The 10 restaurants outside Barcelona that are joining the 'Michelin Guide'

GironaThe Michelin Guide was born in 1900 with a business purpose that most have forgotten today: to sell more tires. How was it possible to combine cuisine with automobiles? Brothers André and Édouard Michelin had founded the company eleven years earlier in Clermont-Ferrand, in central France, encouraged by the positive outlook for the automotive industry. But at that time, there were fewer than 3,000 vehicles on the French market, and most were concentrated in cities. How could they get people to wear out their tires and get them punctured so they could sell new ones? Thus, a guide was launched, initially free, with maps and numerous recommended restaurants, with the intention of encouraging car owners to travel the country. Over time, the selection of the best restaurants by independent "inspectors" solidified the guide's status as a benchmark, and in 1926, quality began to be rated with stars. Today, the guide is a global benchmark, sometimes overshadowed by Michelin-starred restaurants, but it continues to carefully select the best restaurants, even outside major cities. This was the case on Monday in Girona with the presentation of Michelin plaques to recommended restaurants in Catalonia outside of Barcelona. This year, CaixaBank was responsible for presenting the 89 plaques, having taken over the organization with the aim of strengthening its presence in the gastronomy sector. As with Michelin stars, Catalonia accounts for one in five of the top establishments in Spain, with a wide geographical distribution. For 2025, 10 restaurants outside Barcelona will be added to the list, which, in keeping with the spirit in which the guide was created, are well worth a visit.

In Cerdanya, where many restaurants rely on winter tourism, this small establishment was born as a declaration of permanence. Martín Comamala—an Argentinian who has put down roots in Catalonia—wanted to demonstrate that haute cuisine can also take root in a mountain village. The project revolves around Pyrenean produce and a short, frequently changing menu. Rather than reinterpreting tradition, it refines it: less baroque, more refined. The Michelin Guide recognizes a strong sense of place and maturity. in a tiny restaurant with only eight seats.

On a seafront full of interchangeable restaurants, Cheche was born with an authorial will. Maria and Pedro are at the front.who grew up behind a bar and have taken over the family restaurant run by Ángel, now retired, Cheche For friends. Fish, rice dishes, and vegetables prepared with care. The concept works because it elevates the informal setting: you can eat by the sea with culinary precision. Michelin Guide See a well-understood contemporary Mediterranean cuisine.

Far from the usual gastronomic circuits, this restaurant occupies a painstakingly restored country house. The project is personal: a chef who fled the city to create his own space and cook at his own pace. The tasting menu is based on seasonal ingredients and modern techniques applied to Catalan recipes. Without creative flourishes, but with a strong sense of coherence. Michelin often takes notice of places like this: small projects with a clear identity.

In the basement of the main building of a family estate steeped in history, There's the restaurant run by Àngel Segura For the past five years, a dedicated waiter, passionate about the dining room and wine, has run a restaurant that specializes in seasonal produce, cooked without smoke and using traditional methods. Catalan cuisine is served in an event space. It's located right off the N-II highway.

The name is literal. So is the balance in the kitchen between two chefs of different backgrounds, Catalan and French, as highlighted by the Michelin GuideThis is complemented by a restaurant in the heart of Olot, renovated and designed by architect Xevi Bayona, where the old and the new blend seamlessly. They offer an à la carte menu and a €35 set lunch menu on weekdays, as well as the "Descubrir" tasting menu.

At the top of the castle of Sant Julià de RamisIn the kitchen where Àbac earned its first Michelin star, the Roca brothers have opened their second restaurant in 2025, located in the fortress where Girona was founded during Iberian and Roman times. It bears the name Fontané, in homage to their mother. It offers a 70-euro set menu, à la carte dishes, and shares space with the complex's hotel. Downstairs, there is another kitchen with already a star, Rock Spirit.

Second recognition for Cervera's cuisine, but in this case with a very unique proposalSergi Ortiz, the owner and chef of Antiguo Horno de Cervera, combines Japanese cuisine with locally sourced products. Last summer, he became the first in the region to enter the Michelin Guide.

The Hotel La Marina in Badalona, ​​nestled between the marina and Coco Beach, boasts a vibrant culinary scene with its up-and-coming restaurant, Tastavents. Located on the third floor, it offers stunning panoramic sea views. The open kitchen features a contemporary menu with a strong emphasis on experimentation, and offers two tasting menus.

One of the newest and most booked restaurants in summer on Begur's most coveted beach: Aiguablava. As its name suggests, the views are spectacular, but so is the food: It offers a 100% Mediterranean menu and the recommendation is the fish. Grilled or oven-baked, they offer fresh meat by the kilo. They also have reserved parking spaces.

Villa Más is located in one of the classic summer beach huts on Sant Pol de s'Agaró beach, offering sea views and a pleasant terrace that tends to be busy, especially in the evenings. The menu features fresh fish from the market, rice dishes, and noodle casseroles, along with a good wine list.