Girona has been on the world gastronomic scene since Ferran Adrià opened up shop in the town of Roses and transformed Bulli, turning it into the 5-time best restaurant in the world according to The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. One of Adrià’s colleagues, Joan Roca then took centre stage, and his restaurant “El Celler de Can Roca” was crowned the best restaurant in the world twice. The latter is yet another reason why visitors flock to the regional capital.
The snowball effect that these two restaurants have created is noteworthy. Nowadays, a wide array of restaurants in Girona dish up more complex, sophisticated and expertly presented cuisine. The big winners are the diners, i.e., you! Girona is currently home to 18 Michelin stars across 14 restaurants. A stunning number considering it’s a relatively small region.
Let’s take a look at the list of Michelin-starred restaurants in the Girona province:
–El Celler de Can Roca – Girona (3 stars)
A sophisticated, modern restaurant in Girona run by the three Roca brothers. Their passion for the kitchen was forged at an early age in Can Roca, their parents’ restaurant. El Celler de Can Roca was considered the best restaurant in the world in 2013 and 2015 and has 3 Michelin stars. Interested in seeing what the chefs rustle up?
–Miramar – Llançà (2 stars)
Miramar was born out of the love story between Paco Pérez and Montse Serra, who along with her family owned a modest hostel with a restaurant by the beach. Together, the couple turned this hostel into a restaurant focused on tradition and a respect for local produce, turning it into innovative, avant-garde cuisine. All with stunning views of the Mediterranean!
–Les Cols – Olot (2 stars)
The perfect fusion between tradition and modernity. The restaurant is inside a Catalan farmhouse with bespoke interior design. The chef’s cuisine is creative, simple, and humble but intuitive, intimate and authentic.
–Les Magnòlies – Arbúcies (1 star)
In the heart of Montseny and with a garden full of magnolias, this restaurant offers diners top quality produce, sophisticated creations and noteworthy flavours. It’s worth the detour!
–Ca l’Arpa – Banyoles (1 star)
The owner Pere Arpa has only one wish: that you feel at home. The goal is to convey the spirit of the old family-run inns. The cuisine involves creative takes on Catalan dishes, using products to convey emotions.
–Emporium – Castelló d’Empúries (1 star)
The Jordà family’s restaurant has been pouring its body and soul into cuisine since 1965. Sea and mountain cuisine can be enjoyed with local produce. The goal is to deploy all the elements surrounding the restaurant to dish up seasonal cuisine along with the Alt Empordà landscape, rooted in personal experiences. Have they been successful? Come and take a look for yourself!
–Bo.Tic – Corçà (1 star)
A strong reputation built on an experienced background, their capacity for innovation, and selecting the best local products. Since 2017, they have sought to make the restaurant even more beautiful and comfortable, enhancing diners’ emotional experiences. Will you join them?
–Massana – Girona (1 star)
The owners believe that to create little sparkles of happiness, they must combine the finest produce in a beautiful setting, and offer superb service, among family, friends and cuisine. The harmony of the ingredients, the purity of the product and sophisticated presentation create a highly enjoyable gastronomic experience full of nuances and emotions.
–La Fonda XESC – Gombrèn (1 star)
Their cuisine is defined as “dishes of yesteryear with a modern flair”. The goal is to create simple, effective, unpretentious cuisine, only using two or three ingredients in each dish. As the saying goes: “Less is more”, right?
–Casamar – Llafranc (1 star)
Chef Quim Casellas’ motto is: “Cooking is my passion, quality is my obsession.” All this enthusiasm comes together to give his work a dash of magic. A charity event in Madrid awakened a social commitment, and he decided to create the “Entaulats” project, held in Palafrugell in March.
–Els Tinars – Llagostera (1 star)
This garden restaurant next to the Costa Brava highway is run by the Gascón siblings. Marc in the kitchen and Elena in the dining room. Diners consider it one of the region’s finest menus, so it came as no surprise to see Marc nominated as the best young chef in Catalonia.
–Castell Peralada – Peralada (1 star)
This restaurant’s essence is a contemporary take on Empordà cuisine. Chef Xavier Sagristà and head waiter Toni Gerez have created haute cuisine to creatively reinterpret the culinary tradition with avant-garde dishes based on quality produce from the land and the Mediterranean.
–La Cuina de Can Simon – Tossa de Mar (1 star)
Their dishes seek to convey what is ours, of what we have experienced at home, of what we have near and when appropriate, of what we love. Simply said, with the care with which you treat what you love, we work so that you can also make it your own.
–Ca l’Enric – La Vall de Bianya (1 star)
An evolution of traditional cuisine, seeking the essence of the region’s flavours. The restaurant is in Vall de Bianya, an inhospitable, sparsely populated area. Want to visit?
Such restaurants dish up sophisticated cuisine, which we refer to as a multilevel sensory experience. These are not “traditional” restaurants. The presentation of the dishes, the smells, the highly imaginative combination of flavours, the quality ingredients, and the connection between all these factors and the environment, make a visit to one of the restaurants above a fast-track to discovering what Girona has to offer.
These 14 restaurants are the culinary flagships of the Girona region, but there are hundreds more of the highest quality! Now you have another reason to consider Girona as your next holiday!
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