In the Plaza de Cascorro, in the middle of the Rastro, there is a place where a newcomer from 1960 (for example) could enter and possibly only be surprised by the people’s clothes and for not being able to pay in pesetas. It is called Casa Amadeo -also known as Los Caracoles-and it is not, as its founder warns, a bar. “I’m not a waiter, I’m a barman,” Amadeo Lázaro (Burgos, 1929) told Traveler, with the clarity of someone who has seen more than half a century of customers, ladles and brandy.
The story begins in Cascorro. The place had no kitchen. Only wine, beer (which was not very popular at the time), vermouth and drinks. Years later his mother -in charge of the stoves- and a sister would arrive, and then yes: the aroma of stew took over the space.
Amadeo and his 96 years
Today, at 96 years old -celebrated publicly a little over a month ago on the tavern’s official Instagram- Amadeo keeps popping up around the place. He’s a spectacle in himself, and his tavern, another. It’s not big, and on Sundays you have to make your way through crowds of parishioners, tourists and Madrid’s tapeo faithful.
The star dish, of course, is the snails. A ton per month, between Sundays and normal days, according to El Mundo. The half portion costs 8.5 euros, the whole portion 13.5 euros, and what arrives at the table is a clay pot overflowing with beautiful snails, bathed in a thick sauce based on Cantimpalos chorizo, knuckle, trotters and a tasty spicy sauce. The moje is sacred. It is cooked for five hours and it shows.
Snails are not only snails
But Casa Amadeo is not only about snails. There is also marinated ear, fried or sauced snails, crayfish, tripe, bacon, bacon tails, battered cod, mussels, homemade desserts.
There are many taverns in Madrid, but few that preserve so much. Google reviews say it in their own way: “Don’t leave Madrid without coming here”. What they don’t say is that if you’re lucky, Amadeo can be at the door and inside, greeting you like someone who has been part of the landscape for a lifetime. Because he is.