If you’re wondering where to eat in Girona, you’ll find all the best places to in this post. We spent quite a bit of time in Girona, eating our way through the city and the market. We’ll share with you where to eat (because that’s my favorite part!) in Girona, which is located in the Catalonia region of Spain.
A Little About Girona
For a well-preserved Medieval city not too far from Barcelona, I am surprised that more tourists don’t make their way via train from Barcelona to Girona to check it out. I might even like Girona more than Barcelona. Girona is a smaller city than Barcelona, so it’s easier to wrap yourself around in a short trip.
It’s stunning and so easy to photograph. There aren’t hordes of tourists bumping their way in front of you everywhere. And it has the ability to captivate you the way larger cities just can’t. All of this is what makes Girona such a fantastic place to visit.
In just under an hour, you can zip from the center of Barcelona over to Girona on the high-speed AVE train. You’ll be deposited right where you need to be to start exploring, no time wasted getting to and from a far away transportation hub.
If you’ve never explored the Costa Brava area of Catalonia, I very highly recommend creating a whole itinerary of the area that includes a stopover in Girona. The best way to do this if you’re coming from the U.S. is to fly into Barcelona and rent a car.
Then start the journey at the southern end of Costa Brava, in Blanes. You will be astounded by the views!
Where to Eat in Girona
The first thing we always do when we arrive somewhere is take a walk around town, to get our bearings and scope out the things that first catch our eye. We look for restaurants that look intriguing and read menus to see where we might want to eat while we’re there.
That’s not always possible in a large city, but Girona is perfect for an initial scouting trip. We added so many places and things to see to our list that it took more than a week to see it all.
El Lleó Marketplace
One of my favorite things to do is walk around the local food market place. The market in Girona is located right in the center of town, between the old and new parts of the city. It’s called El Lleó because of the huge lion station just outside in the square.
Locals do their weekly shopping here at the market, where there are dozens of fish, meat and cheese stalls. I wouldn’t go on a weekend, because those locals are serious about getting their shopping done and you don’t want to be in their way.
But if you have 30 minutes on a weekday, you should definitely walk through and buy a few of the local products to try. There are cured meat shops offering slices of jamon and sweet sausage, cheese shops where you can pick up a chunk or two, along with a small baguette, and an olive stand from which you can mix and match your favorites.
Girona Food Tour
With all the incredible food in Girona, much of which you’ve probably never tried before, it’s very important to take a food walking tour, where you can sample specialties from many different shops and restaurants along the way.
Foodies will love this tapas-focused walking tour of Girona. You’ll start off with a tour of the local market, looking for the ingredients commonly used to make tapas and their Basque counterpart, pintxos. File that knowledge away for later use at home, because the next stops are a series of bars and small eateries.
There’s so much to loved about the food you’ll eat in Girona! For a peak at the things you definitely should try while you’re there, see our slideshow of local Catalan products.
Restaurants in Girona Spain
El Celler de Can Roca
You cannot mention food in Girona without a shout out to El Celler de Can Roca. If you want to visit this three-star Michelin restaurant, you will need to make reservations well in advance.
Of course, it’s also extremely expensive. But if you are willing to spend that kind of money on an incredible dinner, you should make a reservation here as soon as you possibly can. It’s easier to get lunch reservations, by the way.
The restaurant is run by the Roca brothers and has been highly acclaimed as one of the best restaurants in the world. It’s even on our list of top fine dining experiences to travel for.
Location: Carrer de Can Sunyer, 48, 17007 Girona, Spain
Rocambolesc
If you can’t get in to El Celler, you should definitely go for a consolation prize at Rocambolesc in Girona. It’s run by the Roca brothers, too, and it’s really good ice cream. They make really interesting flavors, like baked apple with shortbread and milk ice cream with dulce de leche and cotton candy.
If you’d rather have a popcicle, try one of their uniquely shaped pops, like the Rocanas, strawberry and rosewater sorbet nose.
Location: Carrer de Santa Clara, 50, 17001 Girona, Spain
Nu Restaurant
We wanted to have a nice meal for our anniversary, which we celebrated in Girona, so we made reservations at Nu Restaurant. It’s a very small place, just a single row of tables and a bar area, so it doesn’t get too loud or feel too crowded, even when the place is full.
The service is very personable and the food is outstanding. You can order a tasting menu with wine pairings, if you want to experience something a little different. Or you can order a la carte. We had a very nice meal there. Everything we ate was very tasty, from the guacamole starter to the beef filet.
Location: Carrer d’Abeuradors, 4, 17004 Girona, Spain
Nykteri’s Cocktails
We saw Nykteri’s cocktail bar while we were doing our initial stroll around town and vowed to go back for drinks while we were there. We were thwarted on a number of occasions due to the restricted opening hours, but we did manage to make it there and try a couple of the cocktails.
We would have gone back every night before dinner, if we could have. The cocktails are all handmade by owner and bartender Mariona Vilanova. Many of them include the beloved locale spirit, ratafia, but there’s also a collection of 50 types of gin, just in case you’re craving a G&T.
It’s an intimate lounge that’s perfect for pre-dinner cocktails and conversation. Girona doesn’t have many cocktail bars, and particularly with this great atmosphere and quality, so make sure you check this place out.
Location: Carrer de Santa Llúcia, 4, 17007 Girona, Spain
Occi
We were looking for a nice restaurant with modern food that could break us out of the tapas rut we were stuck in, when we came across Occi. What I like about this restaurant is that it’s small, dark, intimate, and unassuming, plus the food is reliably good and well-seasoned.
The plates are definitely more modern and creative than most casual counterparts in Girona, but less expensive than some of the other modern restaurants, like Nu.
Location: Carrer dels Mercaders, 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
La Fábrica
Looking for a great place to go for brunch in Girona? You can’t go wrong with La Fabrica. It’s one of the top coffee shops and cafes to hang out at, with great food. It has a trendy, brick interior that will make you feel like you just stepped into the quintessential coffee shop, and the cycling memorabilia decor is fun to look at.
La Fabrica is located in the Old Town area, among the winding lanes that meander through the city. It’s a great place to pop in for a great espresso, or to grab a healthy breakfast.
Divinum
This is one of the top Michelin-recommended restaurants in Girona where you will have a great dining experience, with artfully created and presented dishes, but at a price tag that isn’t as high as a starred restaurant.
Divinum is just the kind of food experience you want to have in Girona. It’s very artful and delicious, with high-end service, but it doesn’t feel overly pretentious. There are multiple tasting menus to choose from, each paired with wine, if you want.
What To Do in Girona
Looking for some things to do in Girona in between eating? Here are a few of our favorite things to experience while you’re in the city.
Game of Thrones Walking Tour
We are huge Game of Thrones fans, so it was on the top of our list to see the filming locations in Girona from the 6th season. There are many tour company in town that have walking tours of many of the Game of Thrones filming locations, all of which are within a small area in the old city.
We loved seeing the spots and recreating the scenes in our heads. They also had iPads loaded up with key scenes in case we’d forgotten. It really brought the show to life seeing these spots. And it gave us an even greater appreciation for the very well-preserved architecture in the old city of Girona. It’s such an enchanting place to walk through.
⇒ Pre-book your Girona Game of Thrones walking tour with Viator.
The Old City
The Medieval Quarter of Girona dates back to the 14th century and has an enormous history to tell, from the old Arab Baths to the Jewish Quarter – El Call, and the Basilica de Sant Feliu. One of the most impressive cathedrals (Girona Cathedral) towers over the tiny streets.
You can even still walk around sections of the old Roman city wall and climb up the towers for a better view of the city. It’s hard to imagine that this ancient city has been occupied for so long and still looks as incredible as it does.
I could spend hours walking around on the stone streets, admiring the architecture, narrow alleyways and even the modern additions some residents have made to their houses.
⇒ Book a small-group walking tour of Girona.
Colorful Houses along the Onyar River
Many of the iconic images of Girona are taken on the Onyar River that cuts through town. There’s a wall of colorful buildings that line the river and reflect into the still water, creating a kaleidoscope of colors.
The river isn’t just a great place to take photos, it’s also a nice place for a stroll. You’ll pass by the cities many bridges along the way and see some parts of both the modern and old cities.
Take a look at these 6 great Priorat Wineries along with where to stay and what to eat.
Conclusion
Have you been to Girona? Share with us your favorite places to eat and things to do in Girona. There are a lot of restaurants in Girona, Spain – lots more to see on a second trip.
Be Prepared For Travel
Planning is the most important part of any successful trip. Do it the easy way:
🧳 Travel Packing List | ✔️ Why You Need Travel Insurance | ✈️ What to Do Before You Leave Home
- Find and book the best hotel (our favorite booking site is Expedia)
- Research flight options (our favorite tool is Skyscanner)
- Book a tour (we always use Viator to find the best tours)
- Rent a car through Discover Cars (they search the best deals for you!)
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Laura Lynch, creator and writer of Savored Journeys, is an avid world traveler, certified wine expert, and international food specialist. She has written about travel and food for over 20 years and has visited 70+ countries.
OK you’ve definitely put Girona on my wish list. I love the look of that El Lleó market and the food tour as well. The old city looks gorgeous (we love GoT too) and the beautiful waterside as well. Gorgeous historic centre.
We lived in Palamos, about 80km north of Barcelona for a while on a long-term home exchange. I am embarrassed to admit, we never made it to Girona. Yet the photos have a familiarity to them. Especially the market (our busy day was Tuesday not the weekend), the food stalls, and the architecture.
We visited the market in Blanes and I think their busy day was Tuesday too. It’s set up in the middle of the street, so that’s probably a good thing 🙂
I have actually been to Girona on two different trips, but both times were for conferences and I’ve never really seen Girona. I’ve only had time to quickly walk through. I should go back for a proper visit one of these days!
Funnily, I just heard about Girona the first time this weekend. Looking at these photos make me want to go there now. The food looks great too.
Now you’ll hear about it all the time! That’s how it works, right? It’s really a great place to visit.
I would love to visit the Old city and the colorful houses along the Onyar River – we visited Barcelona recently though only had 3 days to spend so didn’t venture out into the surrounds. Will be making a note for next time to catch the train to Girona!
There’s never enough time, is there Meg? You can always go next time.
I wish I had known about Girona when I visited Barcelona. I like the old feel there.
The monuments though old still look strong and magnificent.
It feels very similar to Barcelona in many ways, but it’s so much smaller and easier to become familiar with. That’s what I love about it.
You touched a chord there. I was reminded of my own tour of Girona while going to Barcelona, Tarragona and Ibiza. I fully agree that the place has quite a lot in store for the tourists. I too liked to walk through the old parts of the city.
Great to hear that you loved it too, Nisha. It would be difficult not to, I think.
The food seems as charming and spectacular as the place itself. Being a vegetarian, of course I would be scouting for vegetarian options. But the ice cream and the appetizers look really spectacular. Food is another way to explore the culture of a place and this post does just that.
You won’t have any trouble finding vegetarian options in Girona, Sandy. The chefs there are especially good at elevating the flavors of vegetables with just a little olive oil and salt. It’s fantastic.
All Catalans LOVE Girona and I am no exception, such a beautiful city with so much to see & do around! I wanted to go to Girona last January but the weather was not nice so I changed destination. Hopefully I will be in the area in April and will have your post in mind for a nice restaurant or cocktail.
It is a beautiful city – and even better in nice weather. I hope you can get back there soon.
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Hi
Nice article to give Girona some well deserved publicity. We live about 40 minutes north of the city and visit regularly. It is a great combination of old and new, with fabulous atmosphere, great food and amazing scenery with very few tourists. The cathedral in this picture was started in the 5th century. You can do a self guided tour with a headphones guide to give you information about various points. At the bottom of the steps is the Via Augusta, a Roman road that is 2000 years old going from Rome to Tarragona, that goes right through the middle of the old town.
If you climb the winding steps through the Jewish quarter, there are beautiful gardens around the back of the cathedral that lead up to the city walls. There is a flower and art festival every year in May that has fabulous flower creations spread throughout the city. I love Barcelona, but Girona is one of the best small cities in the world.
Thanks for adding your perspective to this. I agree it’s one of the best small cities in the world!
Girona is a wonderful city. We ate at Massana both times we have visited and cannot recommend highly enough. It’s one star rated but the only fine dining establishment that I know of where Chef will bring out the Menu AND take your payment at the end of the evening. It’s very elegant but not at all pretentious. Our next visit to Girona is in two weeks’ time, we eat at El Celler two weeks tomorrow and I cannot wait!