Restaurant El Motel (Hotel Empordà)
Just outside the city on the N-II road, the restaurant of Hotel Empordà — universally known as El Motel — is not just a great place to eat; it is the birthplace of modern Catalan cuisine. Chef Josep Mercader invented the concept of nueva cocina catalana here in the 1960s, and the kitchen has been a pilgrimage site for serious food lovers ever since.
A Living Culinary Monument
Ferran Adrià of elBulli cited Mercader as a foundational influence, and the restaurant's alumni list reads like a who's who of Catalan gastronomy. Today the kitchen continues to champion local Empordà ingredients — salt cod with honey and pine nuts, duck with pears, and the definitive version of crema catalana — prepared with rigour and without pretension.
The dining room is elegant but relaxed: white tablecloths, original art on the walls and a wine list that goes deep into the Empordà DO appellation, showcasing the region's garnatxa and carignan-based reds alongside crisp white wines made from garnatxa blanca.
What to Order
The menú de degustació changes seasonally but always anchors itself in the Empordà pantry. The anchovy-butter with bread that arrives before the first course sets the tone immediately — simple, perfect and deeply local.
For a more casual visit, the bar area serves a short menu of tapas and bocadillos at lunch, including a tortilla de patatas that regulars claim is the best in the province. The house vermouth, served with olives and a sliver of cured tuna belly, is the ideal pre-lunch ritual.
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