It would be unusual not to have seen chatter about this on social platforms like TikTok, where people chase a specific dish. It’s common to encounter the same recommendation repeated across different accounts, and rare to see long queues when choosing to try that dish. This is exactly what happened to a tiny stall in Madrid’s Antón Martín market, known as Caracola, which offers just two items: potato omelette and cheesecake.
Madrid is a city alive with gastronomic markets, each neighborhood boasting its own lively spot. Across these venues, you can stumble upon a surprising variety, rarely knowing in advance what each stall might reveal. Social media, especially TikTok, has a way of spotlighting hidden favorites and pulling attention toward small, often overlooked places that were previously easy to miss.
Caracola, anchored in Antón Martín Market in the Embajadores district, is one such family-run business with more than eight decades of history. The shop’s “TikTok effect” transformed its modest presence into a widely discussed culinary niche. The duo behind it appreciates that cheesecakes and potato omelettes attract food lovers far beyond the neighborhood; social networks helped spread this quiet gem far and wide, turning it into a widely shared secret.
Inside the market, a steady stream of visitors creates a chorus of activity that fills the small space Caracola occupies. Amid the clatter of the kitchen and the line of customers waiting to be served, Ester Muñoz, the owner and executive chef, eagerly shares the story behind the stall.
“When you start something, you hope it will work,” Muñoz says, “We didn’t expect this much.” The venture began in 2014 when she decided to reinvent herself professionally, stepping into cooking and opening the first shop on the market’s ground floor. The early days featured ready-made options, including the famed potato omelette and the cheesecakes. A year ago, she and her husband expanded to the first floor and chose to focus exclusively on those two creations, believing they offered a unique advantage.
Today, Caracola offers a wide range of potato omelettes, from classic to varieties flavored with chorizo or gorgonzola, and cheesecakes in flavors like pistachio, Oreo, and Lotus. The secret, as Muñoz explains, lies in an oven-centric approach with minimal oil, which sets their products apart from standard versions.
Main article: craftsmanship
“Our way of working is different,” Muñoz emphasizes, “we are artisans.” Every day, the team crafts both dishes and calculates production to optimize the next day’s output. Experience and careful planning help determine the daily quantity needed.
Demand surged as more people learned about Caracola through social media, especially those who don’t live nearby. Guests who venture to the market on weekdays will find four small tables at the workshop’s front, and the kitchen hums as staff prepare orders. The wait can be five to ten minutes; weekends may require moving to the ground floor for seating. A takeaway option remains available for those in a hurry.
The chef calls the growth a “super positive” development and a kind of reward for the effort put in. Many visitors arrive with a clear idea of what they want, but high demand can lead to moments when backups or stock limits appear. “It’s personal and it has an end,” Muñoz notes.
“Novo Mundo,” a nod to the stall’s evolution from a neighborhood café to a viral sensation, marks a turning point in its story.
The Caracola team was surprised by how viral attention translates into increased foot traffic, a development they welcomed. Still, like any vibrant wave, it brought some challenges. Some visitors return repeatedly and savor the experience, while others arrive with fixed expectations and disappointment when options run out. Muñoz explains that, as artisans, production is naturally limited.
New beginnings
The situation could feel a bit overwhelming on busy days, with waits stretching beyond fifteen minutes. To address this, Caracola opened a new location on Plaza de Chueca in April, aiming to distribute crowds more evenly and shorten waiting times while improving service quality.
Even with rapid growth, the core offerings remain the same: potato omelettes and cheesecakes. Muñoz confirms the focus is to keep scaling within those lines, since public demand remains strong. The move into a larger space has not altered the artisanal essence that defines the products; the goal remains to preserve the craft and the daily routines that sustain it. Muñoz expresses pride in this approach, stating that it forms the bedrock of the business and its product.