El Celler de Can Roca
A three-Michelin-starred Catalan restaurant in Girona founded and operated by the Roca brothers.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
El Celler de Can Roca is a fine-dining restaurant in Girona, Catalonia, Spain, founded in 1986 by three brothers: Joan Roca, a chef; Josep Roca, a sommelier and hospitality specialist; and Jordi Roca, a pastry chef. The restaurant grew from the family context of Can Roca, a traditional restaurant established by their parents in Girona, and developed a distinctive identity by combining Catalan culinary traditions with modern technique, scientific experimentation, sensory design, and references to the brothers’ personal and cultural experiences. The restaurant originally operated in the working-class Taialà district of Girona, next to the family restaurant. In 2007 it moved to a larger, purpose-designed site on the outskirts of the city, allowing the team to expand its kitchen, cellar, dining room, research activity, and hospitality capacity. The move marked an important transition from a highly regarded local restaurant into an internationally recognized gastronomic institution. El Celler de Can Roca received its third Michelin star in 2009 and has retained three stars in subsequent editions of the Michelin Guide. Its culinary model is organized around the complementary roles of the three brothers. Joan Roca leads the savory kitchen and is associated with technical precision, contemporary interpretations of Catalan cuisine, and research into cooking methods. Josep Roca shapes the restaurant’s wine program and pairing philosophy, often treating wine service as an element of narrative and emotional hospitality rather than merely a beverage accompaniment. Jordi Roca directs the pastry and dessert program, known for playful forms, unusual textures, fragrance-driven compositions, and reinterpretations of familiar sweets and memories. El Celler de Can Roca became especially prominent through international restaurant rankings. It was named the world’s best restaurant in the 2013 and 2015 editions of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, and it placed second in 2014. It has continued to appear among the leading restaurants in subsequent rankings, strengthening Girona’s profile as a destination for gastronomic tourism. These accolades complement, rather than replace, the restaurant’s Michelin recognition and its reputation among chefs, critics, culinary students, and international diners. The restaurant is best understood as an experience brand rather than a packaged-food producer. Its core offering is a reservation-based tasting experience built around a seasonal menu, wine service, non-alcoholic pairings, and hospitality designed to connect dishes with places, memories, ingredients, and ideas. Menus change over time, so individual dishes are not permanent products in the conventional consumer-brand sense. The restaurant has also participated in educational, cultural, research, and social initiatives associated with the Roca family, while related ventures such as Rocambolesc and Casa Cacao extend the family’s hospitality and dessert interests beyond the flagship restaurant. El Celler de Can Roca remains a privately operated, active restaurant in Girona.
History
El Celler de Can Roca emerged from the Roca family’s long-standing connection with food and hospitality in Girona. Their parents operated Can Roca, a neighborhood restaurant in the Taialà district, and the three brothers developed complementary professional identities within and around that setting. Joan trained as a chef and became responsible for the savory kitchen; Josep specialized in wine, service, and communication; and Jordi developed a career in pastry. In 1986 they established El Celler de Can Roca as a separate restaurant next to the family business. During its early years, the restaurant developed a modern interpretation of Catalan cooking while remaining connected to local ingredients, family memory, and regional culinary customs. Its approach was not limited to technical novelty. The Roca brothers treated cuisine, wine, dessert, music, scent, architecture, and service as parts of a unified experience. Joan’s cooking supplied the central gastronomic structure, Josep’s wine program added a narrative and sensory dimension, and Jordi’s desserts introduced a distinctive combination of humor, nostalgia, visual illusion, and technical experimentation. The restaurant’s reputation expanded steadily through critical recognition and Michelin Guide distinctions. As the operation grew, the original premises became limiting, and in 2007 El Celler de Can Roca moved to a new location in Girona. The relocation gave the team more room for the kitchen, dining room, cellar, and creative development. It also helped establish the restaurant as a destination rather than simply a highly regarded local establishment. The restaurant later received its third Michelin star in 2009, placing it among the small number of restaurants internationally to hold the guide’s highest rating. International attention intensified during the 2010s. El Celler de Can Roca appeared repeatedly in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list and was ranked first in 2013. It placed second in 2014 and returned to first place in 2015. The rankings made the Roca brothers prominent representatives of contemporary Spanish and Catalan gastronomy, while the restaurant’s Michelin status and continuing professional recognition reinforced its standing within the fine-dining sector. It subsequently remained a recurring high-ranking restaurant in international lists, including a third-place position in 2017. The restaurant’s development has also involved research, education, cultural exchange, and projects beyond the dining room. The brothers have collaborated with scientists, artists, designers, producers, and educational institutions, reflecting their interest in the relationship between food and other disciplines. Related family ventures, including the dessert-focused Rocambolesc and the chocolate and hospitality project Casa Cacao, broadened the Roca family’s activities, although El Celler de Can Roca remains the flagship fine-dining restaurant. Today, the restaurant operates as an active, privately owned destination in Girona. Its offering centers on reservation-based tasting menus that evolve with seasons, ingredients, creative research, and the brothers’ changing interests. Its significance rests not only on rankings and Michelin stars but also on a durable operating model in which three family members lead distinct but interdependent areas of the guest experience. The brand represents contemporary Catalan gastronomy at its most internationally visible while retaining a strong connection to Girona and the family restaurant from which it grew.
- 2017
Third place in global ranking
[1]El Celler de Can Roca is ranked third in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
- 2015
Returns to first place
[1]The restaurant again tops The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
- 2014
Ranked second globally
[1]El Celler de Can Roca places second in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants ranking.
- 2013
Named the world's best restaurant
[1]The restaurant reaches first place in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants ranking.
- 2009
Third Michelin star
[3]El Celler de Can Roca receives its third Michelin star.
- 2007
Move to a new Girona location
[1]The restaurant relocates from its original premises in Taialà to a larger site, supporting its expanding kitchen, dining room, and cellar operations.
- 1986
Restaurant founded by the Roca brothers
[1]Joan, Josep, and Jordi Roca establish El Celler de Can Roca next to their parents’ Can Roca restaurant in Girona.
Products and positioning
An internationally acclaimed, research-driven fine-dining restaurant that combines Catalan culinary heritage, contemporary technique, wine culture, pastry innovation, and highly designed hospitality.
Fine dining · 1986
Seasonal tasting menu
The restaurant’s principal offering is a multi-course tasting menu that changes with the seasons and the kitchen’s creative research. It presents contemporary interpretations of Catalan ingredients and traditions, with dishes structured as a progression rather than as a conventional à la carte meal.
Beverage service · 1986
Wine-pairing program
Josep Roca’s wine program pairs selected wines with the tasting menu and treats service, provenance, aroma, and storytelling as part of the meal. The selection is designed to support the changing food menu and the overall sensory sequence.
Pastry · 1986
Dessert and pastry program
Led by Jordi Roca, the dessert program is known for inventive textures, playful presentation, aromatic references, and reinterpretations of familiar flavors. Desserts form an integral part of the restaurant’s identity rather than a separate concluding course.
Brand decisions
2009
Pursuit and achievement of three Michelin starsOtherBackground
The restaurant had developed a mature culinary, wine, pastry, and hospitality model and was being evaluated at the highest level of the Michelin system.
Action taken
Michelin awarded El Celler de Can Roca its third star.
Aftermath
The restaurant joined the top tier of international fine dining and retained three-star status in later guide editions.
2007
Relocation to a larger restaurant siteStrategyBackground
The original premises next to the family restaurant constrained the operation as El Celler de Can Roca expanded its dining, kitchen, cellar, and creative activities.
Action taken
The Roca brothers moved the restaurant to a purpose-designed location in Girona.
Aftermath
The move supported the restaurant’s transition from a highly regarded local establishment to an internationally recognized destination restaurant.
Sources4 sources
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