Homemade, heartfelt and full of flavour: The story of Casa Mami in Sax

Some restaurants come and go, while others quietly become part of the community. Restaurante Teatro Casa Mami in Sax is firmly in the second category.

Since opening its doors in 2013, the family business has built a loyal following around a simple idea: good homemade food, a friendly welcome and a willingness to keep improving.

The restaurant takes its name from founders Marina and Miguel, whose initials inspired Casa Mami. Today, the next generation has taken the reins. Their son Carlos and his wife Danielle now run the restaurant and are continuing what Marina and Miguel started more than a decade ago.

So, how do you take over a family restaurant and make your mark, but without losing the things that made it successful in the first place? This was the biggest challenge facing Carlos and arguably the most critical part of deciding how to move forward. Here he was, with an already established restaurant, complete with its own recipes and regular customers who were as much a part of the history as the restaurant itself.

“We wanted to keep improving without losing what my parents created,” Carlos explained. While this was undoubtedly a new chapter for Casa Mami, it was important to Carlos and Danielle that the heart of the business remained the same.

Homemade Food at the Heart of Casa Mami

Naturally, the starting point for any restaurant is the dishes that they serve, as Danielle proudly shared, “We make everything we possibly can ourselves. Even our sauces are homemade.” This approach extends throughout the kitchen, where traditional homemade Spanish cooking remains the main focus.

However, Casa Mami does not restrict itself to one style. As Danielle explained, “We mainly do typical Spanish food, but we like to have plenty of variety.” However, no matter what dish the team introduces, it is important to Danielle that it always feels like ‘Casa Mami’ food, and not simply something added to fill out the menu.

One dish that will always remain is their lobster rice. It has become one of the restaurant’s best-known dishes, with its roots going back to the days when Marina and Miguel ran the business.

“The lobster rice is one of the original recipes from when Carlos’s parents had the restaurant,” Danielle shared. Rather than change something that customers already knew and enjoyed, Carlos and Danielle decided to keep the recipe. Today, the lobster rice remains a house speciality and is available from Friday to Sunday as part of the €25 menu.

Introducing New Flavours

Alongside these traditional dishes, Carlos and Danielle are keen to experiment with other cultural influences, including Italian, Mexican, and Asian. Head chef Toñi, alongside Amalin, is responsible for showcasing these different cuisines in the dishes that leave the kitchen.

This approach has led to the introduction of aubergine chips with honey and Gong Bao prawns, both being considered firm favourites among the restaurant’s customers.

Examples such as these perfectly reflect what Carlos and Danielle are trying to achieve. They can introduce different dishes and ideas while still keeping the recipes that connect today’s restaurant with its past.

In doing so, the team also pays close attention to different dietary needs.

“We have vegan options, and we always have gluten-free choices,” Danielle said. “We’re also very careful when it comes to allergies.”

Wine and theatrical tastings

Alongside food, wine plays an extremely important part of the Casa Mami offering, and it is here that Carlos has introduced new and innovative ideas. For example, he proudly described how the restaurant has introduced ‘theatrical wine tastings’.

As he explained, “with a wide choice of reds and whites, the tasting events allow the team to do something different with that side of the business.” This has proved so successful that they are now considering extending them to beer tastings, although no date has been set.

A small and welcoming team

When it comes to the team at Casa Mami, this has been kept deliberately small, with each one playing their part in ensuring that Casa Mami remains true to its roots, but does not stand still.

Carlos and Danielle run the business, while Toñi and Amalin work in the kitchen. Then there is Miranda, who joins the front-of-house team at weekends, and José and Joaquina help when needed.

This also means that customers are likely to see the same faces when they return, adding to the friendly and welcoming character of Casa Mami. This, coupled with the fact that the team speaks both Spanish and English, makes it popular with customers residing in various parts of the Costa Blanca, and not just Sax itself.

Menus and private events

Price is another part of the conversation when Carlos and Danielle talk about what they want Casa Mami to offer. On Thursdays and Fridays, the restaurant serves a €14 Menu del Día. It includes a first course, second course and dessert or coffee.

The €25 menu is available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It includes two starters to share, a main course and dessert or coffee. The lobster rice is available with this menu.

Casa Mami also caters for private events and celebrations, with menus starting at €29. Rather than having one fixed package, the team adapts these menus according to what the customer wants.

A restaurant with different spaces

The restaurant itself helps them do that. There are two dining rooms, each with a different purpose. The upstairs dining room handles the normal daily service. Downstairs, Casa Mami has another room with the feel of a wine cellar, which the team uses on some weekends and for special events.

After more than a decade, Casa Mami remains much as Marina and Miguel intended: a family restaurant where homemade food and familiar faces matter as much as what is on the plate.

For Carlos and Danielle, that’s one tradition they don’t plan on changing.