The town's tourist directory lists more than sixty restaurants, with very different offerings and some kitchens that have earned real renown. There are good reasons to make the meal an important part of your visit, whether you're after a traditional seafood recipe or prefer to discover a more contemporary take on local produce. Outside the high season, it's worth checking opening days and booking before you go: the directory does not guarantee that every establishment will be open on a given date.
Start with some anchovies
A good start is the anchovies of Cadaqués, served with bread and tomato and a drizzle of olive oil. Salting is one of the village's gastronomic traditions and lets you enjoy them all year round. To whet the appetite, you can order a glass of vermouth, such as the one made by the Martín Faixó winery on Cap de Creus.
The sea sets the season
If you come in winter, ask for the garotes, the sea urchins that are part of Cadaqués cooking. Their availability depends on the fishing season and on what the restaurant offers. Spring is a good time to look for rock mussels; in summer, shellfish such as spiny lobster can turn a meal into a special occasion. These are options to choose according to when you visit, not dishes to be found all at once.
Scorpionfish in sauce or a rice to share
For the main course, scorpionfish in sauce (escórpora amb suc) is one of the dishes that Cadaqués tourist information lists among the traditional recipes. It's a good choice to get to know fish cooked the seafaring way, with the sauce and potatoes that come with it.
If you'd rather draw out the conversation around the table, you can share a seafood rice. And if you fancy something simpler, let the available fish guide you: sardines, gilthead bream, grouper or red porgy are other names that appear in the local cuisine. The availability and exact origin of the fish should be checked at each restaurant.
To go with the fish or the rice, a white wine from the Martín Faixó winery, made around Cap de Creus under the DO Empordà, is a local option.
Finish with taps de Cadaqués
Leave room for dessert: the taps de Cadaqués, small sweets that owe their name to their cork-stopper shape. If you'd like to end the meal with another local glass, the Martín Faixó winery also makes muscat mistela. A sweet finish before setting off again along the sea.
And if you want to learn to cook like in Cadaqués?
Local cooking has also been shared beyond the restaurants. The Cadaqués tourist agenda scheduled, during the winter of 2026, the workshop “A Cadaqués, oli i peix”, devoted to learning traditional Cadaqués recipes. The announced sessions had limited places and required prior registration. Before planning a trip around this activity, check the Cadaqués agenda to see whether new dates have been set.
Cadaqués can be visited in any season, but the table changes with the calendar. Anchovies and taps offer a thread throughout the year; the sea urchins invite you to come when it's cold, the mussels in spring and the shellfish in summer. The best way to discover its cuisine is to sit down at the table, ask for the day's produce and let the village tell its story through its flavours too.
Illustrative images recreated with artificial intelligence. They do not show dishes served at any specific restaurant or exact locations in Cadaqués.