Girona is a walled Catalan city on the river Onyar, 38 minutes by fast train from Barcelona. The Barri Vell climbs from the painted river houses to the cathedral, and its squares, Plaça de l'Oli and Plaça del Vi, now hold the Roca brothers' bar and restaurant Normal. The Rocas' El Celler de Can Roca has three Michelin stars and turns 40 this year, and their ice cream shop Rocambolesc and chocolate house Casa Cacao make a day of eating without a booking. The city's own sweet is the xuixo, a fried croissant roll filled with cold cream, and in March 2026 Pastisseria Tornés won the world xuixo contest. Spring brings the Temps de Flors festival and autumn brings mushrooms and truffle.
Girona at a glance
What to eat
Xuixo de crema; A Rocambolesc ice cream; Tapes and small plates; Rice and Costa Brava fish; Catalan classics.
When to go
Best: May and September–October. Also good: April, June and November. Hardest: August.
Top tables
This guide lists 4 award-winning restaurants, starting with El Celler de Can Roca, Massana, Divinum and Esperit Roca.
Where locals eat
Local favorites off the prestige lists include Bar Normal, Pastisseria Tornés, Xuixo Can Castelló and Dit i Fet.
4 award-winning10 local favorites2 hot right now2 markets7 walking tour stops10 chef's picks3 sandwich shops5 romantic dinners5 breakfast spots4 new openings20 dish spots
Going with a group?Give Chef your dates and hotel and he drafts every meal. Then send the group one link: they heart what they'd go to, add their own, and see the morning each table opens.
Girona is small enough to eat across in a day: a xuixo, the Lleó market, tapas on Plaça de l'Oli and an ice cream on Carrer de Santa Clara. For the long tables, book El Celler de Can Roca, Massana or Divinum weeks ahead. Many Barri Vell places close one or two days a week.
The well-known five
El Celler de Can Roca
Can Sunyer, Taialà
Michelin 3 stars (2026)Catalan, creative€€€€
Order: The tasting menu
Three Michelin stars and 40 years in 2026. Reservations open about 11 months ahead and go fast.
Best for: the meal of a lifetime · Reserve: book as early as the window allows
New places change fast. “Provisional” means a guide or directory lists it as new but we have not confirmed the opening date. Check hours and book ahead before you go.
Memorable breakfasts in Girona
Five places chosen for the food, the room, the history or the local character. In no ranked order.
Picks come from romantic-dinner lists on booking and review sites. Confirm dinner service, menus and availability before you book.
Food walking tour
Xuixo to Roca: a Barri Vell and river eating day
A xuixo, the Lleó market, tapas on Plaça de l'Oli, a Rocambolesc, hot chocolate, a rooftop drink and a Catalan dinner.
Start 9:30 at Xuixo Can Castelló, Carrer de l'Argenteria 7Time 10.0 hoursDistance about 2.1 milesBest days Friday or Saturday, from late March to June or in autumn. Bar Normal is open Wednesday to Sunday, so skip Monday and Tuesday.
Girona is small enough to walk end to end. Start with a xuixo in the Barri Vell, cross the Onyar to the Lleó market, come back to Plaça de l'Oli for tapas, then work through ice cream, chocolate and a rooftop before a Catalan dinner.
Crazes move fast. “Just spotted” means one report so far, and most entries rest on a single source: confirm hours and expect a wait.
The Girona food map
Every place in this guide, pinned. Tap a pin to see what to order, then add it to your trip.
Open the full Girona food map: every place on our lists too (pizza, ice cream, romantic, where locals and the famous eat, cooking classes), searchable by dish.
· Pins are placed by address or name and can be a little off; always confirm in your maps app.
Plan my days in Girona
Tell us what you like and we will line up the places on this page into a day-by-day plan. Only places from this guide, never anything else.
What to eat in Girona, and where
Each dish comes with the places that do it best. Tap Add to my trip on the ones you want, or find them on the map above.
Xuixo de crema
Girona's fried croissant-dough roll filled with cold cinnamon and lemon pastry cream and rolled in sugar, about 100 g of it
May has Temps de Flors, when restaurants offer flower menus and the xuixo shops sell out. September and October bring mushrooms and truffle to the kitchens. August is hot and some family places take a week or two off, so check hours.
In season
Wild mushrooms, game and truffleOct–DecMassana is known for game, mushrooms and truffle in season.
Xuixo de cremaJan–DecFried daily at Tornés and Can Castelló. Tornés makes 40 percent more in Flower Time and still sells out.
PanelletsOct–NovSmall almond sweets sold around All Saints' Day, November 1.
Food events
Xuixo Day and the World Xuixo ContestMarHeld on Plaça Salvador Espriu in front of the Lleó market on March 22 in 2026, when Tornés won.
Temps de FlorsMayMay 9-17 in 2026, its 71st edition. Restaurants join in with flower menus.
Girona Christmas MarketNovPlaça de la Independència, Nov 27 to Dec 5 in 2026.
Closures to plan around
Bar Normal is closed Monday and Tuesday and takes no reservations.
Some Barri Vell restaurants close one or two days a week, and a few take a break in August.
From published guides and tourism boards. Months are our mapping of how guides describe the seasons; 2027 event dates are expected, not confirmed. Prices come from single sources of varying age, so treat them as a rough guide. Compare cities by month
Every place we have in Girona (32)
Search or filter, then tap Add to my trip. Places you add go straight into your trip planner.
DivinumAward-winningDish spotsChef's picksRomantic dinnersBarri Vell · Michelin Guide 1 star (2026) · Catalan, modern · €€€
El Celler de Can RocaAward-winningHot right nowDish spotsChef's picksCan Sunyer, Taialà · Michelin Guide 3 stars (Spain & Portugal 2026) · Catalan, creative · €€€€
Esperit RocaAward-winningRomantic dinnersCastell de Sant Julià de Ramis · Michelin Guide 1 star (2026) · Catalan, reinterpreted Can Roca dishes · €€€€
Palau Fugit, Casa Heras and GipsyLocal favoritesCarrer de Bonaventura Carreras i Peralta, Barri Vell · hotel restaurant and bar
Pastisseria TornésLocal favoritesDish spotsChef's picksBreakfast spotsCarrer del Migdia · bakery
Xuixo Can CastellóLocal favoritesWalking tour stopsDish spotsBreakfast spotsCarrer de l'Argenteria, Barri Vell · bakery
RocambolescWalking tour stopsHot right nowChef's picksCarrer de Santa Clara · ice cream
Mercat de la DevesaMarketsOpen-air market
Mercat del LleóMarketsWalking tour stopsMercadal · Covered market
Casa CacaoWalking tour stopsDish spotsPlaça Catalunya · chocolate
Palau Fugit, El Terrat and GipsyWalking tour stopsRomantic dinnersBarri Vell · hotel bar
Restaurant NormalDish spotsChef's picksPlaça de l'Oli · Catalan classics
CasamonerDish spotsSandwich shopsCarrer de Santa Clara · Xuixo de crema
König SandwichesSandwich shopsCarrer dels Calderers · Sausage and tapas bar
SELVA Life Coffee & BrunchSandwich shopsBreakfast spotsCarrer del Migdia · Café
Casa Heras at Palau FugitDish spotsBreakfast spotsBarri Vell · Rice and Costa Brava fish
Idle HandsBreakfast spotsPlaça Bell-Lloc · Eggs Benedict or shakshuka and a filter coffee
Esperit Roca spirits shopNew openingsNew opening
SoulNew openingsNew opening
Cacao BarDish spotsPlaça Catalunya · Roca chocolate
La Terrassa at Hotel Casa CacaoDish spotsPlaça Catalunya · Roca chocolate
MimoletDish spotsBarri Vell · Tapes and small plates
Rocambolesc, HortesDish spotsCarrer de les Hortes · A Rocambolesc ice cream
Rocambolesc, Santa ClaraDish spotsCarrer de Santa Clara · A Rocambolesc ice cream
Secret discoveries
Locally loved places that are not on the big prestige lists.
bar
Bar Normal
Plaça de l'Oli, Barri Vell · €
Order: The tortilla, gilda, croquettes and Girona beef tartare, then a Rocambolesc dessert
The Rocas opened it in May 2026 across the square from Normal. No reservations, open Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 23:00, with the kitchen closing at 22:00.
The Castello family opened a bakery in the Mercadal in 1898, kept the original recipe and in 2024 opened a xuixo-only shop in the Barri Vell. Time Out Spain gave it Historic Establishment status in 2026.
Order: Grilled pig's trotters with chanterelles and Comté, Girona beef croquettes
Adrià Edo and Júlia Trota, both six years at El Celler de Can Roca, cook old Catalan dishes with little-used cuts. Ara's May 2025 review put it near 80 euro a head.
Carrer de Bonaventura Carreras i Peralta, Barri Vell · €€€
Order: Seasonal small plates with a natural wine
It took the name of the 1978 Barri Vell restaurant of Quico Viader. A short seasonal menu with around 16 natural wines by the glass when it opened in 2022. Its site shows a 2026 menu.
Lluís Vallín and Pau Bonis, 27 and 29, cook about eight dishes that change every two or three weeks, with fish mostly from Roses. It has a Repsol Solete.
Order: Traditional Catalan cooking, no hotel stay needed
The Rocas opened it on April 27, 2025, named for their mother Montserrat Fontané, on the first floor of the Esperit Roca castle. It won a first Repsol sun in 2026.
Awards come from the guides named on each listing (Michelin Spain & Portugal 2026, Repsol Guide 2026, Ara, Time Out Spain and APD 2025-2026). Researched November 14, 2026. Restaurants change; confirm hours, reservations and current stars before you go. Some addresses, phone numbers and websites come from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), so call ahead to confirm. Local favorites are editorial picks, not rankings.
Chef Amazing’s lists for Girona: where locals eat, new openings, romantic dinners, ice cream, cooking classes and more, each place with what to order. Cooking classes in Girona: who teaches, what you cook, how long and how to book.
