This year, the Martí family celebrates 75 years of history. It was 1950, when grandparents Josep and Conxita opened the restaurant Mare Nostrum in a Sitges. A little sea front village where tourism boom had not yet exploded. Back then, Sitges was a small coastal town where people mainly worked in factories or on the land.
The customers were families from Barcelona, and French cuisine was the reference, with the specialty being dishes flambéed in front of the customer, like Filet Diane, Sea Bass with Fennel, or Crêpes Suzette. Josep had worked at the Maison Dorée (Paris), in Málaga for the Husa chain, and finally in Sitges at the old Terramar hotel (now the Me Sitges Terramar hotel). He was always very happy to have achieved his dream. A gastronomic restaurant in Sitges.
Over the years, they stablished a relationship with some painters of the time, like Dalí, Pere Pruna, Josep Miquel Serrano, and more recent ones like Cristòfol Almirall or Miguel Condé, became friends of the actual family, leaving their mark on the restaurant's interior walls.
Years later, the second generation, first Leopoldo with his wife Montserrat, and later Josep, began offering Mediterranean and local cuisine, specializing in rice and fish dishes.
It was during this period that Leopoldo published his recipe for Sole with Cheese, with a visit from the “Bona Cuina” TV3 show presented by Jaume Pastallé.
Thus, in 2020, the third generation, Carol Martí, daughter of Leopoldo, takes over the management, maintaining the traditional dishes of the house and the family spirit, but bringing a more innovative air with seasonal dishes and local wines. The idea is for the restaurant to continue being a reference point in Sitges for many more generations.
The Martí family has always participated in sector initiatives, such as the creation of the "Club de Tast" in 1984 with its presentation at the first "Menjar de Tast", organized by the Sitges Hospitality Guild. The event was very popular in Sitges.
In 2015, the Sitges City Council recognized the restaurant for its trajectory of over fifty years and as one of the oldest in Sitges.
The family found by chance, while redoing the floor of the dining room, a wine vat, a vestige from when the vineyards reached the sand; this wine was exported to the American colonies at the end of the 19th century.
Sitges is fortunate to have a fabulous International Fantastic Film Festival, and the restaurant has hosted well-known actors and directors such as Ryan Gosling, Scarlett Johansson, Tarantino, and Oliver Stone.
Recently, the restaurant participated in the Festival Dona organized by the Casino Prado entity and the Modernist Gastronomic Route.
Finally, we want to thank all the clients, friends, and suppliers who have supported and accompanied us up to this point. Without them, it would not have been possible. We feel very fortunate to be able to share it!
