It is called Tiki Tapa.

The first time we ate there more or less by accident, but we’ve returned several times since then.

We had intended to have lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. However, the place was closed that day, and since it was siesta time there weren’t many options.

So we went to the boulevard to have a quick snack and something to drink at one of the fast food places.

Unfortunately, the owner — who clearly likes her customers — wasn’t there. Instead we found a surly waitress who couldn’t care less. Her attitude was so bad that we left and went somewhere else.

We ended up next door, at Tiki Tapa.

We were greeted by a friendly waiter who asked what we’d like to drink, and whether we wanted a menu in English, Spanish or Catalan.

Tiki Tapa, Blanes
© Copyright VisitBlanes.com

This nice greeting set the tone for the rest of our experience. We consulted the menu, as well as the hand-written sandwich boards and selected our meals.

We were impressed by the fact that the waiter took the time to answer our questions, and that making a substitute was no problem. I had spotted a fried eggs dish with chorizo and french fries, and asked whether it was possible to have patatas bravas instead of the fries.

While we waited we drank ort cold beers and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the boulevard and the beach and sea beyond.

Great food, friendly service, nice ambiance

We did not have to wait long, but as we soon discovered it wasn’t fast food either. Our meals looked and smelled wonderful — and the taste immediately made clear that we had found another spot to add to our short list of recommended places to eat.

As somewhat of an authority on the subject (by virtue of a healthy appetite) I must say that Tiki Tapas serves the best tasting patatas bravas I have found anywhere.

The combination with the fried eggs and chorizo (other ingredients are available as well) was fantastic.

The portions were generous as well and, just as important, the dishes were well-presented. In fact, the whole ambiance of the place — comfortable, black chairs and hand-written sandwich boards instead of fading, odd-colored posters of standard dishes — contributed much to the experience.

Like I said, we’ve been back at Tiki Tapa several times now, and feel confident in recommending this place for a nice meal, good beer and friendly service.

Prices are very reasonable.

Where to find Tiki Tapa

Tiki Tapa is located at Passeig Pau Casals 40. It is close to the music stage at the end of the promenade along the main beach of Blanes.

You can eat inside, but we dined at the outdoor terrace. You’ll recognize it by the black chairs and hand-written sandwich boards.

Tiki Tapa
Passeig Pau Casals 40
Blanes

Telephone: 872 986 046
Tiki Tapa @ Facebook

VisitBlanes.com — Whether you’ve vacationed in Blanes enough times to be recognized by the locals, or it’s your first visit to this wonderful beach resort, you owe it to yourself to sample some genuine Catalan dishes.

We’re assuming, of course, that you’ll want to set your sight a bit higher than Patatas Brava and Calamari a la Romana, all or not washed away with cheap Sangria.

In other words, while we well know there are some gems to be found among the tourist-district restaurants and eateries you will want to find a place that caters to the locals.

Fine Catalonian dining.
© El Caliu

More often than not that means you’ll have to venture deeper into Blanes — away from the beach, the snack-bars, the hotels and the hordes of tourists.

That said, usually you won’t have to travel far, and such is the case with El Caliu.

We discovered this fine restaurant more or less by accident.

One evening while vacationing in Blanes we were going to meet some friends for dinner at Damajuana — one of our favorite restaurants.

Unfortunately, the place was not open that evening. No problem, we thought: we’ll head for Cava Nit, another fine local restaurant. (And note that both these restaurants can be found very close to the beach, albeit in the old part of the village.)

When we discovered that Cava Nit wasn’t open either that night, one of our friends suggested going to El Caliu. We actually went by car, but it turned out to be a very short drive.

On subsequent occasions we simply walked, which took us about 20 minutes at a leisurely pace from the boulevard at Platja Blanes.

El Caliu is located at number 27, Avinguda Joan Carles I — in an old part of Blanes. Frankly, to us the street did not look all that promising. Let’s just say it’s not picturesque… But that was forgotten as soon as we entered the restaurant — and most certainly after we had tasted the food we were served.

Mind you, we’re not professional restaurant reviewers. But we sure know what we like, and we recognize quality when we see — and taste — it.

Add to this a welcome bonus: a hospitable atmosphere already hinted at in the name of the restaurant. “El Caliu” is the Catalonian word for the heat emanated from the embers of a fireplace. The name actually suites it very well, since as soon as you walk into the restaurant you can feel the warmth of its owner and family.

El Caliu is a family business. Owner and operater José Cruz Ferrón provides his customers with a variety of dishes, from regional food to fine dining.

José has a background of 14 years in the food industry — hands-on training that has made him an exceptional cook.

But at El Caliu José also counts on the support of someone who was his first teacher — and later his student as well: his mother, Trini, who rules the kitchen while José, in his inimitable way, takes care of the front of house.

The mother-and-son combination results in the most delightful dishes in which one detects that rare, sought-after combination of home-cooked flavor and fine dining quality.

We’re not going to name individual dishes, but we’ll tell you this: come with a good appetite. There’s something for everyone: fish, meat, vegetarian…

Don’t skip the starters either. You’ve got to see and taste them.

It’s easy to see why the locals love this restaurant and have thus far kept the place in business for nearly five years (El Caliu will celebrate its 5th birthday this October).

We’ve known about this restaurant for a while now, and to be honest we debated whether we should highlight it on this website. After all, we don’t want out ‘secret, hidden jewel’ to be overrun by tourists.

Then again, we decided that it’s far enough away from the beaten path of easy tapas and microwaved snacks to ‘risk it.’

Mind you, while casual and friendly, El Caliu has an upscale atmosphere so treat yourself and dress up a bit. We’re sure that once you’ve dined at El Caliu once, you will — like us — return again and again.

Address and Information

El Caliu
Av. Joan Carles I, 27 [Google Map, including walking / driving route]
17300 Blanes

Private, off-street parking available (no charge)

Tel: 972 33 81 92

No website, but you can reach Jose via email: josecruzferron @ msn.com (remove spaces)

- With thanks to Zoé Díez

Sure, plenty of people venture out of the ‘tourist district’ of El Pins — which has Blanes’ highest concentration of hotels as well as a good number of camp grounds — but they seldom venture any further than the restaurants and assorted eateries along the boulevard.

And that while just one street over from the beach, some real treasures can be found. We’re talking about Passeig de Dintre, which runs parallel to Passeig de Cortils i Vieta — that’s the promenade along Platja Blanes — the beach of Blanes, situated between ‘the rock’ (Sa Palomera) and the harbor.

Next time you walk along that promenade, cross the street at Carrer Ample, about halfway the boulevard. The next street is Passeig de Dintre, to your left, and Plaza Espana, to your right.

At the corner of Passeig de Dintre you see Café Terrassans. This is Blanes’ favorite tapas bar — and once you’ve eaten there, you know why.

Guidebooks — which tend to copy each other — will tell you the tourists sit outside while the locals sit inside. To a certain extend that is true, but really… where you sit is up to you. Plenty of locals sit outside as well — and a good many tourists like the atmosphere inside. We like it either way: outside or inside, the experience is unforgettable.

Come when the place is busy (outside siesta hours) for the freshest offerings.

By the way, during the morning hours Passeig de Dintre is the scene of a fresh fruit and vegetables market.

The boulevard that lines Platja de Blanes, the beach between the harbor of Blanes and La Palomera, is lined not with hotels but uninspired, hemi-high rise apartment buildings.

Here and there some of the town’s beautiful old-world architecture still holds out, but you’ll have to venture one block inland to get a taste of authentic Blanes. We’re talking about both architecture and food. Matter of fact, lets take care of the food first, and we’ll cover architecture in a later entry.

Café Terrassans — authentic tapas bar in Blanes.

Parallel to the boulevard, but one block inland, lies Passeig de Dintre. Sundays excepted, each morning this is home of a fabulous fresh fruit and vegetables market. When the market is over the place gets cleaned up and become the terrain of pedestrians and terraces.

The most popular terrace is the one at Café Terrassans — an authentic tapas bar frequented by locals and tourists alike.

Calamares a la Romano is the most popular of its many specialties, but the 50+ item tapas menu (in six languages) includes many other seafood and non-seafood items.

Service is efficient and friendly, though it can and does drive some first-time visitors to despair. It takes a while before you catch on to the system, and this process provides locals and tourists alike with many wonderful people-watching episodes. (Hint: the waiters have already noticed you. Simply relax and wait for one them to come and take your order. No need to wave, yell, or otherwise draw attention to yourself :)

Inside you’ll find a large, high-ceilinged dining hall that breathes history. In the cellar of this building one can see remainders of an old city wall.

The name of the cafe itself refers to a union of farm workers whose offices used to be located in one of the rooms above the bar. At the time there were two cafes here. They were merged in 1931. In late 2006, the bar was renovated to bring it up to modern standards. The most eye-catching change is that a section is walled off with floor-to-ceiling glass, in order to provide smokers with a place of their own. Other than that, most of the features that give Terrassans its authentic atmosphere have luckily been preserved.

We highly recommend Cafe Terrassans for its food, drinks, service and atmosphere.

Address & Information

Cafe Terrassans
Passeig de Dintre 31 [Google Map]
17300 Blanes
Catalonia, Spain

Tel: 972 330 081

The beach at La Palomera.

Few things are nicer than to relax on a sunny terrace at or near the beach, nursing a cool drink and the occasional bite to eat.

Yet on our many visits to Blanes we had not found a place that served consistently good cocktails. Until recently, that is.

I highlight ‘consistently good,’ because we did find several spots that served passable drinks. Some were very good indeed. However, we found that on return visits the drinks were quite different — sometimes better, sometimes worse than before.

It got to the point where we just gave up and stuck to drinking Estrella, a very good local beer.

This year, however, we found a spot that quickly has become one of our favorite hangouts. And we’re still wondering how we could have missed it on all our previous vacations in Blanes.

We’re talking about Can Tirol, a terrace-only cocktail bar facing the beach at the foot of La Palomera.

That’s right, it’s not like the place is hard to find or, for that matter, hard to miss. See the bright, lime-green building in the photo above? Yep, that’s Can Tirol.

Can Tirol, as seen from La Palomera

We’ve walked past it hundreds of times, but only this year ventured onto the inviting terrace. Don’t ask us why. It just happened that way.

Now, I love Pina Colada, while my wife is partial to Tequila Sunrise, Sangria, and some other drinks.

You should have seen our faces when we had our first few sips. This was good stuff — the real thing, and generously prepared. When we say generously, we’re referring to the fact that the friendly proprietor of Can Tirol does not skimp on the alcohol. On the contrary, it appears that you generally get quite a bit more than might reasonably expect.

Naturally we tried the place more than once — and kept coming back for more. Each time the drinks were as good as before. Excellent!

Mind you, Can Tirol is a tiny place. There are no seats inside. Instead there is a large terrace, shaded by two huge parasols. The terrace, along with the terraces of the two restaurants right next to it, is about one-and-a-half meters higher than the path along the beach which it overlooks.

The view from the terrace is excellent. To the left you can see as far as the harbor and the hill behind it. To the right you can look at the way past the hotels to the campings. In front is La Palomera — the rocky promontory that marks the official beginning of the Costa Brava.

In between the terrace and La Palomera is a popular beach, dotted with small fishing sloops which to this date are still in use almost every night. Bikini-clad girls, topless women, and handsome hunks complete the scenic views.

Address & Details

Can Tirol
Calle San Andreu de la Palomera 8 [Google Map]
Blanes

Open… most of the day during the weekends, and from somewhere around 4 PM during weekdays or earlier during tourist season.

As is true in most such places, what you can expect is feast or famine — and everything in between.

Marathon — fantastic Greek food.

Highlighted on this page is Marathon, a Greek eatery that is squarely in the ‘feast’ category. The food here is, in one word, fantastic.

Marathon’s shoarma dishes are, in our opinion, ones to judge all other shoarma meals by. Souvlakis, gyros, salads, you name it… they are excellent.

French fries — chips to the British — are also very good.

The generous meals come with a good side salad.

Food like this says something about the people who prepare it. Their heart is in it — further evidenced by the efficient, friendly service. Small wonder then, that during the high season you’ll often find Marathon’s terrace packed with tourists and locals alike.

The shaded terrace provides comfortable, sturdy chairs and roomy tables; not always a given elsewhere along the boulevard. Also unlike many of the other restaurants, Marathon does not use callers. They clearly don’t have to.

You might think that all this goodness comes at a cost, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the reasonable prices.

Marathon. Greek food in Blanes, highly recommended by the publishers of VisitBlanes.com.

You’ll find Marathon on the promenade, at the corner of Passeig Cortils I Vieta and Calle Muralla. That is close to the Placa de Catalunya roundabout.

Address

Marathon
Passeig Cortils i Vieta, 2 [Google Map]
Blanes

Much that passes for Mexican food, or — in a pinch — even Tex-Mex, simply bears no resemblance to the real thing.

Therefore it is always a real pleasure to find a place where Mexican food is done right.

Mexicanito — a very small restaurant in Blanes’ popular downtown shopping district — is such a place.

Step inside and you wonder how the owners were able to get six or seven tables into the small room, which once served as a small apartment.

But look at the happy faces of their customers, and you know you’re on to something.

This restaurant — popular with locals and tourists alike — has a full range of Mexican dishes. Service is friendly and efficient, and the prices are decent.

The proprietor of Mexicanito hails from Spain, but has sharpened his cooking skills on location in Mexico.

Not surprisingly, it pays to make reservations.

Address

Mexicanito
Carrer Blanes 9 [Google Map]
17300 Blanes

Tel: 972 333 757

What do you think?

Share your thoughts on Restaurant Mexicanito at the Costa Brava Forum

This wonderful eatery, which is frequented by locals and tourists alike, is located in a beautiful old building.

Indeed, you’ll Casa Olivera in the old part of Blanes, at Passeig de Dintre 10[Google Map]. On weekday mornings this pedestrian street features an authentic Catalan fruit and vegetables market. In the afternoons and evenings, as well as during the weekends, this is where you find one of three (count ‘em 3) outdoor terraces.

Rooftop Terrace

The other side of Casa Oliveras faces the beach, and there you can enter at Passeig de Cortils i Vieta 15[Google Map]. Across the street, on the boulevard that lines the beach, you can enjoy a covered terrace. Alternatively, there’s a roof-top terrace that can be reached from inside Casa Oliveras. Since you’ll likely eat and drink here more than once, simply give each spot a try.

Inside you’ll find two large rooms (one smoking, the other non-smoking) where you can escape from the heat. The atmosphere is cozy and friendly.

If you don’t speak Catalan you won’t be able to read the menus. Even though plenty of Spanish, French, Dutch, British and German visitors visit Blanes, Casa Oliveras is one of those places that is firmly rooted in history and tradition. This is Catalonia, so the language of choice is Catalan.

That said, the place has a friendly and efficient staff, and they are more than willing to help you order something to your liking.

Besides, an array of wonderful goodies, ranging from homebaked cookies to homebaked pies, is also on display.

Casa Oliveras is the perfect place for a breakfast or lunch as well as a light dinner or late evening snack.

See also the Casa Oliveras website.

Damajuana is such a place. Hidden away in a narrow alley just off the main drag of Passeig Pau Casals, Damajuana draws a steady stream of Blanes locals and visitors-in-the-know who have come to prize the restaurant for its wonderful, freshly prepared meat and pasta dishes. Yes, excellent Italian food at the Costa Brava in Spain (or rather, in Catalonia).

Restaurant Damajuana, Blanes
Copyright: I have seen this before – Used by permission

Tastefully decorated, Damajuana’s warm atmosphere is further enhanced by the friendly service of the family that owns the restaurant.

And then the food! Even something as simple as Spaghetti or Lasagne Bolognese seems to have been prepared from secret family recipes.

There’s a fantastic selection of starters; generous portions which, accompanied by a bottle of fine wine, could even serve as a main meal.

The food at Damajuana is absolutely wonderful. If we were giving stars, Damajuana would get five out of five.

A tip: leave some room for desert. We recommend the home-made Dulce de Leche ice cream.

Where

Damajuana
c/ Roig i Jalpi amb Camadasa 1 [Google Map]
Blanes

Note: An easy way to find Restaurant Damajuana is to walk down the main boulevard that runs along the Platja de Blanes, the beach fronting the old town. Walk in the direction of the harbor. At the end of the paved boulevard there is a stage, next to the monument depicting Sardana dancers. Continue walking along the boulevard, to the left of the stage. Directly after the third eatery, named Buggy’s, turn left and cross the road. Enter the narrow sidestreet, and head for the yellow restaurant sign.

Contact

Tel: 972 330 141

The town sports seafood restaurants galore, but you may want to make this a package deal.

Watch the fleet arrive between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM (16:00 – 18:00), observe the action at the fish auction, and then eat some freshly caught fish at El Port, right there at the harbor.

That said, good seafood is also to be had at the open-air restaurants that line the promenade.