Perpignan is a city nestled in the far south of France, with the Mediterranean to the east and Catalonia to the south. Both maritime and Catalan influences have combined to bring exciting flavours into the local cuisine. Join us as we list the 10 best restaurants to visit in the capital of the Pyrénées-Orientales region.
Pa Amb Tomate is anything but the modest dining experience that you would expect from a restaurant named after the simple Catalan dish of bread and tomato. Tapas, omelettes, charcuterie, tortillas, and pintxos (small snacks enjoyed over the border in northern Spain) are served with a smile and in large portions. You’ll find both quality and quantity here, and the owners are happy to arrange for you to take away those inevitable leftovers. With small yet cozy grounds, an open kitchen, and friendly service, you may feel as if you’re eating in an authentic Catalan home.
Le Figuier
Restaurant, French
Tucked away in a charming square within the city’s old town, there are few better places to dine alfresco in Perpignan than under the boughs of the trees lining Le Figuier’s terrace. Even inside, an impressive array of tapas, seafood, and local wines can be enjoyed in a convivial atmosphere, thanks in part to the affable front-of-house Jean Roure, who runs the restaurant along with his two friends, chef Cyril Deroche and sommelier Frédéric Prieur. This restaurant is guaranteed to send you on your way with a full stomach and a broad smile.
This restaurant was designed for the romantic dinner date. The interior is bedecked in all manner of love heart decorations, and chefs Loïc and Floriane, a couple themselves, have designed three set menus named ‘Happiness’, ‘Tenderness’, and ‘Passion’. But even if you haven’t yet found your sweetheart there is still much to admire about this place. Here you can sample an inventive combination of French and Asian cuisine, like roasted pork cheek with satay sauce and grilled fish in mint and white chocolate, all complemented by wine sourced exclusively from independent growers.
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Marie Lopez, long-serving hostess of Restaurant le Sud, is passionate about serving up refined Mediterranean cuisine to her guests and greets everyone with a warm welcome. The setting is authentic: walk through a stone arch into the patio, take a seat among fig and acacia trees, cacti, and potted ferns, and you may think yourself on a Greek island. Here you can try dishes like Iberian bellota ham (ripened for 36 months) or enjoy the various wine tastings, art openings, and concerts that the restaurant regularly holds.
Chef Christophe Comes is the mastermind behind this Michelin Star restaurant, using ingredients from his own two-hectare garden to manufacture his unique Seasonal Flavors menu. The content of this eight-course odyssey changes with what seasonal produce may be procured from the market and the sea, and may include such adventurous dishes as shoulder of lamb confit au jus with eggplant pulp and yogurt or cucumber water with red shiso and lemon crab meat. The exquisitely presented food is accompanied by wine selections from expert sommelier Vivien Antagnac, with many local varieties housed in La Galinette’s own cellar.
La Cabane
La Cabane is decorated in the style of a fishing hut, its furniture fashioned from driftwood. It deals mainly in fresh, local seafood and wild fish, serving overflowing platters and all manner of delicacies like sardine rillettes and Galician-style octopus. Their cured meats, tapas, pintxos, and wine list are also not to be sniffed at. They even run their own delivery service and operate a fully-stocked deli counter within the restaurant housing their most recent catches, so you can plan to enjoy a taste of the sea elsewhere.
If you’re searching for something light on your stomach and your wallet, L’Atelier Salade would be a good choice. Soup, bruschetta, pasta, and sweets are on the menu, but the real attraction is the vast selection available at the salad bar. Customize your bowl with your choice of dressings, salad leaves, vegetables, grains, pulses, pickles, fruit, meat, eggs, and cheese. Dine in the open air in the outside seating area for added freshness or take a seat in the tastefully decorated interior.
Barraco do Dendê
Restaurant, French, Seafood
As the only restaurant in Perpignan specialising in Brazilian cuisine, Barraco do Dendê utilizes their unique position with gusto. Everything is authentically Brazilian, from the musical instruments lining the walls and the colorful decor to the cocktails and cuisine. You can try a caipirinha (Brazil’s national cocktail), feijoada (a pork and bean stew) or mousse de maracujá (passion fruit mousse). A quaint library nook is provided if you need to rest your feet, but the usually vibrant atmosphere is improved further when the restaurant plays host to live music and cultural events, like salsa and capoeira(a Brazilian meld of martial arts and dance) recitals.
Josh is a graduate of the University of Leicester’s English and American Studies program, and spent the third year of his degree abroad at the University of Oregon. It was there that he indulged his long-held interests in archaeology and the American West, and developed a new one in Mexican food. He hopes to pursue all three and return to the U.S. in the future, and perhaps forge a career either out of writing or wandering around the woods all day.
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