guide to cafes in Empordà, Selva and Pla de l’Estany to go there by bike

2023-04-25 18:37:16

GironaWhen New York native Julie Chasin moved to Mallorca in 2018 to start a new life as a cycling guide – after years as a teacher in the UK – she discovered a paradise on wheels. In every town she went to, there was a bar designed for everything she and her VengaCycling clients were looking for, women who wanted to start or perfect themselves in the world of cycling: a good specialty coffee, a healthy and natural breakfast, a safe place for the bikes and water to fill the drums. Shortly afterwards he decided to make the jump to what is already one of the world capitals of cycling, Girona; but, despite the select atmosphere of the city, he found a lack of spaces where he could cycle.

“Now this panorama is changing”, he explains. The rise of gravel, which has a more relaxed and less competitive style, as well as the rise of road cyclists, have led to seeking out stops along the way. Also looking for local experiences. Majorca-style cafés have thus proliferated in Empordà, Selva and Pla de l’Estany; spaces that, beyond having the label of cyclist or not, seek to create an atmosphere of community and leisure.

Albert Pradas, tired of driving back and forth every day from Bellcaire d’Empordà to Girona to go to work, decided to try his luck and get on the bandwagon of cycling fever. But instead of moving to the capital on wheels, he was the pioneer in creating a trend: in June 2018 he opened a cafe that has already become quite a reference. “I wanted to emulate La Fàbrica, but in the charm of a lost place”, he says. Rustik Empordà is located almost 40 km from Girona, it only opens from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., it is known for its toasted chocolate and banana croissant and the avocado and Iberian ham toast, and more and more gravel practitioners are arriving: “They are 70% of our customers”.

C/ del Molí 4, Bellcaire d’Empordà

Its name already evokes the world of gravel and in a short time it has already created its own community. In the heart of Pals, Grava mainly offers specialty coffees in the mornings, lunches at midday in autumn, winter and spring, and outdoor dinners, with wood-fired pizza, in the summer. Last year saw the creation of Committed Commuters, a community of up to 30 people who met once a week to cycle, and this year will be repeated.

C/ de la Font, 7. Pals

Since 2021, thirsty cyclists coming from crossing the Ardenya massif, on the road that goes from Tossa to Sant Feliu de Guíxols, have a place to rest. Marc Guinó, from a family of hoteliers and lover of cycling and sports, saw that there was a lack of a place in Platja d’Aro to satisfy this need. This is how La Maglia was born, designed for all kinds of customers looking for a place with good coffee.

C/ Juli Garreta 10, Platja d’Aro

On February 15, 2019, Judit Piñol and Michael Jones began the adventure of opening a craft brewery in the middle of nature. She left London, where she was modeling. He came from New Zealand. And that’s why they named the brand Doskiwis. “Neither he nor I are cyclists, but by having quality products and linked to the territory, with a very cool outdoor space that is close to the road and at the same time very quiet, we found that more and more cyclists came”, he explains the Judith They also have specialty coffee roasted in Barcelona, ​​but what they like best is showing the factory.

Ctr. from Parlavà 22, Rupià

Consult the map with the establishments here

Not all stops are in freshly opened cafes. The Granja Mas Bes de Salitja has seen how after the pandemic the trickle of mountain bikers or gravel cyclists increased. “They pass through here and stop to make coffee, vermouth or eat something from the farm shop, like our yogurts,” says Maria Viñolas, daughter of the owners.

C/ Mas Bes s/n, Salitja

It’s not just a cafe for cyclists, but it’s a cafe where they’re welcome and have a bar to keep their bikes inside. It opened in October 2022 and started from a “zero customer portfolio”. “It was the typical village bar of all life where you played sausage – explains its owner, Yari Rojas, of Cuban origin. Now you can find everything from a mini cheese loin to milkshakes and mostly natural food.”

C/ de Girona 13B, Verges

It’s a bike rental space, which also offers routes, workshops, accessories, clothing and, of course, specialty coffee and beer. Luca Komar, of Polish origin, opened the place just over a year ago after bringing groups of Swiss people for 15 years. “There’s a lot of talk about Girona, but it really all started in Tossa de Mar 40 years ago, when the Swiss took cyclists there,” he points out.

C / Pintor Rafael Benet, local 1, Tossa de Mar

It is already one of the classics, which has a bar where you can leave your bikes, and a large terrace with a swimming area with great views of the Banyoles lake.

Pg. Lluís Maria Vidal 1, Banyoles