The Hardest Reservation in Barcelona

To enjoy food is to live. That thought hummed through me as I stepped into Disfrutar Barcelona, one of the most famous restaurants in the world — and rightly so. It holds the coveted three Michelin stars and, in 2024, was crowned The World’s Best Restaurant on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Now, in 2025, it rests in the legendary Best of the Best hall of fame, alongside the greats that have defined global gastronomy.

The Chefs of Disfrutar

Created by chefs Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch, and Mateu Casañas — all alumni of the legendary El Bulli — Disfrutar has become a global reference point for fine dining in Barcelona. It is also one of the most sought-after Michelin star restaurants in Barcelona, with reservations disappearing within hours of release.

The entrance itself gives nothing away. Hidden inside a beautiful but otherwise nondescript building in Barcelona’s Eixample district, the façade is discreet, almost ordinary. There is little to hint at the gastronomic wonderland waiting inside. Yet, stepping past those doors, I found myself in the middle of an exciting buzz — the kind generated by chefs and waitstaff confident in their craft, and by diners who knew they were about to experience something extraordinary.

A Stage Set for Wonder at Disfrutar

Inside, the room was bright and modern, filled with diners who looked and acted as though they’d won a lottery ticket. In a sense, they had. A table here is one of the hardest to secure in Barcelona, and every person in that room knew it.

The staff moved with quiet assurance, gliding between tables as though the choreography had been rehearsed a hundred times. The atmosphere wasn’t stiff, but it carried weight — a shared awareness that something rare was about to happen.

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First Bites at Disfrutar: Playful Creations

The first plates arrived quickly, as if to break the ice. A frozen passion fruit ladyfinger laced with rum cracked between my teeth, cold and sharp. I glanced at the couple seated next to us — Americans who I later learned had traded Chicago for Costa Rica. The wife caught my eye and laughed, holding up her empty spoon. “Like a cocktail that forgot the glass,” she said.

Then came the beet that comes out of the land — presented as if it had been pulled straight from the soil. Its sweetness was earthy, not sugary, and it lingered long after the bite was gone. The husband leaned closer and muttered, “I could eat five of these and still not figure out how they did it.”

A lychee appeared next, dressed in roses and touched with gin. It looked delicate, almost fragile, but the flavor was bold. Three dishes in, it was already clear: this was not food meant to comfort. It was food meant to surprise.

Disfrutar Barcelona Menu Review: Signature Dishes

Courses began to land in rhythm, each one sharper than the last. A vodka and truffle shot slid across the table, cold, earthy, and gone in a blink. The wife leaned over with a grin: “That’s the best martini I’ve ever had — and I don’t even like martinis.”

The panchino came next, a tiny bun filled with caviar. One bite, buttery and salty, and it was gone. The husband whispered, “It’s like a doughnut that went to finishing school.” I nearly laughed out loud.

A gazpacho sandwich crunched with vinegar, tart and cool. The Idiazabal cheese mille-feuille looked too precise to eat, but we ate it anyway. Each plate was clever, but never smug.

Creative Surprises on the Tasting Menu

The surprises kept coming. A mushroom leaf shattered like glass. A crispy egg yolk sat on warm mushroom gelatin, spilling gold when cut. Asparagus was dressed with elderflower and macadamia, light and clean. Then came pesto — but not pesto as anyone knew it. Multi-spherical, paired with pistachio and eel, it felt engineered, yet alive.

The husband shook his head. “If I lived here, I’d sell my car just to eat this once a month.” His wife nudged him and smiled, “He’s serious, by the way.”

From Catalan Tradition to Culinary Theater

Then came the nods to Catalan tradition. Macaroni alla carbonara was playful but rich, a joke that also worked as food. A tomato, turned jewel-like, burst with olive oil. A suquet appeared twice — once as seafood stew, once as cappuccino — two versions of the same memory.

The couple were delighted. “They’re rewriting the classics and getting away with it,” the wife said, half in disbelief.

Sweet Surprises to End Dinner at Disfrutar

Desserts were no less bold. A cucumber in hoisin sauce, clean and strange. A cheesecake cornet, crunchy and sweet. Chocolate peppers dusted with oil and salt blurred every rule. Tarta al whisky closed the line, airy and nostalgic, but different enough to feel new.

The couple swapped bites like teenagers. “This one’s mine,” the husband said, shielding the cheesecake cornet.

An Array of Original Desserts

Then came the finish — a parade of small bites. Hazelnut liquid, raspberry marshmallow, a pine nut and mushroom rock that tasted better than it sounded. Basil leaf candy that vanished on the tongue. More followed: raspberry conglomerate, physalis lollipop, elderflower sphere, chocolate-passion bonbon, cotton candy.

The wife held up her cotton candy like a prize. “This is what childhood would feel like if you grew up in heaven.” She wasn’t wrong.

Compartir in Barcelona: From Enjoying to Sharing

By the end, I felt both full and light. Disfrutar had told its story in edible chapters — playful, precise, and unforgettable.

But our neighbors weren’t finished. They mentioned they had a table at Compartir, Disfrutar’s sister restaurant, the next day. “It’s a table for four,” the wife said. “Join us. After all, compartir means to share.”

We did. The next afternoon was less about tricks, more about flavor. Plates arrived to the center of the table, meant to be passed, tasted, and argued over. It felt looser, warmer, closer to joy itself. To my surprise, I loved Compartir even better.

THE CLASSIC DISHES AT DISFRUTAR

FIRST COURSES

Frozen passion fruit ladyfinger with rum (2016)

The beet that comes out of the land (2014)

Lycjeem amid roses with gin (2014)

SECOND COURSES

Vodka/ truffle (2019)

Flour-free coca pizza (2018)

“Panchino” filled with caviar (2016)

Savory walnut candy with mango, tonka beans and whisky (2014)

Home-made cider smoked at the moment (2016)

Idiazabal cheese mille-feuille (2016)

Gazpacho sandwich with scented vinegar garnish (2016)

Disfrutar’s Gilda (2017)

THIRD COURSES

Crunchy mushroom leaf (2021)

Crispy egg yolk with warm mushroom gelatin (2014)

Asparagus with elderflower and macadamia (2021)

Multi-spherical pesto with pistachios and eel (2017)

FOURTH COURSES

Our macaroni alla carbonara (2014)

Tomato poltroon and arbequina caviaroli (2014)

Liquid salad (2014)

“Suquet” seafood (2016)

“Suquet” cappuccino (2016)

FIFTH COURSES

Pepper steak (2021)

Multi-spherical satin of corn and foie (2016)

Pibil pork (2016)

SIXTH COURSES

Hoisin cucumber (2018)

Cheesecake cornet (2014)

Chocolate peppers, oil and salt (2014)

“Tarta al whisky” (2015)

DESSERTS

Hazelnut liquid “Catania”

Raspberry marshmallow

Pine nuts and mushrooms rock

Basil leaf

Raspberry conglomerate

Physalis lollipop

Spherical elderflower

Chocolate and passion liquid bonbon

Cotton candy

READ MORE ABOUT THE BEST OF CATALUNYA IN TRAVELIFE MAGAZINE

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It was our last night in Israel, living a #Travelife, and we were set to paint the town red by having dinner at Yaffo Tel Aviv, one of the best restaurants in Tel Aviv, Israel.

We’d driven from the Crammim Resort & Spa just in the hills outside Jerusalem, considered among Israel’s best R&R destinations, where we’d enjoyed three days of spa and relaxation.

I’ve been to almost every top restaurant in Israel, and Yaffo Tel Aviv is still one of my favorite restaurants for many reasons.

HOLIDAY IN ISRAEL

It was difficult to leave this beautiful country of Israel, of course, especially after such a wonderful holiday in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Unfortunately, reality awaited in the form of jobs and responsibilities, so we were set to fly out of Israel the following evening.

So for our last dinner, I put on my favorite black dress and we booked a table at Yaffo Tel Aviv, reportedly the best restaurant in Tel Aviv. It was everything we wanted and more. It had stylish surroundings, a star chef in the kitchen, and a sommelier who brought us some rare finds. It also had hip but efficient waitstaff.

THE KITCHEN COUNTER OF YAFFO TEL AVIV

Initially we were given a table in the center of the room of Yaffo Tel Aviv, which offered an excellent view of the comings and goings around us. But then suddenly we were inspired to sit instead on bar stools and eat right on the stainless steel counters that bordered the open kitchen so we could watch Haim Cohen – perhaps Israel’s best-known chef – and his team in action.

MEMORIES OF A WONDERFUL MEAL

What a happy meal this was. We ordered and shared everything that caught our fancy, and downed these all with a lovely bottle of local red from a boutique winery in Israel that apparently grew its grapes on the rooftops of houses.

Fortunately, this wine that we chose simply because of its interesting provenance was delicious as well. Then the long-awaited rains of Israel started dropping in regular tiny beats just as soon as we had returned to our hotel, growing increasingly intense and aggressive with each minute.

RAIN IN ISRAEL

In all my visits to Israel, living a #Travelife, I’d never seen the rains pour in this manner. Soon, a lively shower had turned into a storm with strong gusts of wind blowing across the sands and waters, worthy more of a Pacific typhoon than a long-awaited rainy evening in Tel Aviv.

The rains continued all night and all the way into the morning as well, although we slept unbothered by the howling outside. Most appropriately, it was the last day of a wonderful holiday in Israel – 14 days of complete sunshine – and so it seemed that even the heavens were sad we were leaving.

VIEWS OF THE BEACH IN TEL AVIV

Interestingly, we were in the most ideal location in Tel Aviv to experience the ferocity of the rains. On a whim and an inspiration weeks before our arrival, you see, we had chosen a charming and well-rated contemporary boutique hotel with the best beachfront location in Tel Aviv, imagining that we would take a last long walk along the Tel Aviv promenade before heading to the airport. And I’d wanted a full-on view at all costs so we’d booked a room with a terrace that directly overlooked Tel Aviv’s famous beach and promenade.

BREAKFAST IN TEL AVIV

For what we got, the hotel room was quite pricey. So you might say that I indeed got what I wanted. Small but impeccably furnished and spotlessly clean, we were tight with my mountain of luggage but happy. At least until the early morning, when the winds blew open the French windows that led to the terrace overlooking the beach.

The winds dragged the room’s long curtains outside in some kind of mad dance while bringing so much water in. The rains made half of our closet of a room wet.

HAPPY LAST MEMORIES OF ISRAEL

This should’ve been a disaster, especially as there was no housekeeper on call to clean up the mess in this 10-room hotel in Tel Aviv. In fact, the only dry space on the bed was about the size of a towel.

But instead we laughed about it. That’s all we’d been doing in Israel, really. Then we arranged the remaining dry pillows into some kind of seating area. Instead of going back to sleep, we talked until morning, exchanging ideas and inspirations on where our next Travelife might take us.

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On a trip to Spain, I decided to try my luck for a table at El Celler de Can Roca, one of the best restaurants in the world. I won’t bore you with the logistical details of making and securing a restaurant reservation there, except to say that it typically has a 15–month waiting list. Yes, getting a reservation here is a little like winning a lottery.

 JUST LIKE WINNING THE LOTTERY

What a marvelous feeling it is, to win one of the most coveted lottery prizes in the foodie world. The confirmation that I had the best table in the house, for four persons, arrived by email just as I was about to switch off my mobile phone on the runway of an airport and fly to Europe.

Lucky me. The restaurant booking they gave was on the exact and only date I could possibly squeeze in a trip to the town of Girona in my jampacked schedule in Spain.

HOW TO GET TO EL CELLER DE CAN ROCA IN GIRONA, SPAIN

Talk about a wonderful way to start a Travelife to Spain. Getting to Girona in time for our meal was a production in itself. We were staying at a hotel by the sea in Valencia on the day of our booking at El Celler de Can Roca.

Girona is about three hours by train from Barcelona. Meanwhile, Girona is one hour from Barcelona, near the French border.

So we took the fast train from Valencia to Barcelona. In Barcelona, we hired in advance a van and driver to take us to Girona. All our efforts were worth it, for a 24–course meal at the best restaurant in the world.

Actually, the degustation menu at El Celler de Can Roca is slightly less than 24 courses. But we’d ordered seconds of dishes we liked, and our most reliable count of the number of dishes that actually arrived at our table was 24. However, I must admit that this was tallied under the influence of alcohol.

EATING AT THE BEST RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD

El Celler de Can Roca then had an unmistakable buzz because it had just been chosen the best restaurant in the world. We noticed it as soon as we entered and locked eyes with other diners.

It was just before lunch so most guests were enjoying an aperitif in the garden before settling down to a meal averaging five hours.

Most people could help sizing up their fellow diners in a friendly way simply because, at that time, this was definitely the restaurant of the moment. And we all knew that we all had either incredible luck, patience or connections – or a combination of all – to even be there at all.

HOW MUCH IS LUNCH?

At El Celler de Can Roca, a small fortune will be helpful as well in paying the bill. Relatively speaking, this very contemporary and stylish restaurant is not expensive, as far as Michelin three–star restaurants go. Considering its status  as #1 restaurant in the world, some foodies might even consider the prices cheap.

Nevertheless, the tasting menu with wine pairings will easily hit four figures in euros, for a table for four.

However, if your find yourself in Spain and are able to secure a table here, I strongly suggest you head north to Girona with a credit card. Then, just don’t look back. A meal here is certainly worth writing home about, and worth including twice in Travelife Magazine.

Read more about the best restaurants in the world in Travelife Magazine.

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On a pre-Christmas visit to Vienna, my friends and I booked a five-and-a-half hour meal at Steirereck, considered one of the best restaurants in Austria as well as one of the best restaurants in the world, according to the S. Pellegrino.

To accompany Steirereck’s seven-course gastronomic meal, we also took their recommended wine pairings, which meant we had seven glasses of wine each to accompany our meal.

And then some. We also ordered pasta with freshly shaved Alba truffles as we all wanted to see how Steirereck would do this classic favourite of pasta with truffles, especially as they had fresh truffles on hand.

What a wonderful time we had, especially as the food at Steirereck was very good, the atmosphere festive and we were all in the mood for Christmas, having just come off from a nice week in Prague and a Christmas markets cruise down the Danube with AMA Waterways.

We’d also done some shopping in Vienna prior to lunch and I’d bought a sparkly little necklace as an advanced Christmas gift to myself.

The next private room had a table full of chefs, and I think it was hosted by Steirereck’s chef himself, also in Christmas mode; while next to us was a table full of Asians.

An extra order of truffle pasta at Steirereck. I forgot to say “stop” while they were shaving the truffles…

IDENTITY CRISIS AT STEIRERECK

Of the table full of Asians, one of my friends said: “They keep looking at us.“

Of course they were. They were eating their lunch all afternoon so quietly, all with their heads bowed into their mobile phones keeping up conversations in Viber with friends and contacts all over the world while real people were sitting in front of them, while we six all talked — or rather, laughed — nonstop in a mixture of English and other languages.

I said: “I’m sure they’re probably trying to figure out where we’re from.” We kept getting questions and looks like this all the time during our trip.

THE BEST RESTAURANT IN AUSTRIA.

DEPENDING ON WHO YOU ASK.

Meanwhile, for me, Steirereck lived up to its reputation as one of the best restaurants in the world.  We all enjoyed our meal there, adding it to our list of meals at top restaurants around the world that we’ve visited together over the years.

Interestingly, many Viennese I know speak of Steirereck with respect but they don’t actually think it’s the best restaurant in Austria, although most of them certainly think Steirereck is the most expensive restaurant in Vienna, if not in the entire Austria.

When I ask my Viennese friends, all of whom are fairly well versed in gastronomy and with fairly deep pockets as well, which is the number one restaurant in Vienna for them, they all have their own favourites.

But it’s not Steirereck at the top of their list.

This was the herbal tea cart. But this still didn’t eclipse the herbal tea cart at the Hostellerie du Plaisance in St. Emilion, France, another Michelin-starred restaurant

WHAT SOME MICHELIN STARS

AND THE S. PELLIGRINO CAN DO

Nevertheless, because of its Michelin stars and its position in the list of best restaurants in the world, all the international foodies seem to want to make a beeline for Steirereck when in Vienna, if they can get a table here.

And this included us, on that winter day last month.

LUNCH AT STEIRERECK

Although we went for the gastronomic tasting course, we’d booked a table for lunch instead of dinner as none of us felt like eating so much food at dinner, especially as we were already doing big meals night after night after night, prior to Vienna.

We got to Steirereck at 1230 PM, after some shopping in Graben, and by the time we’d finished our meal, it was dark and the first of Steirereck’s evening diners had already begun arriving. 

In fact, the first of the evening diners were actually already sitting down to their first courses, making us giggle over just how long we’d stayed here.

As for us, we merrily made our way out of the restaurant and then — unbelievably — straight to another big dinner. As in literally straight to another restaurant.

This time to a three-course meal accompanied by a beer tasting course that focused on Czech, German, and Austrian beers, in Vienna, living a never-ending, and never-endingly delicious #Travelife. 

Christmas cookies to end the meal

This was the cheese wagon….

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