The Best of »Falstaff Online International 2025« in Catalunya
Led by Jordi Vilà, one of the foremost champions of Catalan cuisine, Alkimia explores the boundaries of traditional recipes with a thoughtful approach that bridges past, present and future. The restaurant has earned a Michelin star and three Repsol Suns for its intelligent, expressive cooking.
Run by Oriol Ivern, Hisop is one of Barcelona’s great modern classics. Its philosophy is rooted in contemporary Catalan cuisine that celebrates local produce, traditional flavours and refined simplicity. The menu often features seasonal game such as pigeon, rabbit, venison and quail. Awarded one Michelin star and two Repsol Suns.
From the acclaimed team behind Barcelona’s Disfrutar—voted the World’s Best Restaurant 2024—Compartir offers a relaxed yet imaginative dining experience in Cadaqués. Here, contemporary creativity is seamlessly blended with tradition, making it a place where culinary excellence feels approachable and convivial.
Overlooking the sparkling bay of Llafranc, Casamar combines modern Empordà cuisine with breathtaking views. Run by siblings Quim and Maria Casellas, together with Ferran Lladó in the kitchen, the restaurant continues a family tradition that began 70 years ago. Expect a refined marriage of technique, creativity, and local ingredients.
Albert Ventura’s Coure balances Catalan essence with modern creativity, where precise technique serves the integrity of the product. The restaurant features two spaces: a relaxed street-level bar and a more intimate dining room below.
Jordi Esteve’s Nectari offers Mediterranean cuisine that is elegant, modern and imaginative, yet firmly grounded in authenticity. With a focus on seasonal and local ingredients, the menu often includes mushrooms and game, celebrating autumn’s finest flavours.
A Llançà institution, Els Pescadors is devoted to seafood, with Cap de Creus lobster as its proud emblem. Siblings Lluís and Maria Àngels Fernández ensure each lobster is accompanied by its own numbered illustration—a detail that elevates dining into ritual. A celebration of the sea in all its richness.
At Sumac in Roses, chef Jordi Dalmau showcases his precision-driven cuisine, honed under the guidance of Santi Santamaría. Every dish is built upon carefully sourced local ingredients, highlighting the very best of the Empordà in an elegant, understated setting. A discreet yet essential stop for gourmets.
Nestled in the cobbled heart of Tossa de Mar’s old town, La Cuina de Can Simón has been lovingly run by the Lores-Gelpí family since 1988. Housed in a former fisherman’s cottage, the restaurant blends contemporary Mediterranean finesse with recipes steeped in tradition. Seasonal, local produce dictates the rhythm of the kitchen, resulting in dishes that feel both rooted and refined.
Drawing inspiration from the medieval Sent Soví cookbook, Marc Pérez and Tania Doblas reimagine Catalan classics with a contemporary twist. The focus is on organic, locally sourced ingredients and a clear sense of place. Still a relatively new project, La Sosenga is already gaining attention among Barcelona’s gastronomes.
Tucked within the legendary Hotel La Gavina, Candlelight is the epitome of romance and refinement. Chefs Romain Fornell and Oriol Fernández weave together French elegance and Catalan flair in dishes that reinterpret timeless classics. With its intimate ambience, this is a dining room made for lingering evenings and special moments.
Chef Armando Álvarez champions honest, market-driven cooking using seasonal ingredients. For lovers of game, Capetis a must: dishes featuring partridge, wild boar, deer, hare, pigeon and pheasant take pride of place on the menu.
Chef Oriol Casals honours Catalonia’s culinary heritage through small plates made with organic ingredients sourced from local producers. His two tasting menus reflect the region’s diversity, authenticity and charm.
Kostat del Mar offers refined Catalan cuisine in the chic surroundings of the Finca Victoria Hotel & Spa. Led by chef Álex López, the kitchen reinterprets local traditions with precision and creativity, while the sea lies just a few steps away.
Perched above the bay in L’Escala’s old town, El Roser 2 combines sweeping sea views with a cuisine that honors Empordà’s seafaring heritage. Under Jordi Sabadí, the focus is firmly on fresh seafood, prepared with personality and flair. A weekday tasting menu at €33 offers remarkable value.
With its enviable beachfront setting and maritime décor, La Taverna del Mar captures the essence of the Mediterranean. Its menu celebrates fresh seafood, complemented in summer by leisurely breakfasts, light terrace snacks, and evening cocktails by the sea. Casual yet stylish, it is a quintessential seaside address.
On Aiguablava beach, Toc al Mar is famed for wood-grilled fish and seafood sourced straight from the local waters. Equally celebrated are its rice dishes, which draw loyal visitors year after year. The setting is relaxed, the cooking exceptional—a seaside gem that embodies the spirit of the Costa Brava.
Just a few kilometers from Els Tinars, Marc Gascons presents a more relaxed interpretation of Catalan cooking at Bell-Lloc. Here, the atmosphere is warm and unpretentious, with dishes that evoke the comfort of home yet remain rooted in the rich culinary traditions of the region. A rural setting completes the picture.