A lot of rice, a lot of seafood cuisine and a lot of fresh fish.
These are the features of the
gastronomy of the Costa Brava
, dotted with food courts, under business formats that range from the beach bar or the brasserie to more modern offers, with the option of indulging in a haute cuisine experience.
These are
8 tracks to move around the Costa Brava and try its gastronomy.
Photo: Francesc Guillamet.
TO SHARE
Beach branch
of the owners of the fifth best restaurant in the world
according to
The World's 50 Best Restaurants
list (which on July 18 presents the 2022 edition).
Eduard Xatruch, Oriol Castro and Mateu Casañas, owners of Enjoy (Barcelona), opened this restaurant in Cadaqués 10 years ago (it is the first time they started together), with an offer that is theoretically its most
casual
version , but where
they cannot hide his creative capacity and the perfectionism that characterizes his work
.
A white house from the early 18th century with an obvious Mediterranean look houses an interior dining room and a large terrace, much in demand in summer.
Rice and fish of the day coexist with modern recipes
such as tuna cannelloni, as well as cod fritters with honey foam or other dressings.
By the way, the trio of chefs has just opened a Share headquarters in Barcelona at the beginning of June.
Riera Sant Vicenç, s/n.
Cadaques (Girona).
Tel. 972 25 84 82. Average ticket from €50 to €70
THE HAIRY
It is not far from where what is now known as
avant-garde cuisine
was conceived and, in fact, it is a place frequented by the chef who led that movement.
La Pelosa is a beach bar very close to Cala Montjoi, where elBulli is located
, closed as a restaurant just 11 years ago and which, transformed into a foundation and
think tank
, will reopen as a museum as elBulli 1846.
Ferran Adrià is a regular customer of the La Pelosa business. Gómez-Alvaz family
in Cala Pelosa.
Overlooking Cabo Norfeu, he serves
Mediterranean
beach cuisine
via recipes such as monkfish casserole, rose anchovies, grilled sardines, rock mussels and rice dishes such as fish and shellfish paella -specialty- or lobster broth.
Catalan cream or flan, for dessert.
Road to Cala Pelosa.
Cala Montjoi (Girona).
Tel. 972 15 10 09. Average ticket from €30 to €50
TOC TO THE SEA
"A good table and a good grill is a sign of a good home," announces a sign in this
restaurant
built
on the sand of a cove on the Costa Brava.
This Mediterranean brasserie
format
is located on Aiguablava beach, in Begur.
Four partners (Santi Colominas, Sandra Baliarda, Txell Estany and Ruel Rodeles) started the project in the spring of 2011, under a concept based on two pillars:
ultra-fresh seafood caught in the area and grill as the main technique.
A
collection of fish arrived from the boats on the coast of Begur is put on the grill
(dispatched with an average price of 69 euros per kilo), such as sea bream, scorpions, dentex or rock octopus.
In addition, you can order wood-fired oven mussels, grilled sardines, rice dishes (including a
square Paella
), Escalivada with vegetables and romesco or shellfish from the area such as the red lobster from Cabo de Begur and the Palamós prawn.
Aiguablava beach, Begur (Gerona).
Tel. 972 11 32 32. Average ticket from €50 to €75
SWALLOW
Piste in Calella de Palafrugell, whose name is not accidental, since this
restaurant is installed right on the edge of the sea, which hits its walls
.
Project created by Raquel Tarruella more than 25 years ago with interior design by her sister Sandra de Ella (both are daughters of the Barcelona hotelier Rosa Esteva, founder of Grupo Tragaluz).
Candied artichokes with cuttlefish, Carpaccio of Palamós prawns with pesto and pine nuts or Steamed mussels with herbs and ginger
are some examples of a Mediterranean offer with an exotic touch, within a
menu of dishes to share, where there are also rice dishes
('Paella del Señorito' or vegetarian, for example) and
fish of the day.
Paseo Jimmy Rena, s/n.
Calella de Palafrugell (Gerona).
Tel. 972 61 43 36. Average ticket from €35 to €55
To know more
Cantabria.
Cenador de Amós (three Michelin stars), where excellence begins by taking care of the team
Writing: AMAYA GARCIA
Cenador de Amós (three Michelin stars), where excellence begins by taking care of the team
Bilbao.
Nerua, Josean Alija's kitchen that brings (even more) creativity to the Guggenheim Bilbao
Drafting: MARTA FERNANDEZ GUADANO
Nerua, Josean Alija's kitchen that brings (even more) creativity to the Guggenheim Bilbao
THE MERMAID
Seafood tavern
that, until 2011, was the destination of the people from elBulli, who seem to have visited the Montse Núñez business in the middle of the afternoon, who had worked in the restaurant run by Ferran Adrià and Juli Soler.
In this bar in the town of Rosas,
you can snack at any time
.
Roman style squid, various types of sausage, seasonal vegetables, a famous salad, seasonal sea urchins and, of course, Rosas prawns make up
their proposal that can be tasted inside the premises or on the terrace.
Plaça Sant Pere, 8. Roses (Girona).
Tel. 972 257 294. From €25 to €70
RAFA'S
If you visit Rosas, it is almost obligatory to double up and add another visit to Rafa's to La Sirena.
It is the house of Rafa Cantero, a Galician born in Quiroga, who in
a small space handles high-quality raw materials that arrive daily
at a shop window where he displays the
catalog
of seafood products before grilling or grilling them.
Rooster, sea bass, scorpion fish, sole, squid, Rosas prawns, espardeñas... whatever the sea dictates
.
For dessert, homemade cakes.
Located on a pedestrian street, you can choose to eat inside or on the outside terrace.
Their places are super demanded in summer.
On his day, Ferran Adrià passed through here almost daily.
Sant Sebastià, 56. Roses (Gerona).
Tel. 972 254 003. From €60 to €100
LOOK
A luxury in the north of the Costa Brava, already
very close to the French border and in the heart of Cap de Creus
.
Located on the seafront in Llançà, the house of Paco Pérez and Montse Serra has two Michelin stars.
"Avant-garde haute cuisine shaped by the Empordà landscape", defines this chef
, who updated the business created by his in-laws in 1939 with his wife.
His offer is structured in a menu
, with dishes such as lobster with chicken stock or
sea
cucumbers in
marine
crumbs -in addition to rice-, and
two tasting menus
.
You can choose
Mar 2022
, with the latest creations of the season, at a price of 210 euros (not including drinks), or
Memory, territory, culture
, by 180.
Paseo Marítimo, 7. Llançà (Gerona).
Tel. 972 38 01 32. Tasting menus for €180 and €210
THE FISHERMEN
The alternative in Llançà is this
fisherman's house, which was the port's fishermen's tavern opened in 1947
and which the Fernández-Punset family of hoteliers bought more than three decades ago.
With chef Lluís Fernández Punset at the helm of the kitchen, the offer has been taking steps from the
good product he handles to progressing towards a gastronomic restaurant.
Cap de Creus lobster served fried or 'without work', shrimp carpaccio or rice dishes follow one another on a menu with many options to eat.
Last June, Els Pescadors was included in the OAD (Opinionated About Dining) list for Europe.
Castellar, 41. Llançà (Gerona).
Tel. 972 38 01 25. From €70 to €120
Conforms to The Trust Project criteria
Know more