El Celler de Can Roca: What’s it like to eat in the ‘world’s best’ restaurant?

By Gisella Deputato, CNN
5 minute read
Updated 8:35 AM EDT, Thu September 10, 2015
Want to eat at El Celler de Can Roca, named this year's "World's Best Restaurant" by Restaurant Magazine? You'll have to book a table 11 months in advance.
Inside the "World's Best Restaurant" —
Want to eat at El Celler de Can Roca, named this year's "World's Best Restaurant" by Restaurant Magazine? You'll have to book a table 11 months in advance.
QUIQUE GARCIA/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
One of 21 courses served at El Celler de Can Roca during its 2014/2015 dining season, Summer Vegetable Stock is a vegetable emulsion with gelatinous drops of vegetables and a colorful sprinkling of flowers and leaves. The restaurant will offer a new menu when it re-opens its doors on September 14 following its annual summer recess.
Summer Vegetable Stock —
One of 21 courses served at El Celler de Can Roca during its 2014/2015 dining season, Summer Vegetable Stock is a vegetable emulsion with gelatinous drops of vegetables and a colorful sprinkling of flowers and leaves. The restaurant will offer a new menu when it re-opens its doors on September 14 following its annual summer recess.
Gisella Deputato/CNN
Veal shin served with perretxiko mushrooms, marrow, tendons, avocado and truffle.
Veal shin —
Veal shin served with perretxiko mushrooms, marrow, tendons, avocado and truffle.
Courtesy of El Celler de Can Roca
The scintillating mackerel with pickles and mullet roe owes its sparkle to the sauce containing liquid silver. It was named Standout Dish by the awards team at World's 50 Best Restaurants.
Mackerel with pickles and mullet roe —
The scintillating mackerel with pickles and mullet roe owes its sparkle to the sauce containing liquid silver. It was named Standout Dish by the awards team at World's 50 Best Restaurants.
Courtesy of El Celler de Can Roca
El Celler de Can Roca is famed for masterfully combining amazing flavors with playful elements and artistry. Its Orange Colourology dessert features bits of tangerine, egg yolk, passion fruit and carrot encased in a sugar bowl with a hint of violet.
Orange Colourology —
El Celler de Can Roca is famed for masterfully combining amazing flavors with playful elements and artistry. Its Orange Colourology dessert features bits of tangerine, egg yolk, passion fruit and carrot encased in a sugar bowl with a hint of violet.
Gisella Deputato/CNN
This dish is made from fermented corn, toasted corn sable, huitlacoche, fried corn and vanilla. Huitlacoche, also known as corn smut, is a fungus that spoils corn crops but is also regarded as a delicacy.
Three-flavor corn ice cream —
This dish is made from fermented corn, toasted corn sable, huitlacoche, fried corn and vanilla. Huitlacoche, also known as corn smut, is a fungus that spoils corn crops but is also regarded as a delicacy.
Courtesy of El Celler de Can Roca
El Celler de Can Roca is run by the three impassionate Roca brothers. From left to right: Josep is head sommelier, Joan, the eldest, is executive chef and Jordi is the pastry chef.
The Roca brothers —
El Celler de Can Roca is run by the three impassionate Roca brothers. From left to right: Josep is head sommelier, Joan, the eldest, is executive chef and Jordi is the pastry chef.
QUIQUE GARCIA/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Traveling is a huge part of the restaurant's research and development. This year, it closed for five weeks while the brothers -- along with the 40-strong El Celler team -- went on a culinary journey through Argentina, the U.S. and Turkey.
R&D —
Traveling is a huge part of the restaurant's research and development. This year, it closed for five weeks while the brothers -- along with the 40-strong El Celler team -- went on a culinary journey through Argentina, the U.S. and Turkey.
QUIQUE GARCIA/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Suspiro Limeno, made with milk, lime, coriander, milk caramel and pisco.
Suspiro Limeno —
Suspiro Limeno, made with milk, lime, coriander, milk caramel and pisco.
Gisella Deputato/CNN
This is the 2014 iteration of the Orange Chromatism dessert. Jordi Roca's sweet creations are almost too beautiful to eat.
Orange Chromatism —
This is the 2014 iteration of the Orange Chromatism dessert. Jordi Roca's sweet creations are almost too beautiful to eat.
Courtesy of El Celler de Can Roca
Chocolate Anarchy is an explosion of different types and textures of cocoa. There are 50 constituent parts.
Chocolate Anarchy —
Chocolate Anarchy is an explosion of different types and textures of cocoa. There are 50 constituent parts.
Courtesy of El Celler de Can Roca
This delicate dish features oyster, anemone sauce, garlic, walnut, seaweed and apple.
Oyster with anemone —
This delicate dish features oyster, anemone sauce, garlic, walnut, seaweed and apple.
Courtesy of El Celler de Can Roca
"The restaurant goes on tour ... just like a rock band!" says chef Joan Roca, here supervising in Buenos Aires restaurant Terrazas Bistro as part of El Celler de Can Roca's 2015 summer cooking tour.
Culinary Journeys —
"The restaurant goes on tour ... just like a rock band!" says chef Joan Roca, here supervising in Buenos Aires restaurant Terrazas Bistro as part of El Celler de Can Roca's 2015 summer cooking tour.
JUAN MABROMATA/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
In 1967 the brothers' parents, Josep Roca and Montserrat Fontane, opened Can Roca, a bar-restaurant in Taiala-Germans Sabat, on the outskirts of Girona. A young Joan and Josep are pictured here at the bar.
Learning the ropes in Can Roca —
In 1967 the brothers' parents, Josep Roca and Montserrat Fontane, opened Can Roca, a bar-restaurant in Taiala-Germans Sabat, on the outskirts of Girona. A young Joan and Josep are pictured here at the bar.
Courtesy of El Celler de Can Roca
El Celler de Can Roca is located in Girona, Spain -- about 116 kilometers northwest of Barcelona. The parents still run Can Roca, the family restaurant on the outskirts of Girona where the brothers grew up.
Girona, Spain —
El Celler de Can Roca is located in Girona, Spain -- about 116 kilometers northwest of Barcelona. The parents still run Can Roca, the family restaurant on the outskirts of Girona where the brothers grew up.
QUIQUE GARCIA/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
What's it like to eat in the "world's best" restaurant?

Story highlights

El Celler de Can Roca won the top spot at 2015's World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards

Those wanting a seat at the Spanish restaurant need to reserve 11 months in advance

CNN  — 

When the first dish on the menu is called “The World,” you know you’re about to bite into something ambitious.

Ambition is something you should expect though when the restaurant – El Celler de Can Roca – is widely acclaimed as the planet’s best.

And how do you put the world on plate?

The answer comes when the waitress opens a black paper lantern to reveal five edible bites – each representing a different country.

There’s pickled vegetables for China; a mini burrito for Mexico; aromatic tastes of almond, rose, honey and saffron for Morocco; a stuffed vine leaf for Turkey.

I’m instructed to start my epicurean odyssey through the restaurant’s 21 courses via South Korea: a tasty and promising morsel of panco fried bread, bacon and kimchi.

With an 11-month-long waiting list, getting a table at this Spanish restaurant is no mean feat.

Thankfully I was able to grab a spot left by a cancellation – the very last day before the restaurant closes for the summer.

Located 116 kilometers northwest of Barcelona in the city of Girona, El Celler snagged the #1 title at this 2015’s “World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards,” a list compiled by a panel of global industry experts.

It also holds three Michelin stars, earned over the course of 14 years.

Meet the Roca brothers

The restaurant is run by the three impassionate Roca brothers.

Joan, the eldest, is the executive chef, Josep is the head sommelier and Jordi is the pastry chef.