Best places to eat on the Costa Brava



Okay. This isn't going to be your typical list. And you're not going to find Castell d'Emporda or Mas Torrent or even El Bulli here. I'm sure those places are all very nice (and in the case of Castell d'Emporda, I KNOW it's very good). But I wanted to make a list of restaurants that we've been to, enjoyed and can recommend for one reason or another. Also, the title is a bit misleading, I mean, most of them aren't actually on the coast, either.. But if I listed 'some really nice restaurants near us' it just wouldn't have the same impact.

El Persa - c/Riera, 4, Peratellada, 17113 Girona. Tel: 972 634 292.
Persian restaurant in Peratellada which is excellent, good value, fabulous food and a lovely setting. It's just outside one of the 'doorways' to the town which means that all those poor people who go to Peratellada to wander around looking for a restaurant (there are tons there) miss El Persa, which is a shame. Probably one of the only restaurants in the area where you can get hummus!

La Muralla - Av. Lluis Companys, 63, 17257 Torroella de Montgri. Tel: 972 760 694.
Technically, this is a 'snack bar' according to their card and I suppose that's true. Their specialty is traditional Spanish tapes and they do this well. But he also makes one of the best paellas I've ever had. I think they are usually to 'take away'. Perfect opportunity to impress your guests by pretending you've actually made it yourself!

Mas Concas - 17130 Cinclaus, L'Escala, Girona. Tel: 972 775 158.
Notice how they don't have a proper address? Not difficult to find, the village name is 'cinclaus' which means '5 keys'. So yes, there are just 5 masias here and Mas Concas is one of them. Excellent traditional catalan restaurant serving really good food. They do an amazing chocolate dessert - I can't remember the name, but it's something really undescriptive like 'chocolate pleasure'.

Hostal del Caçador - Sobrestany, Girona. Tel: 972 788 419.
Another traditional catalan restaurant. Friendly and with an extensive menu serving local and in-season food. (Actually, that's a silly description, don't they all serve local and in-season food!?) Near Bellcaire d'Emporda.

Ca la Paquita - c/Major 22, 17257 Gualta. Tel: 972 758 303.
It says 'Cuina s'autor' which means, kinda, 'creative cuisine'. I suppose you could call it a french restaurant though. Very lovely food (smoked cheese vegetable risotto, anyone?). They do an excellent menu del dia for just 15 euros, which sounds expensive for a menu del dia but for this place is excellent value. Actually, I've only ever eaten lunch here - but I figure if they can do such a great lunch, dinner must be excellent!

El Ginebro - Ctra. de Vilopriu a Garrigoles, s/n. 17466 Vilopriu. Tel: 972 768 101.
Another excellent catalan restaurant and one of the first we discovered when we first moved to the area. Beautiful old building in a lovely setting with a seasonal menu. Excellent desserts as well! The kind of place you can while away a sunday afternoon with either a group of friends or just a couple of you.

Quatre Pebres - Carrer Fatima, 2, 17257 Torroella de Montgri. Tel: 972 760 084.
Opened this year, it's run by the same guy who runs La Sala, Can Carcan and, if rumors are true, the new pizza restaurant in town which is due to open this week. Nice and unusual menu, modern setting and friendly, attentive staff. It's on the roundabout at the top of Torroella de Montgri before heading to L'Estartit where Hotel Coll is. They also do an excellent lunch, always a good sign.

Sol Blanc - Barri Molinet, 14, Pals. Tel: 972 667 365.
Not -another- traditional catalan restaurant! (You can see why I put El Persa at the top of the list, being different!). This place is great for a sunday afternoon. Beautiful building, tucked away between Torroella and Pals. They keep ducks and chickens outside (and also on the menu). More seasonal cuisine!

Can Llado - Plaça Major, 14, 17464 Viladasens. Tel: 972 496 157.
This is where Steve and I have lunch once a week as it's quite near to his work. It's always packed at lunchtimes. We've been on a sunday before and they have a menu the size of a small novel. Very friendly and just basic, non-fancy, good, hearty food.

Kam Lung - c/Dels Horts 8, 17310 Lloret de Mar. Tel: 972 369 801.
A bit further away for us and the only one I've listed that's actually on the Costa Brava, Kam Lung is a chinese/indonesian restaurant. (Yeah! Indonesian food!! My favourite!) Really nice atmosphere. Try the Rijsttafel which is a selection of dishes.

I could go on. This list could go on forever, there are so many wonderful places to eat in the area. But the problem is, when there are so many great restaurants, choosing one becomes difficult! The dilemmas that we face, eh?

Posted: Mon - August 29, 2005 at 09:39 AM        

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