Bar Cortijo, a family-run establishment in Tarragona's Port neighbourhood, has been serving traditional Catalan cuisine from large cassoles for 48 years. The restaurant, opened by the Masegosa family in 1978, offers recognisable dishes at popular prices, attracting both local workers and new visitors.
Santos Masegosa, the current owner, explains that the bar's focus is on authentic, traditional cooking. "We defend the authenticity of traditional cuisine. Now you can eat the same thing in Madrid, New York, or Barcelona. Our palate is globalised," he said. The practice of displaying dishes directly in cassoles began when a display case broke, proving to be a popular and practical solution.
Customers can choose between small plates for €8 and large plates for €12. A 'popurri' or mixed plate, combining various dishes, is also available for €12. The menu features staple items alongside seasonal specials, depending on fresh produce from El Serrallo or the local abattoir.
Seasonal and Sustainable Cooking
Santos describes how the menu adapts to available ingredients. "When a friend brings mushrooms, you make pigs' trotters with mushrooms. Or the other day, a fisherman came with three kilos of anchovies, so I made them with garlic," he explained, adding that "for a cook, this is very beautiful." Tripe dishes, for example, can be made with pork, beef, or lamb, and omelettes feature "anything that can be omeletted," according to Santos.
Other dishes include peas with baby squid, sausage with beans, and migas. Santos learned to make migas, a dish utilising leftover bread, from his mother, who was from Granada. He realised the value of using up surplus bread from the Andreu bakery. "We cannot lose the tradition of 'poor man's cooking' from across the peninsula, which makes use of everything. When foreigners come, I explain this to them too," he stated. Coastal sardines with tomato or fried eggs are also on offer. During the Santa Tecla festival, a special dish of 'espineta amb cargolins' (tuna bones cured for a year with snails) is served.
Natural Wines and Family Legacy
Santos is also a strong advocate for natural wines. He believes that in hospitality, it is important to know the origin and production methods of all products. "Twenty years ago, we met a man who was said to make natural wine. And I saw that these were wines with less intervention. Our homemade food pairs very well with these wines. As Mediterraneans, we have it in our DNA for thousands of years. I want this for us. If I want it for myself, I want it for my clientele," he said. His father, he noted, simply called it "wine as it was made before."
The bar also produces its own vinegar from leftover wine, along with limoncello, walnut wine, and a dessert called Carlota, which uses the lemons from the limoncello production. Santos's son, representing the third generation, now helps behind the bar. Santos's brother, Lluís, who he described as "like a Mick Jagger of the dining room," also worked there until his death a few months ago. Despite the loss, the cassoles of Bar Cortijo continue to simmer, feeding everyone who visits.
