Sometimes you don’t need anything more than a good tortilla skewer and a piece of bread to achieve an optimal culinary experience. So much so that even at the bar of this bar in Barcelona it is not strange to come across chefs like Carme Ruscalleda or Raúl Balam.
We are talking about Los Tortíllez, a Catalan restaurant that has done the unthinkable: turn the tortilla de patatas into an experience that mixes the culinary, the social and the emotional. And it has succeeded so well that even the Michelin-starred chef herself is a regular at the place. It also helps that her restaurant in Barcelona is just 5 minutes away from this place.
Located in two neuralgic points of the city (Consell de Cent, 299 and Manso, 50), this restaurant is not only a tribute to one of the most beloved dishes of the Spanish recipe book.
Los Tortíllez, a social project
Los Tortíllez is the project of Vicky Martínez and Liad Finkelstein, a couple who decided that love for traditional cuisine could go hand in hand with a real social commitment. The result? A team made up of people at risk of exclusion -young people with functional diversity and other complex realities- who find here an opportunity and a trade.
The omelette follows the Betanzos style, with a thick composition and creamy interior. No creativity or love is spared here. From the classic grandmother’s omelette (with or without onion) to the Cayetana -a glorious bomb with truffle, caramelized onion, Iberian ham and goat cheese-, or gems like the Maruxa (pork shoulder and turnip greens), or a version with prawns in Thai curry.
The menu is accompanied by Russian salad like your grandmother’s (or better, sorry grandmother’s), esqueixada, croquettes, cod fritters and desserts such as torrija with ice cream or the traditional flan. All served on duralex plates, on formica tables, with a stoneware floor that reminds you of other times.
Eating here costs about 20 euros per head. Sometimes the simplest thing becomes the most extraordinary experience.