La Cuina de Can Simón

Who Should Book La Cuina de Can Simón; and When

If you are spending a day in Tossa de Mar and want one meal that justifies the trip beyond the beach, La Cuina de Can Simón is the booking to make. This is the right restaurant for couples on a slow coastal day, for anyone who has already eaten well in the region and wants something with genuine culinary intent behind it, for visitors who have been to the medieval town before and are ready to move past the waterfront trattorias. At €€€ pricing, it sits in a range where you are paying for real craft, not tourist convenience, the Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025 confirms there is something worth paying for here.

The Room and the Feel

La Cuina de Can Simón sits at the foot of the town walls on Carrer del Portal, 24; which is to say, it is embedded in the old part of Tossa de Mar rather than positioned on the seafront strip. The atmosphere that comes with that address is quieter and more considered than you will find closer to the coves. This is not a loud room. It reads as a place where the energy comes from conversation and the food arriving at the table, not from ambient noise or a packed bar area. If you have previously eaten at noisier spots along the Costa Brava and found the buzz distracting, this is a material improvement. For a second visit, the relative calm is one of the things worth coming back for.

Lunch vs Dinner: How to Choose

Given the context, a medieval beach town, a menu built around daily fish market sourcing, siblings running a family-rooted kitchen, lunch at La Cuina de Can Simón has a strong case. The rhythm of a coastal market town peaks in the middle of the day, the fish and seafood that anchor the menu are sourced from the daily auction, meaning the morning's catch is at its finest by early afternoon. A long lunch here, followed by a walk through the old town or a swim at one of Tossa's coves, is a better-structured day than an evening visit that requires you to still be in town after dark.

That said, dinner has its own logic. The town quietens considerably by evening, the walls are lit, the room at Can Simón takes on a different character once the daytime foot traffic drops away. If you are staying in or near Tossa de Mar rather than day-tripping, dinner is worth the trade-off, you get a more settled service pace and the full attention of a room that is not mid-afternoon busy. For day-trippers: lunch. For those staying on the Costa Brava: dinner is a reasonable alternative, you should still book ahead either way.

What the Kitchen Does Well

The menu is built around fish and seafood sourced daily from the local fish auction, with rice dishes and select meat cuts from the inland Costa Brava playing a supporting role. The sibling team behind the kitchen, Lores, Josep María and Xavier, frame their cooking through a family lineage of artists and fishermen, which is reflected in a focus on natural, artisanal and locally sourced ingredients. Mediterranean restraint runs through the approach: the emphasis is on clean, recognisable flavours rather than elaborate technique for its own sake. The Michelin Plate designation, awarded for two consecutive years, is a signal that the food has consistency and a point of view without yet reaching starred complexity. For a return visitor, the logical move is to lean into whatever is freshest from the auction that day rather than arriving with a fixed dish in mind.

Booking and Practical Details

La Cuina de Can Simón is not in a major city, Tossa de Mar draws concentrated summer tourism between June and September. Book at least one to two weeks in advance during peak season; outside of that window, a few days' notice is likely sufficient, though the restaurant's consistency means demand is steady. The booking difficulty is rated easy relative to Spain's top-end restaurants, but that should not be read as walk-in friendly, particularly if you have a specific lunch slot in mind. Check availability early if your travel dates are fixed. Specific hours and direct booking contacts are not confirmed in our data, so verify current times and reservation methods directly with the restaurant before your trip. The address is Carrer del Portal, 24, in the old town, which means arriving by car will require parking outside the walled area and walking in.

For broader context on what else to do while you are in the area, see our full Tossa de Mar restaurants guide, our full Tossa de Mar hotels guide, our full Tossa de Mar bars guide, our full Tossa de Mar wineries guide, and our full Tossa de Mar experiences guide.

How It Compares

Within Spain's broader contemporary restaurant field, La Cuina de Can Simón occupies a different tier from the country's flagship fine dining addresses. El Celler de Can Roca in Girona is the regional point of comparison most visitors raise, it is within the same province, operates at €€€€ and three Michelin Stars, requires booking months in advance. If your priority is the most technically ambitious meal in Catalonia, Can Roca is the answer, but it is a fundamentally different exercise in ambition and price. Can Simón is the right call when you want genuine quality in a smaller, quieter setting without the booking marathon or the full fine-dining commitment.

For seafood-led creativity at the highest level, Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa María operates at the extreme end, three stars, a marine-focused tasting menu, a price point well above Can Simón. Quique Dacosta in Dénia and Azurmendi in Larrabetzu sit in similar territory: serious, destination-level restaurants where the tasting menu is the entire point of the visit. Can Simón is not competing with any of them on that axis. What it offers instead is a properly credentialed, locally rooted contemporary meal in a medieval coastal town, something none of those €€€€ destinations provide.

If you are building a Spain itinerary around food, Can Simón works as a well-judged regional stop rather than a headline booking. Pair it with a longer drive to Arzak in San Sebastián or Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona if you want a higher-complexity meal on the same trip. Within Tossa de Mar itself, it is the clearest answer for anyone who wants to eat well rather than conveniently.

FAQ

How far ahead should I book La Cuina de Can Simón?

• One to two weeks ahead during June through September is the safe window. Outside peak summer, a few days' notice is usually enough, but book as soon as your dates are confirmed to avoid losing a specific lunch slot. Tossa de Mar is a seasonal tourist town and demand concentrates quickly in summer.

What should I wear to La Cuina de Can Simón?

• Smart casual is the appropriate register. At €€€ with Michelin Plate recognition, this is not a beachwear-to-table restaurant, but it is also not the kind of room that requires a jacket. Think of it as the same dress standard you would apply to a well-regarded city bistro, neat, considered, not overly formal.

Can I eat at the bar at La Cuina de Can Simón?

• Bar seating is not confirmed in our data. Given its format as a contemporary gastronomic restaurant in a small coastal town, the room is likely table-focused rather than bar-driven. Contact the restaurant directly to confirm seating options before arriving without a reservation.

Is La Cuina de Can Simón worth the price?

• You are paying for locally sourced, market-driven cooking with real craft behind it, not tourist-facing seafood. Against the alternatives in Tossa de Mar, it is the most credentialed option at this price tier.

Is the tasting menu worth it at La Cuina de Can Simón?

• Specific tasting menu details and pricing are not confirmed in our data. Given the kitchen's focus on daily fish auction sourcing, a tasting or set menu format would logically showcase the freshest catch, which is the kitchen's main strength. Verify current menu formats directly with the restaurant when booking.

What are alternatives to La Cuina de Can Simón in Tossa de Mar?

• Within Tossa de Mar specifically, Can Simón is the most credentialed contemporary restaurant. If you want to compare within the broader Costa Brava or Catalonia region, El Celler de Can Roca in Girona is the regional benchmark at a much higher price and booking difficulty. For a regional food trip that includes other strong addresses, see our full Tossa de Mar restaurants guide for current options across price tiers.