Refugi de Pescadors

This is one of the most emblematic and historical restaurants in Sant Antoni de Calonge. Its history starts in 1865, when Fernando Vilardell bought the house that his son, Ramon Vilardell, would later convert into a café. The café was known as Can Vilardell, and popular among locals. In 1963, Ramon's grandson, Joan Ferrer Vilardell, together with his wife, Hilda Clarà, converted the bar into a restaurant: Refugi de Pescadors. It's an establishment with a traditional marine ambience, and the cooking is just as traditional and sea-based. The fish and seafood are sourced from the bay of Palamós, and they're kept alive thanks to the tanks they have in the restaurant. The most popular dishes are the rice in broth ('arròs caldós') with lobster, stewed noodles with crayfish and cuttlefish, and, of course, the shellfish. If you just can't choose, then try the house speciality: sea bass with fennel.