industry catering to locals as well as people from other regions of China.[1] Stephen H. West argues that there was a direct correlation between the growth of restaurant businesses and institutions of theatrical stage drama, gambling, and prostitution which served the burgeoning merchant middle class during the Song.[2] Restaurants catered to different styles of cuisine, price brackets, and religious requirements. Eve
