A lovely place, but a bit expensive in comparison: Restaurant Maricel (28. July 2024)
The Maricel is apparently the best restaurant in Sitges, so, I was curious to experience it. They offer a regular à la carte selection as well as the “Maricel Tasting Menu” (EUR 85.00), which I decided to give a shot. The menu started with “Strawberry Gazpacho”, which was surprisingly nice, but had more the flavour profile of a dessert than a savoury dish.
The first official course of the menu was a “shrimp carpaccio with garlic” and while it was rather heavy on the garlic side, it was absolutely enjoyable and delicious. If you like garlic, you’d love this dish.
The next course was “fish tartare with salmon roe” and it turned out to be great with the parsnip soup. Personally, the soup could have been a bit warmer, but other than that, it was actually a working combination.
Next in line was “pulpo con pistachio sauce”, which sounded rather weird and not really too appealing, but it turned out that this was actually an incredibly lovely dish since the pulpo was absolutely tender and enjoyable. And surprisingly, it went well with the pistachio.
Next in line was the “blue lobster raviolo”, which was rich in flavour – sure, there is that lobster flavour profile, which is a bit of something not everyone likes, but if you do, as I do, then this was absolutely delicious. The raviolo was stuffed with lobster, and you would get a proper nice piece of lobster on top of the raviolo, and all in all, it was absolutely delicious.
As a main course, they served “lambs prepared differently” and while the lamb itself was good, it was just too much food, so I couldn’t really enjoy it any more, but the lamb itself was great – and the sauce, although it could have been a little thicker, was great.
The place is simple, but generally nice and the staff is friendly and attentive, once the order has been taken. So, all in all, the Maricel is a good restaurant, but compared to others in the area on the more expensive side and I must admit that it wasn’t mind-blowing. Then again, it seems that there aren’t too many outstanding restaurants in and around Sitges (Barcelona aside).
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Maricel
Passeig de la Ribera 6
08870 Sitges (E)
Tel.: +34 938 94 20 54
E-Mail: restaurante@maricel.es
Homepage: http://www.maricel.es
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
