Five tables in front of the sea in Northern Catalonia

Banyuls / Port-Vendres / Collioure / Canet-en-RoussillonThe Vermilion Coast has many points in common with the Costa Brava. Coves, fishing villages, vineyards by the sea, and Catalan cuisine. But there is less overcrowding, less international tourism, and often, prices are also more competitive. From Banyuls to Collioure, this coastline of Northern Catalonia offers many ways to eat in front of the Mediterranean. On this tour, we have chosen five, including one on the plain, right by the Leucate lagoon. These are proposals that do not seek the same thing: there are those who prioritize the product and identity, those who put the landscape at the center, those who bet on international cuisine, and those who seek a more sophisticated gastronomic experience. The sea, however, is present at all tables and landscapes. Hurry up, as they are about to close for the season.

At the entrance of the port of Port-Vendres, right where the quay opens onto the Mediterranean, Le Poisson Rouge occupies one of the most privileged spots in the town: a terrace literally right on the water, with the port and the boats as a backdrop. Eugénie Cebrian, raised in Perpignan and with a father originally from Picassent, has poured her Parisian universe into it after training as a chef in Paris. Since 2024, she has been at the helm, surrounded by artist friends who have contributed to creating the space and even designed items for the service. In the kitchen is Elmi Rejichi, also raised in Perpignan and trained in Paris and Tokyo. His cuisine champions the Mediterranean and, especially, Catalonia: fish from Blanes, Catalan produce, and dishes such as white tuna with peach, black olives, and almonds. "I want to create a humble, simple cuisine, with a maximum of three or four products, because otherwise the dish loses its direction," says Rejichi. Here, the priority is identity.

In the bay of Paulilles, the vineyards reach right up to the Mediterranean, and the Les Clos de Paulilles restaurant is integrated into this exceptional landscape. It is one of the few corners of the coast that has escaped mass urbanization, partly thanks to an unusual history: until the eighties, dynamite was manufactured in this place. The old Nobel factory involuntarily contributed to preserving a landscape that today allows the vineyards to be seen almost on the beach. The restaurant occupies one of the old winery spaces and offers Mediterranean cuisine that can be paired with the wines produced right there, which have a marked mineral personality. It is also a space designed for celebrations and groups. The cuisine is solid, with classic Catalan proposals such as stuffed squid, but the great experience here is sitting between the vineyards and the sea. The priority is the landscape.

You have to get to L'Imprévu on foot. Located on L'Olla beach, between Collioure and Argelès, the restaurant is hidden in a small cove populated only by a campsite and is reached after about ten minutes of walking from the nearest parking lot. If you decide to arrive via the coastal path, lunch or dinner becomes a small excursion, especially if you time your arrival to watch the sunset over the Mediterranean. To return, however, you will need to bring a headlamp. The space retains the familiar and informal air of a Mediterranean beach bar and the cuisine plays without complexes with influences from all over the world, with dishes that include ceviche, prawns, escalivada, and grilled specialties. It is a cuisine that is more adventurous than territorial, in one of the most unique corners of the Vermilion Coast. Here, the priority is the experience: arriving, sitting down, watching the sun set, and extending the afternoon.

La Littorine plays in a different league. In Banyuls, facing the Mediterranean, this restaurant offers a more sophisticated gastronomic experience, with a privileged terrace over the sea. At the helm of the kitchen is Kévin Védrines, who arrived as a line chef and has gradually taken on responsibilities until leading the stoves. His proposal puts the sea and local produce at the center, with fish, seafood, and refined Mediterranean cuisine that also incorporates wood-fired cooking. In 2025, it received the Trophée Cuisine de la Mer, des Lacs et des Rivières. The wine list, with a significant presence of references from the area, completes an experience that moves away from the concept of a beach bar. Here the priority is to eat very well in a restaurant in every sense, with the Mediterranean as a backdrop.

If we leave the Vermilion Coast and enter the vast beaches of the Roussillon plain up to the limits of Northern Catalonia, at the Leucate lagoon, we will find a land filled with campsites and beach bars that transport us to the Gulf of Roses. On the beach of Torreilles, La Baraquette has experienced a new phase this season with chef Rubén Gómez. Of Venezuelan origin, Gómez began his career with Martín Berasategui and had been accepted at El Bulli shortly before Ferran Adrià's restaurant closed. He has lived in Northern Catalonia for thirteen years and has now brought a cuisine that combines his roots with Japanese and Peruvian influences. The menu includes ceviche, makis, nigiris, and Japanese charcoal grill, in a menu much more ambitious than the word beach bar would suggest. But La Baraquette also claims its character as a paillote: tables facing the sea, cocktails, wines, and an atmosphere that invites you to extend the afternoon. Here the priority is the cuisine and the gastronomic journey, without giving up the beach.