At kilometer 47 of the A-5, Extremadura address, there is a restaurant open 24 hours which is a national phenomenon. Is called The Spartans And there is no rest, it is full of overflowing any day at any time. With a menu for 13.50 euros, among its wide clientele there are from truck drivers to families and IBEX managers. A classic where everyone has a place.
Raúl Barroso, one of the two partners of this road bar -along with Carlos Víctor -tells us about a business that is already a legend. “Are 31 years at the foot of the canyon And we continue the same as the first day, “he confesses with a smile, between shyness and satisfaction. The restaurant, which only closes on Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year, has not needed a communication agency or social networks to become famous.” We don’t need, because much of our audience does not even use them, “says Raúl.
Perhaps the key to success is in naturalness and equal treatment to all people who enter through their door. Las Esparteras was born in 1994 by José Antonio Barroso (Raúl’s father) and Carlos Víctor. “There was a third partner, but died in a traffic accident,” he recalls. With only 15 years, Raúl started leaking a hand on weekends, “I never thought I would dedicate myself to this, but the roads of life take you where you are least expected.” Of the small original bar to what is very much happened today, but The wood oven It is still the same. “We have grown to give way to so much demand, but we maintain the essence. We have never worried about the decoration; here it comes to eat well, not to take photos,” he explains. “We are a road bar, we know where we are, who owes ourselves.”
Abel Valdenebro
Split, oysters and champagne
The sandwich is the undisputed star of the bar. Raúl cannot specify how many they do per day, “a barbarity,” he says. They highlight the Pepito de veal -Choly more difficult to find-, the one of the spine in a marinade made by themselves every day and that of newly cut ham. The bar is always full and treated between eight and ten people. “You have to serve quickly; people who are in a hurry to follow the trip. Another thing is the dining room, where the rhythm is another,” he explains. His bread is vital, “we work with a small baker from the area that serves us four times a week. It costs us more, but I can call him a Sunday at seven in the afternoon and attend me. That is priceless,” says Raúl, who defends investing in the small details.
Are Menu of the day (€ 13.50) It is a source of pride: five or six, seconds and classic desserts made at home, such as flan, curd, rice with milk or cheese cake. They also offer a special menu, somewhat more expensive, which includes roasts and even some letter option. The spoon dishes They are another of their pillars: “On Monday we have fabada, on Tuesday lentils, on Wednesday potatoes with meat or cod, on Thursday Jews pints or seafood soup and on Friday what about … or calluses with chickpeas, if there is luck,” he jokes. In your fall letter, with the drop in temperatures, they recommend trying news, asparagus with fried egg and, of course, The roasts. Lamb, pig and kid are the specialties of the house.
The restaurant bar, where the snacks triumph.
It is surprising that a road bar has one of The best wineries in the area. “It started by chance: one day a more expensive wine box arrived, it was sold right away and we decided to expand. Today we have some some 3,000 references and 500 champanes“, says laughing. That passion for wine translates into customers who buy it not only to drink there, but also to carry. They also have a small space of Forestry, sausages and some star dishes on commission.
Attracts attention that The oysters They are part of its essentials. “At first, we asked for the smallest box, convinced that we would have to eat them … and now there are people who are asked to a dozen along with a bottle of champagne, on Monday at 11 at night,” he remembers fun. Now, due to the great demand, oysters bring them directly from France.
Raúl Barroso, Sergio Barroso and Carlos Víctor, the owners of the Sparters in the restaurant’s winery.
All kinds of customers
Spartans is, above all, a reflection of Spain. “Here all kinds of people are mixed, from which he goes home in La Vera, who fixes the highway, the third generation of a family with his children, an Imserso bus, a group of Romanians or an Ibex manager. If you want to see what Spain is, come here for a while,” says Raúl laughing.
In fact, in its parking lot they live together a BMW last model, a Seat Panda and (literal) horses. There are no reserved or distinctions: they have eaten regional presidents, soccer players, artists and ordinary people, all at the same tables. “We try to do things well and keep the Simple recipesthe usual, those who like everyone, “says Raúl, with that serene tone of who knows that authenticity remains his best letter.
The Spartans: Southwest Highway, 47. Casarrubios del Monte, Toledo. Tel. 91 817 09 32. Prices: snacks, from € 6. Menu of the day, € 13.50. € 4.5 and champagne cup € 6