The Empordà for food lovers: gardens, wine and great tables

The Empordà has quietly become one of Spain's most rewarding regions to eat and drink. This is the land that shaped elBulli — Ferran Adrià's legendary restaurant sat on a cove near Roses — and that pedigree still ripples through the local kitchens. But the everyday pleasures are simpler: garden vegetables, just-landed fish, and wines from a small, characterful denominación. Here's where to base a trip around the table.

What to eat in the Empordà

The signature here is 'mar i muntanya' — sea and mountain on one plate, like chicken with prawns or meatballs with cuttlefish — a Catalan idea the Empordà does especially well. Look out for Palamós prawns (a local obsession, and pricey for good reason), salted anchovies from nearby L'Escala, rice dishes and 'suquet' fish stews on the coast, and slow-cooked meats and wild mushrooms inland. Finish with a crema catalana or the local 'recuit' fresh cheese with honey.

Garden to plate: Mas Generós

In tiny Fonteta, chef Iolanda Bustos cooks her pioneering 'cuina de les flors' — wild flowers and foraged herbs — largely from the garden of her adults-only farmhouse, Mas Generós. Book the tasting menu and, if you can, a foraging or cooking workshop. It's the most personal food experience in the region, and the reason to stay here rather than just visit.

Wine country: the Alt Empordà & Peralada

Up in the Alt Empordà, the DO Empordà makes bright Mediterranean reds, whites and characterful Garnatxa dessert wines from vines hardened by the tramuntana wind — a small, ambitious wine region that's still well off the mainstream radar. Hotel Peralada Wine Spa sits beside its own castle, winery and golf course; pair a tasting with the wine spa's vinotherapy treatments, and in summer time your stay with the Castell de Peralada music festival.

Country kitchens: Mas de Torrent & Casa Anamaria

For polished regional cooking with a bed upstairs, Mas de Torrent builds seasonal Empordà menus on local produce, backed by a deep DO Empordà list — the most complete food-and-stay combination in the Baix Empordà. Near Banyoles, the country estate Casa Anamaria reworks Catalan classics in a relaxed setting — a good base if you're travelling as a group or want a spa alongside dinner.

Markets, villages and the long lunch

Half the joy of eating in the Empordà happens away from the white tablecloths. Time a morning around the markets — La Bisbal (also famous for ceramics) and Torroella de Montgrí are the best — and the medieval villages of Monells, Madremanya and Peratallada, each with an arcaded square built for a long, slow lunch. Roadside 'cellers' and village bakeries reward detours, and the Sunday lunch is practically a regional sport.

When to go

Spring and autumn bring the best produce — wild herbs, mushrooms, the vintage — and the calmest tables; book the destination restaurants ahead at any time of year. Summer is busy and hot, so reserve well in advance and lean on long, late lunches. Winter is quiet but rewarding for game, mushrooms and a fireside meal inland.