El Celler de Can Roca

Haré esta reseña, porque creo que puede ser útil a quien no ha pisado este local.
Fui hace 10 años, cuando no era el mejor restaurante del mundo… pero ya apuntaba maneras. Era la boda de una prima mía y espero que os guste lo que váis a leer.
En primer lugar, tener en cuenta que es un evento especial, no puedo comentar como es un servicio normal de mediodia o noche.
La cosa es que el sitio es agradeble, el Cóctel (que a la postre es lo mejor, lo más selecto, divertido y original del local) se hace en un sitio muy bien pensado; con porches y jardines. La situación es la siguiente; hay una especie de apartados, o puestos o zonas o como quieras llamarlos, en la zona bajo techo, en la que disfrutarás como un enano. Tienes uno que es la Bodega, es decir, que tienes una pizarra con los vinos que hay y le pides el que quieres al camarero…(como me puse de «tinto pesquera»… bueno y de otros…) .Hay otro con cosas calientes, con tapas. Mientras, en las mesas no dejan de aparecer aperitivos, pero lo divertido es ir de «puestos». y hay uno… el mejor… para mi mujer es como el cielo… el doble de grande que un puesto normal… al final de todos ellos… un gloria. Es una mesa enorme con dos camareos atendiendo, llena de quesos. de toda índole… que te sirven en el momento acompañado de una explicación del porque y cómo te lo sirven asi.
Cuando ya no puedes más y vas más contento que un cura en un convento, te meten para el comedor. Aquí un plato de pescado y marisco más el postre y a dormir la mona.
Un Dato curioso pero triste… como te sirven en las mesas las bebidas (local fino) pues como que ya no bebes tanto… que eso no es lo malo en el caso del vino, sino que CASI me MUERO de SED, pues ni el agua dejaban en las mesas… y yo, a esas alturas, ya iba con resaca.
Eso es todo… no recuerdo mucho más.

what can one say? re-​took the best restaurant in the world crown 5 days after i ate here with a group of 8. terrific space. great food, top service. thank god i was invited and did not have to pay the bill! but i’m sure it was worth every penny. (thank you hosts!) once in a lifetime opportunity… hopefully twice?

he service was extremely professional to the point where I’m used to talking more with the server but that doesn’t seem how they really conduct themselves.
Everything was perfect and the wine pairings were unique and astounding. The four star reviews for the restaurant are from from people who have died, come back to earth as ghosts and find this menu slightly less pleasant that the infinite joys of heaven.

Fantastic restaurant maybe, as Restaurant Magazine says, the best in the World. I think that «The Best Restaurant In The World» is too much, let’s say one of best is more than enough. Reservations if you can!!!

We made this dinner reservation online 11-​months in advanced. Our trip to Spain was basically planned around this meal at El Celler de Can Roca and it was TOTALLY WORTH IT! It was an amazing dining experience. The restaurant was back at No. 1 for the Best Restaurant Award just a few days prior to our dinning date and this made us feel even better.
We chose the Festival Menu with wine paring. It was over 19 courses with 17 different wine. Every dish was so well prepared and the presentation was so artsy. The whole dinner was flawless. Every dish tasted so good and the wine chosen enhanced the flavor. Very impressive! It took fine dinning to a whole new level! We spent 4 hours having the dinner and we felt so happy and satisfied after the meal.
I would highly recommended anyone who love food to try this restaurant! My GOD! It was unbelievably good!!!

El Celler is back at #1 restaurant in the world! I booked this place a year ago for a reservation in January of this year. It worked out perfectly because that’s when our wedding food tasting was going to be scheduled for. We took the AVE train from Barcelona just to eat here. Was it worth it and live up to all the hype? Not for us. It was definitely one of the most creative food experience we’ve had but taste wise not so much. We had a lot of mackerel and pork that day. I wish they changed it up more. I appreciated the story that went with the meal and the extreme creative genius of true molecular gastronomy (which is why I gave it 4 stars), but we just didn’t enjoy some of the courses.
My sister and her husband were lucky enough to get reservations in April and thought it was superb! Then again they don’t eat out much after kids and my husband and I are a bit more spoiled. I guess we could say we ate at the #1 restaurant in the world :-) It just wasn’t as memorable as I expected it to be.
I’m still crossing my fingers that El Bulli re-​opens one of these days!

The food really was amazing but am I the only one who thinks that 14 courses is just too much and leaves you feeling so uncomfortable. Wish you could go to a fabulous restaurant and just do 3 courses. Wine was really good. Favourite was the prawn (please eat it all including legs) and the ajo blanco. Service was a let down — we were given the same course twice (second time was meant for another table) which I pointed out — not a big problem as sometimes its nice to know the staff are human and we shared a laugh with her about that. They also served the same matched wine to us a second time in their confusion which is just a bonus right! BUT 3 times my plate was cleared while my partner was still finishing his course — I could hardly believe it. I am sorry this wasn’t the experience I hoped for.

A bit underwhelming. Was fortunate to book this place within a week for lunch. Far as food every bite was good. Couple had intense flavor and textures, but nothing really struck me as inventive. As if it was a new flavor I was tasting for the first time. Service was good but not very attentive. Couple of times asked about the preparation of the dish and server every time had to ask floor manager. First michelin place I’ve been to after meal the chefs don’t come to greet the guests. They sat at the door like celebrities bestowing the honor of greeting them. In fact, other than our very confident server, we were treated as if we were barely there. A first for me walking into a michelin restaurant, where every guest is treated with the upmost of importance. Like dropping $ 600 on a meal isn’t enough for gratitude. Overall a good experience but not great for me. Desserts far too sweet. Dishes traditional but textures didn’t excite me after the initial tiny bites. Expected far more for the #2 restaurant in the world. Arzak and akelare were better experiences. I love traditional, but the idea for me for molecular gastronomy is to put on a show for the eyes. Quite underwhelmed. Likely won’t be returning.

Visitamos el Restaurante el 5 de marzo, 2015, cenamos cinco personas.
Es una pena que la fabulosa comida queda opacada por tan mal servicio. Difícilmente volverán a ser el numero 1, sino corrigen los múltiples detalles que son necesarios, para un lugar que se aprecie de ser un restaurante entre los primeros del mundo.
Irma Camarena

An experience of a lifetime. From the ambience, to the service, to the massive wine selection, and, of course, to the food — WOW!
From familiar flavors but unfamiliar ingredients to familiar ingredients and unfamiliar flavors, everything was a delight. I was actually surprised that we were able to get a table after the San Pellegrino list came out.
The beautiful amuse bouche were delightful introductions for the 4-​course tasting menu we embarked upon. Olives stuffed with anchovies, covered with delicate spun sugar, hanging from a bonsai was a sight to behold. The olive oil caviar on powdered greens and tomato seeds was both familiar and foreign. The chicken cracker was a satisfying mouthful of savory chicken flavor.
Lobster medallions with trumpet mushrooms, pork belly, and the rest were dishes I won’t soon forget.
I only hope I can return for another wonderful experience!

PARTIAL REVIEW — SEE blog
Service:
–This is where things got started off on a sour note. After being moved to another table, our server came by our table immediately and asked if we wanted a glass of cava with our appetizers before we even had a chance to look at the food menu. I knew I was going to be doing full wine pairings (15 glasses), so we didn’t think it was necessary to tack on another glass each. Well, apparently, that wasn’t cool with our server, as we immediately got a shocked and almost pissed off look who marched off without another word. Moments later, her colleague came by to offer us the cava again, and when we politely declined, he asked again «are you sure?» Yah, man, we’re sure. We then asked if it were possible to do ½ pours on the wine pairings for me as I just like to experience the pairing but I just can’t drink that much if I want to remember anything past the fish course. I’ve never been told no by a restaurant when I request this, and actually it’s even been given to me free in places like the Fat Duck. But, again, there was serious hesitation by the gentlemen, and instead of being accommodating, he simply talked me out of the request, ensuring me that they were such tiny pours anyway so I would be fine. Well, they weren’t and I wasn’t. I would say 60% of my wine was wasted but I was still drunk by the end– half pours would have been more than enough.
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–The service throughout the rest of the night was amateur at best. First, lets chat affect. Our server was short in her correspondence, seemed immensely disinterested in my questions, and I don’t think I saw a single smile all night. Actually, she looked kind of mad. Second– professionalism. There were a few instances when the wine was poured after the food by a frazzled rushed sommelier, or I saw the server bring out the food and rest it on the bussing station for a good 2 – 3 minutes as she looked around for the sommelier to pour. There was even a time when we got our wine after the food was already eaten and gone, and another time the server couldn’t remember if we had gotten the next wine and he actually poured the same wine twice. For a three Michelin star restaurant, supposedly the 2^nd best in the world, this is absolutely unacceptable. Our server also didn’t even ask us if we had any allergies or couldn’t eat any foods (my partner despises coriander/​cilantro) — which we later brought to her attention after some coriander-​heavy appetizers. Her response? «Oh, sorry, yes it’s in that dish you just ate.» Yes, he knows. Third, was just the general vibe of the meal where everything felt rushed, hectic, anxiety-​provoking, and impersonal. The meal took about 2 ½ hours, but felt like a bit of a sprint because there were so many courses and wines coming and going. Sometimes we would have a glass of wine poured, we would hardly get a sip of it, and another would immediately come our way. What is this– a university drinking game?
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–Other than seeing Josep visit the guests at each table, it just felt like the staff couldn’t have cared less to make the experience special. I was made to feel I should be grateful I got one of the coveted reservations and just being there should be good enough. It wasn’t good enough.
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Drink:
–Wine pairings are available at 55 or 85 € for the smaller and larger tasting menus, respectfully, or bottles can be ordered a la carte. After we had already agreed on the pairings, the sommelier came by with a wheel-​able magazine-​rack like cart that housed 3 extensive booklets of bottles to peruse. Apparently, Josep has 3600 different wines available by bottle with 50,000 total bottles in the cellar.
[21]
–While I am usually somewhat less enthused about wine pairings when compared with my excitement for a meal, the experience was completely different at El Celler. Here, I felt it was only right to give Josep the same attention as I did Joan and Jordi, and as a result, I wholeheartedly appreciated the wine as part of the meal. It truly shared the spotlight with the main ingredient on the plate for each and every course we were brought.
–While we both agreed that the wine pairings were beyond incredible with the food– one of my absolute favourite pairings of the evening was the Joh. Jos. Prum Kabinet 08 V.D.P. Mosel with the White Asparagus and Truffle course. This wine was not only delicious in its own right, but it completely transformed the flavour profile of the dish. Alone, the ice cream was more grassy and sulfurous, but with the floral Riesling, it rounded everything out with a nice level of sweetness. Absolutely divine.
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Food:
–El Celler describes itself as a «free-​style» restaurant, committed to avant-​garde cuisine while paying homage to passed down recipes from generations. In other words, they «defend the dialogue between the countryside and science, a total dialogue.»
— I was particularly struck by the …

Absolutely amazing 15 course dining extravaganza with completely on the mark and clever wine pairings. As other reviewers have mentioned, every tiny detail about the food and the experience/​story around the dish is thought through. We were lucky to meet Juan himself and tour the kitchen. Love the amount of dishes with very fresh truffle. Very innovative Surf and Turf as well, will not spoil the surprise for future diners.

Un lugar MAGICO, un festival de colores, sabores, olores con unos platos DELICIOSOS. Son 4 horas de espectáculo y de puro placer! Todo está cuidado al más mínimo detalle. Servicio muy atento y amable, algunos son un poco estiradillos, pero no dejan de ser educados y muy correctos. Uno de los platos que más llamó mi atención, aunque he de reconocer que TODOS nos encantaron, fue el plato de la falsa sardina: un trozo de carne cubierto con piel de sardina, una mezcla de gustos EXQUISITA y SORPRENDENTE. Lo único que me pareció flojillo fueron los postres, pero quizás fue porque ya estaba un poco lleno después de los magníficos entrantes y los 11 platos anteriores.
Un consejo: el pan es una delícia, pero no comáis mucho, sino no podréis acabar con todo.
VOLVEREMOS!

Mi comentario número 100 lo voy a dedicar al mejor restaurante del mundo en 2013, de acuerdo con la clasificación de la prestigiosa revista Restaurant Magazine.
El Celler de Can Roca se encuentra enclavado en el barrio de Taialà y desde hace algunos años se ha convertido en un verdadero templo del sabor al que acuden peregrinos de todo el mundo para vivir una experiencia inolvidable.
Los hermanos Roca, Joan, Josep y Jordi, han revolucionado el mundo de la gastronomía por sus aportaciones culinarias, en cuanto a técnicas y utilización de los productos.
Joan Roca es un excelente anfitrión, que charla con los comensales mientras los pasea por la cocina con el buen humor y sencillez que ya quisieran muchos cocineros con un poco de prestigio local, ya no digamos el reconocimiento internacional del que goza el gerundense.
El Menú Festival, el más completo de los dos que se sirven en El Celler, se compone de catorce platos en varios tiempos, con postres incluidos, que se pueden maridar o no. En nuestro caso escogimos el maridaje, lo que hizo más completa, si cabe, la vivencia. Un elenco de impecables vinos de la región, riojanos, jerezanos, franceses, alemanes, sake y café, seleccionados por Josep Roca para destacar, contrastar o prolongar los sabores.
Durante casi cuatro horas maravillosas degustamos platos sorprendentes, de sabores intensos, limpios y de infinitos matices. Podría dedicar párrafos enteros a describir cada plato sin agotar todas las sensaciones que me produjeron. Desde el primer aperitivo -«comerse el mundo” — con pequeños bocados de México, Perú, China, Marruecos y Corea, hasta el Mandala especiado de flor de alcachofa y ventresca de cordero lechal, visualmente espectacular, fue una sucesión abrumadora para el paladar.
Si la pregunta que asalta al lector que se ha encontrado con esta reseña es si en realidad es para tanto, desde la sinceridad le debo responder que sí, que lo es.

I was lucky to visit this restaurant over the holidays (a few years ago). I have to say that the experience was a little bit disappointing. At the time we were offered two different menus, a traditional one and the festival one. We went with the festival… (big mistake) … never mess with perfection. We actually returned some dishes like the black and white garlic soup or the pigeon liver. Desserts were amazing and some of the dishes were really amazing. It just was not a whole experience for us.
The bizarre thing was at the end of service. We were left alone in the restaurant. There were a few people around but we actually never saw again any of the waiters, which meant that we couldn’t pay. We noticed something weird going on in the kitchen. Not sure what… but at the end 40 minutes later we got our ticket, paid and they apologized a lot.
We bought the books, perfume and got the signatures of the 3 brothers which was great. Overall I would love to go again and we tried but it has been impossible for the last two years to get a reservation, even with the help of the concierge etc…
Oh well… there is plenty of 3 stars to go! ;-)

Just marvelous. I was lucky to have a 15 course meal and visit the kitchen. To see a video:

Four of us had the great pleasure of dining at «El Celler» in October 2013. The restaurant combines the finest of dining experience with sensationally conceptualized and constructed plates — each one with its own unique (but not silly) combination of taste, texture and aromatic. The table service is efficient and relaxed — just right.
Can Roca comes with the added bonus of offering some affordable wines — though the impressive wine selection goes very, very deep for those who can spend the money.
Reserve on the 1^st of the month for the following year…

As of 2013, this is the top rated restaurant in the world and it lives up to the hype.
As we arrived, the receptionist remembered our email exchange for the reservation we made 5 months ago. We were in early (12:45) and Josep Roca, one of the brothers, personally showed us his wine cellar. It was an exquisite experience: a visual and sensory tour showing their wines and associating them with stories and music.
The 14 course menu (190 € per person + 90 € for wine pairing) was elegantly presented: every single dish was surprisingly original and the execution was flawless.
The choices ranged from seafood to seasonal vegetable concoctions to a few meat dishes, although the focus was mainly around seafood and fish.
I loved how each dish had some sort of story behind it. Josep remained attentive, and the maîtres were knowledgeable about wines and food. The service was A+ as well as the menu, in an «anything you need» kind of way.
Without doubt, this has been my best restaurant experience so far! The staff was nice enough to send pics of the plates and hand us copies of the menu as souvenirs.

Spectacular food, awesome wine, beautiful setting, but the reason this place is the best of all of the 3 Michelin star restaurants I’ve visited is the overall experience. They match spectacle, setting wine and unbelievable food so well.

Wow! Yesterday I was lucky enough to join a friend of mine for a 14-​course tasting lunch at Celler Can Roca, and can say, without a doubt, that its recent designation as «The Best Restaurant in the World» is absolutely deserved!
Everything – every little detail – about this restaurant is so carefully planned, so wonderfully considered, that you can’t help but marvel in delight. The exterior of the restaurant hides a tranquil, pristine, brilliant dining room of glass. The space is clean and open while intimate at the same time.
Service is spectacular: the staff is present just enough to ensure that you receive all the attention you deserve, and their kind, relaxed, and sympathetic approach to fine dining helps you feel right at home. In so many nice restaurants, service can be pretentious, the atmosphere stuffy. This was definitely not the case at Celler de Can Roca. The Can Roca team proves that you can serve world-​class dishes while at the same time making every guest feel as if they were in the Roca brothers’ own dining room. A true delight.
Of course, the food is the star of the show at Can Roca. I could write pages and pages about my experience: the carmelized olives hung from a bonsai tree, the explosive, tantalizing bombons that give you a hint of flavors from across the globe, the langostines smoked at the table in sherry. The pigeon so perfectly prepared and presented that I almost felt like asking for more. Wow wow wow! All of it was a delight for the senses: a true, true pleasure.
Experiences like Celler de Can Roca are once in a lifetime. It’s part of the cultural patrimony of Girona, Catalonia, Spain, Europe, all of humanity. If you have the opportunity, resources, and luck to make it to this diamond, go: you won’t be disappointed.

Had the pleasure to dine here in November with my wife and 2 very dear friends. The food and service were exquisite. As it was Thanksgiving back in the US we decided to celebrate with the Grande Tasting Menu and it was a culinary extravaganza. Their wine «list» was actually an exhaustive encyclopedia which Josep Roca expertly navigates to pair with the meals imagined by his Brother Joan and desserts engineered by his Brother Jordi.
The service here is unhurried, but efficient. There was never a wait between the numerous courses, and often there were small surprise courses and palate cleansers between courses. Wine glasses were always kept at proper levels.
After dinner we were treated to a tour of the kitchen and a personal greeting and photo with all three brothers, as well as signed menus from the evening and an autographed cook book.
Our reservation at El Celler de Can Roca was made for us by Xavier, the owner of Hotel Historic in Girona. Stay at Hotel Historic and dine at Roca for the night of a lifetime!

One of the best dining experiences I have ever had.
The restaurant itself is absolutely gorgeous. The service is world class. The wine list is ridiculous!
Will not comment on all the courses I had because I went two years ago and the menu has certainly changed quite a bit. You better hope they have pork on the menu because they do wonders with the Iberian pig.
Overall the food was excellent. So insanely creative, unique, but using familiar spanish ingredients.
If you have a chance, get to Girona and try out this restaurant because you will not regret it!

The restaurant itself is wonderful, modern, airy, with very generous space. We got a very nice table almost private, since it was in a corner. Staff is quite young, and very enthusiastic, but everyone seems to trade tables, and we got a number of different staff attending to us. Meal starts with an extended set of molecular/​modernist cuisine. Have to say, didn’t match that of 41 degrees, in Barcelona, which we had a couple of days before. After that, more traditional courses. Beautiful presentations, and very nice sole (fish) dish with multiple sauces. Dessert was a wonderful mixture of textures and tastes. All in all, a very fine experience, but for me, not quite matching the top tops.
We were there for lunch. The restaurant is on the north side of town, not really walkable from the center; we took a taxi, and the restaurant called one for us to return to town.

We arrived at El Celler promptly at 9pm and found ourselves to be one of the early patrons so we took our sweet time taking photos of the venue. Our expectations were extremely high for this restaurant knowing that it was the 2^nd World’s Best restaurant. El Celler did not disappoint. If this is your first molecular gastronomy experience, prepare to be blown out of your mind. This was actually my 3^rd experience (having been to Alinea and Colborne Lane) but I was still wow’ed by the creativity of some of the dishes. It really like a Disney World for your taste buds and other senses. My favorite was the king prawn dish and also the amuse-​bouches that just explode with strong flavours in your mouth. The downside for me was dessert. I didn’t find any of the desserts particularly memorable especially compared to other fine-​dining restaurants.
The menu is pricey since the tasting involves 13+ dishes (including the amuse-​bouche). However, if you compare the price to tasting menus at other restaurants, this is an absolute steal considering the calibre and status of this restaurant. I’ve heard from friends that reservations here are extremely hard to come by so be sure you reserve early! For our trip, we lucked out since it was winter so it was a low season. I reserved just a month and a half in advance and was able to secure a spot with no problem.
For more pictures and details:

Hoy por hoy puede ser el primer o segundo resaurante del Mundo. (según
es el segundo por detrás del Noma)
Lo demás sobra.
En mi caso degustamos uno de sus menús, el vino lo elegimos con indicaciones de un gran Sumililier (Alberto Redrado, La Escaleta), espectacular desde el principio con el bonsai y las bolitas de Campari hasta el final, el postre de Jordi Roca indescriptibe. cómo sabe un perfume? lo descubrimos ese día.
Eso si, tuvimos una suerte increible!!! El mismo día llamamos para la reserva y acababan de anular una por lo que nos tocó la lotería.

Para mi gusto es demasiado fino. He ido dos veces a comer y pese a que estaba todo buenísimo creo que los precios son demasiado altos!

Une deuxième visite au restaurant des frères Roca, El Celler de Can Roca, à Gerone, et de nouveau une totale satisfaction.
Le cadre cette fois est à la hauteur de la cuisine, l’accueil excellent et chaleureux, le repas mémorable et les vinsparfaitement en accord avec le menu (forfait vins).
Un régal pour les papilles, un très beau mélange de cuisine moderne et traditionnelle.
Le tout pour un prix très doux.
A méditer par rapport aux restaurant similaires en France.
Bref une excellente soirée.