In Xerta, Tarragona, Villa Retiro offers guests an immersive experience of the Terres de l'Ebre region. The Indiano-style estate, set amidst gardens and dominated by a 300-year-old ficus tree, combines landscape, memory, and cuisine. Chef Fran López, who earned a Michelin star in 2009, has built a project that includes a hotel, a gastronomic restaurant, a cooking school, and its own wine and olive oil production.
López, reflecting on the establishment's nature, stated, "I don't know if we are a hotel with a restaurant or a restaurant with rooms." This sentiment captures the essence of a venture now celebrating its 20th anniversary, which has become a significant platform for promoting the gastronomy, culture, and tourism of southern Catalonia. To mark the occasion, López has created a 20th Anniversary Tribute Menu, priced at €130, designed to guide diners through the four districts of Terres de l'Ebre: Baix Ebre, Montsià, Terra Alta, and Ribera d'Ebre.
A Culinary Journey Through Terres de l'Ebre
The restaurant's recent history began in 2006 when Fran López returned to his home region after three years of training in Paris with Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athénée. He brought back technical rigour and the ambition to show that Terres de l'Ebre could engage with international haute cuisine while maintaining its local identity. That same year, he acquired the 1890 Indiano estate, surrounded by ancient ficus and olive trees. Three years later, the Michelin star arrived, a recognition that boosted the region's confidence in its gastronomic potential. "The area needed to believe that great things could also be done here," López recalled.
Each annual menu at Villa Retiro is conceived as a complete narrative. Dishes, tableware, scenic objects, explanations, and the arrangement of elements all contribute to an immersive experience. López explained, "It's a way to discover the Terres de l'Ebre without leaving the table." Previous menus have explored themes such as the civilisations that passed through the territory, including Romans, Arabs, and Mediterranean cultures, or popular traditions like rice harvesting, pig slaughter, and fishing techniques. Each proposal requires nearly a year of historical research, culinary testing, narrative construction, and visual development.
Signature Sequences and Local Flavours
The 20th Anniversary Tribute Menu features eight sequences with about 20 tastings, exploring some of the most emblematic sites of the Ebro landscape. The journey starts at the Cathedral del Vi in Pinell de Brai, a Modernist gem by César Martinell, a disciple of Gaudí. López also manages the Modernista Celler for his wines, such as the Gamberro (white and red Grenache) with DO Terra Alta. López noted the connection between heritage and haute cuisine, saying, "Modernism and haute cuisine share the search for beauty and detail."
Another sequence incorporates references to the Malahierba olive oil, an Arbequina variety produced on-site, and the legacy of the house's rancid wines and vermouths. The menu then moves towards the Torre de l'Ermita de l'Aldea, an old medieval watchtower linked to the Delta. Here, the chef's childhood rice fields, rice as memory, and cephalopods from the La Ràpita fishermen's guild appear. "It is our pantry, our identity; cooking rice here is cooking our history," López stated.
At the Far del Fangar, the cuisine plays with the invisible border between Deltebre and l'Ampolla, where fresh and salt water merge. Eel, a symbol of river resilience, interacts with sea bass, a key fish from the other side of the bay. The eel is prepared in various ways, from smoked to xapadillo, an ancestral Delta technique that concentrates flavour through salt, sun, and wind.
From Wetlands to Mountain Peaks
The proposal then explores the Ullals de Baltasar, natural freshwater springs that create a wetland ecosystem with water lilies. Here, López introduces greater technical complexity and international influences, with preparations such as kung-pao style duck tartar, crispy chicken skin with hoisin, foie micuit in citrus, and pork tail and cheek terrine.
The savoury climax arrives with Montcaro, the peak of the Els Ports massif. The mountain offers a wilder register, with the Iberian ibex as its emblem, alongside hare à la royale and the richness of sweetbreads. An emotional moment comes with the Boscos de Paüls. On 8 July 2025, a forest fire threatened Villa Retiro, coming within 100 metres of the estate. This experience inspired a pre-dessert resembling a burnt log, with lemon thyme and smoked rosemary, conceived as sprouts and an ode to regeneration, memory, and the landscape's resilience.
Villa Retiro is not just a restaurant; it is a destination. Many clients visit for anniversaries, romantic getaways, or special gifts. "It's not a place you come to by chance. People come here expressly," López explained. This has led the project to offer a broad experience: accommodation, cuisine, storytelling, hospitality, and emotional connection. This also explains the success of gift vouchers and celebrations, weddings, and events, an activity that is part of the family tradition. "At home, we have always been dedicated to weddings. It's something my father already did," recalled López, the fourth generation of a family of restaurateurs.
Education and Local Produce
The cooking school, located next to the restaurant, reflects the same desire to build a profession. Established in 2017, it combines public and private training and specialises exclusively in cooking. López advocates for the demands of a profession that, in his opinion, has been trivialised by the culture of immediacy. "Cooking is a trade. You don't learn it in four months," he asserted.
Despite his training in France and Italy, Fran López champions a cuisine deeply rooted in local produce. This authenticity is also expressed in the restaurant's design: tables evoking the Ebro and olive trees, references to white Grenache, materials inspired by local architecture, and an aesthetic designed not to betray the landscape.
Wine is a natural extension of the project. After training in sommelier skills at Universitat Rovira i Virgili, López's team decided to produce their own wines, focusing on Terra Alta's white Grenache. The defence of old vines and native varieties is seen as a way to preserve agricultural heritage. "People don't want to come here to drink a Chardonnay like any other. They want to taste what Terra Alta is," he summarised. The new menu can be paired with a Territorial Pairing, designed by Xavi Llopis, for €70, which combines local references, such as Xerta's ancestral orange wine, with an international selection including Burgundy and Loire.
For some years, the project also had a presence in Barcelona with the Xerta restaurant, launched with his brother. That establishment earned a Michelin star a few months after opening. Later, both decided to separate their businesses and follow different paths. Villa Retiro now maintains its own independent management. Beyond the dishes, Villa Retiro has become a space for cultural, emotional, and territorial dissemination.
