Located near the fishing port in Sant Carles de la Ràpita, there is a historic fish and seafood restaurant first opened in 1912 called Novedades Casa Asmundo. It was founded by uncle Asmundo and aunt Agustina, those days it was a place where people could buy or have in a relaxed atmosphere a glass of wine or vermouth accompanied by canned food as tuna in olive oil or cockles. Nowadays, Casa Asmundo still retains many intriguing decorative features from its early years as a tavern such as the hand carved wood bar and the wood refrigerator that today even works. From the beginnings as a tavern up to the current days, the restaurant has been adapting and has taken advantage of the opportunities that have been appearing up to become one of the referenced and popular restaurants of the privileged area of the Ebro’s Delta. The inflection point between the tavern and the restaurant had been leaded by father Pedro and his wife Cinta. Thanks to them Restaurant Casa Asmundo opted for quality and become its main aim. They knew the importance of being born in these privileged and fertile land, they loved it and the best proof of it was the purchase of rice fields (arrossars) from la “Ribera” and olive groves. For us, their descendants, the best inheritance is to collect our own harvest of “bomba” rice and make our own olive oil following the traditional procedure.
Menu
Sticking to what the owners, the brothers Segismundo and Pedro, know best, offering the highest quality, fresh fish and seafood sourced from Ebro’s Delta and its coast, simply cooked following the traditional way to emphasize all its flavors have been the keys of success of this restaurant.
The menu, filled with the freshest and tastiest fish and seafood available in the fish market of Sant Carles de la Ràpita, rotates with the season and the sea conditions. This is the reason why the menu lists is not given to diners and Pedro or their waiters will explain them what they are able to offer, embracing their “sea to plate” philosophy. Dishes as clams with their own sauce, mussels from the mussel’s beds, paella, fish stew, “Del Caldo”, a typical fishermen’s food, have become their seal of identity. Rich and tasties desserts complete the menu and include catalan cream, chocolate fondant, “Tatin” cake and delicious handcrafted ice-creams, everything make with patience and delicacy by the pastry cook. Enhancing the flavour of the selected dishes, the sommelier would recommend the wine or cava (a Catalan sparkling wine) that best marry among a wide range of wine appellation throughout Spain.
Rice and Noodles
They are all cooked with our own “bomba-rice”, or noodles cooked with seafood.
Fisherman’s stew, with different fishes
Cooked in our traditional style and always with fresh seasonal fish.
Stew
Our Tradicinal Lobster’s Stew
Delcaldo
Most typical food, what the fishermen eat on board.
History
In 1912 “Tio” Asmundo and his wife “Tia” Agustina founded the tavern “Novedades”. A place where the people could enjoy a glass of wine or self made „Rapitenc“, a vermouth fermented in its own wood barrel. It wasn’t a long time before there began to serving food to the inhabitants of La Ràpita.
Asmundo and Agustina
In the beginning it was canned food, after a short time they started with “chopped” seafood from Ebro’s Delta. Which is still our trademark, the “grúmols”(clams) with our special sauce, the mussels, the “canyuts” (ensis macha), the cuttlefish,… until today we cook the servings in our traditional way like once Tio & Tia. Some of our clients are remembering this time with a kind of nostalgia when eating at Casa Asmundo. The “Novedades” Tavern became a place where afterwork the families, friends,… meet, everyone had a place there. And that familiar place started to be knewn for everyone instead of Novedades, as “Casa” Asmundo, Asmundo’s Place.
Workers eating at Asmundo’s Place (Casa)
The Restaurant in the 50’s
With the construction of the new commercial and fishing port in la Ràpita, Casa Asmundo had the opportunity to keep growing up as a fonda (restaurant), where the workers, after a hard working day, could enjoy eating like they where “at home”.
A new spirit, Cinta & Pedro with “Tia” Agustina.
This “new era” was started with “la iaia” Cinta, & “lo iaio” Pedro with “la tia” Sofia. This was the turning point when Casa Asmundo tunrned into a Restaurant, expanding his menu and introduced new different types of cooking rice and fish until the present day. And of course, always keeping the taste of tradition with the quality that the products from Ebro’s Delta provide. This privileged place, where fresh and seawater have a unique symbiosis.
Location
Carrer de Jesús, 4, 43540 Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Tarragona, Spain
Opening Hours
Sunday – Thursday
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Friday
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
9:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Saturday
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
9:00 pm - 11:00 pm
