Federal Cafe

The Spanish are not exactly known for their breakfasts, so when Rory and Cheynna Sutherland opened up a Federal Cafe - part of the Barcelona-based franchise - they brought a welcome addition to Girona’s breakfast options. The coffee is very good and the menu is full of fail-safe staples, gluten-free (!) alternatives and build-it-yourself options. All of this and they’re also open all day, a rare luxury in a town where getting a bite to eat between the hours of 3pm and 9pm can prove impossible.

From their ‘Earlier’ menu, try the Eggs Benedict (the poached eggs are always perfectly runny in the middle), the Reuben pastrami and pickle sandwich or one of the DIY breakfasts designed to your taste. They have some really tasty fresh juices and rumour has it (ahem) they do a mean breakfast Mimosa and Bloody Mary. The Earlier menu ends around midday except on weekends when it’s available all day.

After midday, the ‘Later’ menu comes out. Full of delicious fresh salads, burgers, sandwiches, and other simple dishes like a curry and a slow-cooked stew, the Later menu is a god-send for post-ride hunger pangs or early supper needs. It’s the only place in town we’ve been able to find a proper caesar salad (try it with an extra poached egg and some grilled chicken breast), and to top it off, they have a pretty decent dessert selection.

They occasionally offer wine-tasting session, and their cocktails selection is pretty long with a wall full of spirits and booze.

Federal is probably the best place in town to get a bit of work done, feeling a bit like an upscale college town cafe with free wifi, bright lights and a clean atmosphere. Many lunches here have turned into afternoon-long brainstorming sessions with friends and colleagues and you’re almost guaranteed to see someone you know walk through the doors hunting down some food.

Truth be told, this was one of the first places we wrote up, but every time we've gone we've been in such a hurry to tuck into the delicious food we've forgotten to take photos! Finally, (probably our 5th attempt,) we managed!