A look at Lloret de Mar’s restaurants and where to find some really great local dishes.
One thing about Lloret de Mar is that it isn’t really typical of the Costa Brava and not truly representative of Catalonia or Spain. So while there are plenty of places serving paella and the kind of menus typical in tourist resorts along the coast, there are plenty of international options too.
There are plenty of restaurants in Lloret so you’re unlikely to ever starve. Among all the junk food places in Lloret you’ll find three Burger Kings, two McDonalds and two Subways.
The first restaurant I’ll point out is El Reno pizzeria. It’s on the road heading to Blanes and open 24/7. And it can get pretty busy even in the early hours of the morning. It’s got good parking and the pizza is good. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need. It’s certainly not the only pizza place in town though. You do need a car though and the clientele is mostly local.
The other restaurant to mention is the tandoori in Carrer de la Riera. It’s ideal if you love Indian food – yes, I do! One of the big problems for many Brits who move to Spain is finding a decent Indian, and this does the job. Big problem? Well, a BIG first world problem anyway 🙂
But what about somewhere to eat great seafood? Paella perhaps…
On the road from Vidreres on the outskirts of Lloret you’ll find Mas Romeu. It’s a bit of a way out so better if you have a car but house specialities include paella and suquet, a Catalan seafood stew. Starters include smoked salmon, top quality acorn fed ham or escalivada. It consists of roasted red peppers and aubergines served cold and drizzled with olive oil. A really good dish and very, very Catalan.
El Trull – the mill – is another restaurant for which you’ll need some kind of transport if you’re based on Lloret. It’s on the pricey side but has many fish dishes including sea urchins. Founded in 1968 the focus is on seafood, which the restaurant sources from markets along the Costa Brava. As well as paella and its close cousin, fideuà, El Trull serves suquet and several mar i muntanya – sea and mountain – dishes. There is also a seasonal tasting menu.
In Lloret itself there are two restaurants near Sant Romà worth trying. La Parrilla (Carrer Santa Llúcia) is an unpretentious family-run restaurant with friendly service, good paellas and a great price. El Romaní (Carrer de Sant Pere) specialises in tapas and pinxos. They also have a selection of wines, many from the local DO Empordà region.
Sa Xarxa also specialises in tapas. Dating from 1969 as an authentic fisherman’s cellar for tourists (if that makes any sense) Sa Xarxa descibes itself as the “fishermen’s pub”. Tapas include various cuts of cold meat, the ever present pa amb tomàquet (bread smeared with tomato, sprinkled with salt and drizzled with olive oil), fish dishes, cheeses and the spicy patatas bravas. Among the wide selection of drinks are a wide variety of craft beers, many locally produced.
