The best restaurants along the Costa Brava
With two Michelin stars, Paco Pérez’s Miramar is a destination restaurant of international standing. Here, innovation is infused with soul, resulting in cuisine that is as poetic as it is precise. An on-site bakery provides breads, pastries, and preserves, completing the experience of one of the Costa Brava’s most compelling tables.
A short drive inland from the coast, Els Tinars offers an elegant countryside dining experience. Under the guidance of chef Marc Gascons, traditional Catalan recipes are reimagined with a modern sensibility, showcasing the very best of local ingredients. Outside the summer season, a thoughtfully crafted lunch menu makes this a destination for leisurely escapes.
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.
Located within Hotel Empordà, Bistrot 1965 is the more relaxed sibling of the Michelin-starred Emporium. Run by the Jordà family, the menu celebrates Alt Empordà produce with modern flourishes, offering a single seasonal menu that reflects the region’s culinary rhythm. A place where tradition and innovation dine side by side.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.