If you have been planning a trip to Girona, you have probably done what everyone does: opened Google Maps, searched for restaurants, and sorted by rating.
And that is exactly what the tourist traps are counting on.
**The rating game**
Walk through Girona’s old town and you will see restaurant after restaurant with 4.5, 4.7, even 4.8 stars. Surely they cannot all be that good, right?
Wrong. They are not.
Here is what is actually happening: many of these high ratings come from people who do not know what to look for. Tourists passing through, impressed by a nice terrace or a friendly waiter, leaving 5 stars for food that was reheated in a microwave. Add in a bunch of fake reviews and suddenly a mediocre place looks like a culinary destination.
Meanwhile, genuinely good restaurants get lost in the noise.
**The “quinta calidad” problem**
In Spain, there is a term that locals use among themselves: *quinta calidad* — fifth-rate quality. It refers to low-grade, pre-cooked or frozen food that is passed off as fresh and homemade. It is everywhere in tourist-heavy cities, and Girona is no exception.
The problem is getting worse. As cycling tourism exploded in Girona over the last decade, dozens of new restaurants opened. Many are excellent. Some saw an opportunity to serve average food at premium prices, because cyclists are hungry and tired and less likely to complain.
**How to spot a tourist trap**
There are a few telltale signs, but I will give you the most important one: look for restaurants where the menu is in six languages, the photos are professionally staged, and the prices seem too good for the location. Then check if locals are eating there.
If the answer is no, there is usually a reason.
**The real cost of choosing wrong**
A bad meal in Girona is not just disappointing. At €80-150 for a dinner for two at some of these overhyped places, it is an expensive mistake. And when you are only in town for a few days, every meal matters.
**There is a better way**
I spent years eating through Girona’s restaurants — the good ones and the bad ones — so you do not have to. I built a complete guide based on nothing but my own experience as a local who has lived here my whole life.
No sponsored recommendations. No paid placements. Just honest opinions about where to go and, more importantly, where not to.
👉 Get the Girona Foodies Guide — honest, local, updated for 2026
*This guide is for people who can tell the difference between pre-cooked food and fresh cooking. If you do not care about that, keep eating at the 4.8-star places. If you do, you know where to find us.*
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