Restaurant in Mataro, Spain
Two Michelin nods, small plates, one easy booking.
A Michelin Bib Gourmand holder for consecutive years, Dos Cuiners brings contemporary Catalan cooking to Mataró's old town through a small-plates format built for sharing. Two chefs split kitchen duties — one on savoury, one on desserts — delivering serious cooking at a price point that makes the category feel accessible. Google reviewers back it with a 4.6 across more than 1,700 ratings.
Dos Cuiners is the smartest meal you can eat in Mataró. Two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmands (2024, 2025) confirm what the 4.6 rating across 1,744 Google reviews already suggests: this is contemporary Catalan cooking at a price point that makes it an easy yes. If you are looking for a serious dinner without the three-figure bill, book here before you consider anywhere else in the city. See our full Mataró restaurants guide for broader context.
The common misconception about Dos Cuiners is that the Bib Gourmand badge signals a casual, low-ambition operation. It does not. Chefs Òscar Pérez and Mar Arnalot run a kitchen with a clear point of view: contemporary Catalan small plates, executed with enough technical confidence to earn Michelin recognition two years running, in a room with industrial decor that keeps the atmosphere relaxed without tipping into canteen territory.
The format is sharing plates — raciones — and the kitchen recommends three or four per person, which is a sensible guide. The menu gives you multiple entry points: a good-value lunchtime menu (the most affordable way in), a Pica Pica option for a minimum of two people, and a more gastronomic menu for the table that wants to cover more ground. Mar Arnalot handles desserts, which means the end of the meal gets as much attention as the beginning , not a given at this price tier.
Room carries an industrial tone: exposed materials, a pace that feels relaxed without being slow. After standard dinner hours, the energy shifts slightly , the room loses the lunchtime rush and settles into something more convivial, which suits the sharing format well. For Mataró, this is about as animated as a dinner room gets, and the noise level stays at conversation-friendly rather than competing with it. If you are visiting after 9 PM on a weekend, expect a full room; the local following is loyal and the Michelin recognition has extended the reach beyond the immediate neighbourhood.
Fusion inflection in the menu is described as a hint rather than a headline , contemporary Catalan cooking is the foundation, not a vehicle for novelty. That restraint is worth noting. Venues that chase fusion as a concept often lose the coherence that makes a meal feel considered. Here, it appears to function as seasoning rather than structure, which is the right call for a kitchen working at this price point in a Catalan coastal city.
For explorers who want to understand Mataró's food culture alongside the meal, Dos Cuiners sits on Muralla de Sant Llorenç 18, in the older part of the city, within easy reach of the broader centre. Pair it with our full Mataró bars guide for a post-dinner option, or our full Mataró hotels guide if you are overnighting. The Mataró experiences guide and wineries guide round out the trip for anyone treating this as a base rather than a day stop.
For a peer reference closer to Barcelona, Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona operates at a significantly higher price point with two Michelin stars. Dos Cuiners sits in a different tier , more accessible, more casual , but the Bib Gourmand places it in legitimate company among Catalonia's quality-focused kitchens. If you want to understand the regional context further, El Celler de Can Roca in Girona and Ricard Camarena in València represent what the leading of the Iberian contemporary spectrum looks like.
Reservations: Easy to book , this is not a difficult table to secure, though weekends fill faster given the local following and Michelin profile. Book a few days ahead to be safe. Dress: The industrial-relaxed room sets the tone , smart casual is right; no need to dress up. Budget: Single € price tier, making this one of the most accessible Bib Gourmand tables in the province. Format: Sharing plates (3–4 recommended per person); lunchtime menu offers the leading value entry point. Pica Pica requires a minimum of two people. Address: Muralla de Sant Llorenç, 18, 08302 Mataró, Barcelona.
Sangiovese is a nearby Mataró option worth considering if you want a different format on the same trip. For broader regional planning, the Spain contemporary circuit runs through Arzak in San Sebastián, Azurmendi in Larrabetzu, Martin Berasategui in Lasarte-Oria, Mugaritz in Errenteria, Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa María, DiverXO in Madrid, and Quique Dacosta in Dénia , all operating several price tiers above Dos Cuiners but useful benchmarks if you are building a larger Spain itinerary. For international contemporary comparisons, Jungsik in Seoul and César in New York City offer a sense of where this style sits globally.
Yes, and the sharing-plate format works well solo if you treat it as a tasting exercise across three or four dishes rather than a shared meal. The relaxed industrial room does not make solo diners feel exposed. At the € price tier, a solo dinner stays very affordable even if you push to five plates.
Yes, clearly. Two Michelin Bib Gourmands in consecutive years at a single € price tier is the strongest possible signal of value in this category. You are getting Michelin-recognised contemporary Catalan cooking at neighbourhood restaurant prices , that gap between quality and cost is exactly what the Bib Gourmand exists to identify.
It works for a low-key celebration , the gastronomic menu option gives the meal more structure and ambition if you want to mark the evening. For a formal, high-ceremony occasion, the relaxed industrial room and casual format will feel underdressed. In that case, look toward Barcelona's starred restaurants for the right setting.
The sharing-plate format (raciones) is naturally suited to groups , more people means more dishes, which is how the kitchen intends the menu to work. The Pica Pica option requires a minimum of two people. For larger groups, contact the restaurant directly to confirm capacity; seat count is not published. Book ahead rather than attempting a walk-in with four or more people.
Smart casual. The industrial decor and relaxed pace make this a come-as-you-are room , no dress code is published, and the Bib Gourmand tier in Catalonia does not carry black-tie expectations. Clean, put-together is enough.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Dos Cuiners | € | — |
| Quique Dacosta | €€€€ | — |
| El Celler de Can Roca | €€€€ | — |
| Arzak | €€€€ | — |
| Azurmendi | €€€€ | — |
| Aponiente | €€€€ | — |
A quick look at how Dos Cuiners measures up.
Yes — the small plates format works well for a solo diner. Chefs Òscar Pérez and Mar Arnalot recommend three to four raciones per person, so you can build a satisfying meal without being locked into sharing portions. The relaxed industrial setting removes any pressure that can make solo dining feel awkward at more formal Michelin-flagged venues.
At a € price range with two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmands (2024 and 2025), Dos Cuiners is one of the clearest value cases in the Maresme coast area. The Bib Gourmand is specifically awarded for good cooking at a reasonable price, so the credential directly backs the value claim. If you want contemporary Catalan cooking at this quality-to-cost ratio, there is very little competition in Mataró.
It works for a low-key celebration rather than a formal milestone dinner. The Pica Pica option (minimum two people) and the more gastronomic menu give you a structured, occasion-ready format, and Mar Arnalot's pastry focus means desserts are taken seriously. If you need white-tablecloth ceremony, look elsewhere; if you want a genuinely good meal to mark something, Dos Cuiners delivers.
The small plates and raciones format makes Dos Cuiners naturally suited to groups: ordering three or four dishes per person and sharing across the table is how the kitchen intends the meal to work. The Pica Pica option requires a minimum of two people, which also signals the venue thinks in group terms. Larger parties should book well ahead, particularly on weekends when the Michelin profile draws a steady local following.
The industrial decor and relaxed atmosphere point clearly toward casual dress. This is not a venue where formality is expected or particularly appropriate. Think comfortable, put-together casual — the kind of outfit you'd wear to a good neighbourhood restaurant rather than a tasting-menu destination.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
