8 Best Restaurants in The Pyrenees, Spain

In a flower-festooned 17th-century stone house is one of La Cerdanya's finest restaurants, which serves elevated Catalan fare with French touches. Beef a la llosa and duck with orange and spices are house specialties, and the wide selection of entretenimientos (hors d'oeuvres or tapas) is the perfect way to begin. Ask about wine selections, game, and wild mushrooms in season.

Pine walls and floors, red-and-white-check curtains, and flowy white tablecloths furnish this stuck-in-time restaurant in the gray-stone village of Gessa, between Vielha and Salardú. Try the rabbit stuffed with veal and pork, or call ahead to order an off-menu civet of mountain goat or venison. Book ahead as hours are unpredictable.

On a bank overlooking the Garonne, the white-tablecloth, tile-floor Era Coquèla is a Vielha institution, beloved by local families, repeat vacationers, and even truck drivers passing through town. Roast meats, civets (wine-and-game stews), and seasonal vegetable dishes are native-son chef Marc Nus's strongest suits—all are served by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff.

Come here for seasonal and contemporary creations from an acclaimed chef and supporter of the slow-food movement, with a prix fixe menu that may include dishes such as pollo a la cocotte con trufa (organic bluefoot chicken with truffle) and solomillo de ternera de los Pirineos con ligero escabeche de verduras y setas (filet of Pyrenean veal with marinated vegetables and mushrooms). This restaurant is one of the best of its kind in the Pyrenees and, if you hit Sort at lunchtime, it makes an excellent reason to stop. The "Kilometer Zero" lunch prix fixe is €45.

For upscale tapas, sharable raciones, and a more sedate atmosphere, step into Palomeque. Dishes hinge on market produce and fuse traditional recipes with playful modern plating. Staff are happy to recommend wine pairings for any of the zany, updated versions of risotto, gazpacho, and other restaurant standbys.

Romantic dining at a reasonable price is the main draw at this restaurant with two fixed-price menus offering dozens of dishes to choose from. The cuisine is distinctly Aragonese with a few modern twists (think local venison stewed with dates, plums, and honey), and the wine hails from nearby Somontano. Every meal starts with a flight of olive oils. The small, inviting dining room with arched stone walls make Pardina a cozy choice in winter, but summer visitors shouldn't miss the outdoor terrace overlooking the Sierra de Guara and San Miguel church.

A picturesque riverside location, knotty pine walls, wood beams, and a rustic prix fixe that highlights regional specialties make this a lovely spot for a meal. There is a ground-floor dining room with large windows that frame a broad sweep of the river and a second, smaller dining room tucked up in the attic.

This restaurant on the eastern edge of town is inside a former cheese factory, and the proprietors continue the tradition by producing fresh cheese on the premises while you watch. In the restaurant, fine local cuisine and fondues come with panoramic views looking south toward Puigmal and across the valley. There are tables in the bar for cheese-sampling sessions, an innovative tasting menu, and plenty of charm and good cheer.