Es Baluard Restaurant
Perched right on the Cadaqués waterfront with tables that practically hang over the water, Es Baluard has been serving honest Catalan seafood since the 1950s and remains the most beloved lunch spot in town. The suquet de peix — a saffron-scented fisherman's stew made with whatever came off the boats that morning — is the dish to order.
What to eat
Start with the local anchovies (anxoves de l'Escala, cured just down the coast) on toast rubbed with tomato and olive oil — a pan amb tomàquet so simple it barely needs a recipe and yet so good it needs no improvement. Follow with grilled sea bass or the suquet, which arrives in a terracotta pot fragrant with garlic, tomato and a splash of local white wine.
Dessert should be crema catalana — the Catalan original, lighter than a French crème brûlée, with a properly thin caramel crust that cracks satisfyingly under a spoon. Pair everything with a cold glass of DO Empordà white wine from the vineyards just inland.
Atmosphere and booking
The terrace faces directly onto the bay, and on a clear day the view stretches past the moored wooden boats to the rocky headlands beyond. The interior is tiled and unpretentious, with the kind of patina that only decades of loyal customers can create.
Reservations are strongly recommended in summer — the terrace fills by 13:30 and the kitchen closes for lunch around 15:30. The restaurant also opens for dinner, but the lunch service, when the fish is freshest and the light on the water is at its best, is the one worth planning your day around.
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