Food & drink · Figueres

Restaurant El Motel (Hotel Empordà)

Hotel Empordà's restaurant — known locally as El Motel — is not just a good meal; it is a pilgrimage site for anyone serious about Catalan food. Chef Josep Mercader effectively invented modern Catalan cuisine here in the 1960s, and the kitchen has never stopped pushing.

A Living Culinary Monument

Ferran Adrià of elBulli fame has cited El Motel as a foundational influence, and the restaurant still holds a Michelin recognition. The menu balances classical Empordà dishes — suquet de peix, duck with pears, salt cod with honey — with lighter, contemporary interpretations that feel rooted rather than trendy.

The dining room is warm and unfussy: white tablecloths, good light, serious but unpretentious service. It feels like a place where important things happen quietly, which is exactly what it has always been.

What to Order

Start with the anchovy toast and a glass of local Empordà DO white wine — the Garnatxa Blanca grape produces something floral and saline that matches the coast perfectly. The mar i muntanya dishes (surf and turf in the Catalan tradition, often rabbit with prawns) are the kitchen's spiritual heartland.

Lunch is the better-value entry point: the weekday set lunch menu offers two courses, wine and coffee for around €28 — remarkable for this level of cooking. Book at least a week ahead for dinner, longer in summer.

Watch