6 Innovative and Unique Restaurants to try in Catalonia

Our Catalonia self guided bike tour starts in Girona, which is as famous for its food as it is for the fine cycling in the surrounding area. If you haven't yet experienced what all the fuss is about with Catalan cuisine, here are a few places to start!

1. La Calendula, Regenços - A beautiful kitchen garden and landscaped grounds are the setting for a colourful and inventive meal, hosted by your chef Iolanda Bustos, who believes in connecting the diner to nature through her modern, biodynamic food.
2. Ca la Pilar, Girona - for Catalan comfort food in a fine dining setting. Adventurous diners can taste cod tripe with artichokes and green peas – or if you’re feeling daring and want to surprise your palate, the pig snout and pig ear with chickpeas. 
3. Compartir, Cadaques - the freshest regional seafood elevated to form a memorable meal. Sister restaurant to Disfrutar, Barcelona, currently number 9 on The 50 best restaurants of the world, this place is a phenomenally accessible restaurant serving the freshest seasonal food in creative ways to everyone from sandy tourists fresh off the beach to the high flying Costa Brava set.
4. Cal Ros, Girona - An elegant and airy space, in the old town, dine at round tables under the large stone arches on a big plate of Palamós prawns or an Arros Meloso, the soupier version of Paella typical to this region of Spain.
5. La Quinta Justa, Olot - Sampling the Volcanic cuisine, unique to the area of La Garrotxa is a must when you visit Olot. A great place for lunch with the Menu Del Dia at only 14.10€, you can try rabbit with samfaina or a fava bean stew with chunks of black botifarra.
6. Cal Tet, L’Estartit - A rustic seaside bar serving up fish and seafood arriving from small boats, presented fresh and simply cooked over embers, just on its own. There’s a  reasonably priced tapas menu, too. Typical dishes are fish skewers, clams, fried squid, grilled octopus, barnacles (percebes) or cod. 

By Vanya Maplestone

Vanya is a part-time cycling tour guide with a deep affinity for Catalonia, having relocated from Australia 5 years ago, she now makes her home in the heartland of Spain's cycling Mecca.