Sol i Mar Calella — Restaurant in Palafrugell

We lunched at this seaside restaurant on the recommendation of our apartment host. In September reserving a table on line is required. You get a slot of less than two hours. You can book a table on the walkway overlooking the beach. The waves are close enough so you could throw a pebble into the sea from your table, if you were so inclined. So, location is fabulous, unbeatable. And that probably accounts for it's obvious success. We started with croquetas which incorporated blue cheese and walnut. These were probably the highlight of the meal. The artichoke starter was pretty tasteless. It needed something to lift it. We both ate grilled sea bass. Market price it says on the menu. Well, two days ago we ate comparable fish about a kilometre away for half the price. So perhaps they buy from a different market! I cannot ever recall paying over 40 Euros for an average sized sea bass anywhere. And I eat it a lot. The other issue to be aware of is that the terrace is lovely, but be aware that some people choose the terrace so that they can smoke and the tables are very close together. I had only just sat down when I received my first dose of nicotine thanks to the lady sat about half a metre from me. So, a mixed bag for me. Great location which a lot of people obviously enjoy. But I won't...

Do yourself a favour and book in advance. This is a small restaurant and gets booked up very quickly. There are 2 seatings. 7.30pm and 9.30pm. You will only be given your 2 hours no matter what time you arrive. We discovered this to our dismay as I booked on line and the online system gave us an option to book for 8pm, we didnt realise that this meant we had half hour less. We are returning customers but since last time we booked in the restaurant and we couldn't get a table until 9ish it didn't occur to us. So, when we sat at 8pm, the clock had started ticking at 7.30pm! All that said, we had an exceptional meal. We had a table inside. The restaurant is charming. Outside is lovely too, but a bit blustery since you're right on the seafront. We were 3 adults. To start we shared the fried calamari and the padron peppers. Absolutely mouthwatering. To follow I had the baked whole seabass, my friends had grilled sardines and Palamos prawns. All the food was exceptional. We also shared a bottle of wine. We managed to get this all finished in time! I will absolutely return and I will be sure to arrive at the start of...

Asked if they could fit us in last minute. They offered us a table but advised they needed it back in an hour (service was fast and we got in three courses in that time). No problem for us as we have young children.

All the staff were warm and attentive. Reacting quickly to empty glasses or finished dishes. The food was great, really first class. It wasn’t cheap, but then it’s on the front, and it’s of a high quality so I’d wonder why if it were. We were offered a complimentary aperitif and though we got up to Relinquish our table in a timely fashion the waiter insisted my wife finish her wine.

Would recommend but book ahead to avoid...