The best-kept secret in l'Estartit: spectacular rice dishes by the sea

Upon arriving at La Galera de Can Pau, the first thing that greets you is Sandra's courtesy, with her smile, friendliness, and naturalness. These details alone make you feel like you're eating right at home. This restaurant, passed down from generation to generation, carries the taste and tradition of the Mediterranean in its DNA. The story begins in 1968 when Mercedes, Sandra Cros's grandmother, opened a small beach bar offering drinks and ice cream. "That was what foreigners were looking for back then," Sandra recalls. Shortly after, Mercedes expanded the menu to include sandwiches and mini pizzas with baguetteIn the 1990s, Mercedes's children decided to take the next step and transformed the establishment into a restaurant on the breakwater, redesigning their menu.

On November 11, 2018, Mercedes's birthday, the family paid tribute to her by opening what we now know as La Galera de Can Pau, right on the Paseo Marítim in l'Estartit. "In each generation of the family, there has been a Pau, hence the name, and Galera, because that was the name of the establishment that was here before," explains Sandra.

Over the years, La Galera de Can Pau has managed to maintain this family-friendly and welcoming essence that makes it unique. Sandra is the third generation at the helm: "It's difficult to define my home, to define the cuisine we make. I would say it's Mediterranean, local, homemade." They cook the way they do, with good treatment, attention to detail, and love.

We started with anchovies, which we enjoyed as an appetizer, accompanied by tomato-flavored flatbread. We also shared Andalusian-style squid and a summer salad. For main courses, we sampled grilled squid with parsley and mint, Cap de Creus shrimp carpaccio, and surf and turf rice with red shrimp, pork ribs, sausages, cuttlefish, and clams: a true spectacle. To round things out, we had a ricotta tart with pears, chocolate truffles with oil and salt, and a tiramisu. For lunch, we had two wines, a white and a red. The first, Mensajero Autóctono from the Pujol i Cargol winery, "has a dry entrance like the Tramuntana, but a soft floral note that I love," Sandra tells us. And the second, Camino from the Terra Remota winery.

Sandra has always lived in l'Estartit and remembers that during her childhood summers, after sailing lessons, her grandfather would take her to the restaurant for lunch, and if there was work, she would help out by washing glasses and dishes. "For me, it was like playing. I had a very fun childhood here," she recalls with a smile. Her love for the land runs deep. "I couldn't live without this sea, and neither could I without the Tramuntana. People don't like that wind, but as we say here, a good Tramuntana always cleans, and we always like it here."

La Galera de Can Pau is more than a restaurant thanks to its soul and legacy, because every story, every taste, is a testament to the love for the land and for family.