Diari de Girona has published an extensive feature on our restaurant, highlighting our history, the culinary vision of our chef, Àlex Carrera, the service led by Cristina Feliu, and the unique character of the building that has been our home for more than a century.
Under the title “L’Aliança, culinary excellence in a setting full of character”, journalist Alfons Petit explores the history of our restaurant and the different stages that have established us as one of the leading restaurants in the Girona region.
The article also highlights the awards and distinctions our restaurant currently holds: one Michelin Star, two Repsol Suns and recognition among Girona’s best restaurants in the Macarfi Guide.
A history deeply rooted in Anglès
Our story begins in a building constructed in 1919 to house the headquarters of the Aliança Agrícola d’Anglès, an agricultural cooperative and mutual credit and insurance society.
In the early 1950s, Lluís Feliu and Adela Martí took over the café-bar located within the social club. Over time, the venue became a meeting place for residents of Anglès and neighbouring towns.
Fried calamari, sandwiches, card games and billiards were all part of everyday life in a place that, from the very beginning, was much more than a restaurant.
We still preserve much of that history today. The bar counter, billiard table, original materials, furniture and spacious dining room allow us to tell our story and maintain our close connection with the town.
From a family café to a fine dining restaurant
A new chapter in our history began in the 1980s, when brothers Lluís and Josep Maria Feliu, the sons of Adela Martí and Lluís Feliu, joined the family business.
Their passion for gastronomy led them to introduce products that were difficult to find at the time, such as French cheeses, pâtés, smoked salmon and other specialities.
They later opened a small restaurant with just six tables in an adjoining room. Lluís took charge of the kitchen, while Josep Maria managed the dining room.
In 2000, the family decided to close the café-bar permanently and dedicate the entire space to the restaurant. The decision proved successful and, in 2009, L’Aliança was awarded its first Michelin Star.
During this period, Cristina Feliu, Lluís’s daughter, also joined the business. Having studied Tourism, she helped adapt the restaurant to the new demands of an establishment that was beginning to attract an increasing number of guests from outside Anglès.
Moving forward after a difficult time
The death of Lluís Feliu on Christmas Eve in 2013 was a devastating blow to our family and the restaurant. L’Aliança closed for several months, but Cristina and Marina Feliu, together with their uncle Josep Maria, decided to reopen its doors.
This new chapter aimed to bring together the spirit of their grandparents’ café with a more accessible and informal interpretation of Lluís Feliu’s cuisine.
Explaining this change was not always easy. Some guests expected to find exactly the same restaurant as before, but the family’s new circumstances required a different approach, adapted to the times.
Through hard work and perseverance, we succeeded in breathing new life into the restaurant. The Michelin Guide recognised this concept with a Bib Gourmand distinction, awarded for its excellent value for money.
The arrival of our chef, Àlex Carrera
Àlex Carrera studied Economics, but soon realised that his true passion lay in cooking.
Before joining L’Aliança, he trained and worked at renowned restaurants such as Mugaritz, Drolma and Neichel. He later joined El Celler de Can Roca, where he spent more than six years developing an important part of his professional career.
It was at El Celler de Can Roca that he met Cristina Feliu, who was keen to deepen her understanding of how a fine dining restaurant operates in order to continue improving the family business.
Àlex joined our kitchen in 2019. His arrival marked the beginning of a new chapter, with a more ambitious culinary concept built around tasting menus, local and seasonal ingredients, and technically refined cuisine that always places flavour first.
This new direction allowed us to regain our Michelin Star in the 2021 Guide. We subsequently received our first Repsol Sun, followed later by a second.
Cristina Feliu, leading the dining room
The kitchen and dining room work hand in hand in our approach to the gastronomic experience.
Cristina Feliu oversees the dining room and wine cellar, ensuring that every service is welcoming, precise and consistent with the dishes created in our kitchen.
Her personal history is closely intertwined with the restaurant. She knows the story behind every corner, has experienced the different transformations of the business and represents the continuity of a family that has been connected to L’Aliança since 1953.
Determined to continue developing her expertise, Cristina completed sommelier training at the Girona School of Hospitality. Today, our wine cellar features more than 300 wines produced in Spain, with particular attention paid to nearby winemakers and local projects.
A setting that cannot be replicated
One of the aspects particularly highlighted in the Diari de Girona feature is the character of our building.
In recent years, we have expanded and renovated the kitchen and created a more suitable space for the wine cellar. However, we have kept the dining room virtually unchanged, as its personality is one of the restaurant’s greatest assets.
When guests enter L’Aliança, they are often surprised by the ceiling, furniture, bar counter or billiard table. These are not decorative elements designed to recreate another era: they are authentic features that have been part of the building for decades.
As our front-of-house manager, Cristina Feliu, explains, Àlex could develop his cuisine in many other settings, but a place like L’Aliança simply cannot be replicated.
The history of the building accompanies every dish and gives even greater meaning to our gastronomic concept.
Cuisine rooted in ingredients and flavour
At our restaurant, we offer two tasting menus that allow us to work with greater precision, adjust purchasing to the needs of each service and reduce food waste.
Àlex Carrera’s cuisine begins with local, seasonal ingredients. Technique plays an important role, but it is always at the service of flavour and the identity of each ingredient.
We do not seek to disguise ingredients or transform them beyond recognition. Our aim is to treat them with care so that their natural flavours can shine.
Our menus evolve with the seasons and may feature ingredients such as red prawns, peas, turnips, pumpkin, sweet potato, beetroot, sea bass, pig’s tail, sea cucumbers, beef with mushrooms or hare à la royale.
We also work with local producers to select essential elements of the dining experience, including bread, olive oil and some of the wines featured in our cellar.
Earning every visit
Being based in Anglès also shapes our reality. We are located in a town with a strong identity, but away from the main tourist routes and usual travel corridors.
Visiting L’Aliança requires making a deliberate journey. This challenges us to earn every visit and build a culinary experience compelling enough for our restaurant to become the main reason for the trip.
Our location also requires us to strike a balance between creativity, culinary ambition and the responsibility of managing a business and its team.
We continue working from Anglès with a commitment to offering a thoughtful, personal experience deeply rooted in our surroundings. An approach in which the cuisine, dining room, wine cellar, service and history of the building all form part of the same story.
Alfons Petit’s feature in Diari de Girona captures the journey that has brought us here: a family history, an irreplaceable setting and an approach to cooking that continues to evolve without losing its roots.
From Anglès, we remain dedicated to making every visit a complete experience, where ingredients, service and the memory of our restaurant come together. You can learn more about our restaurant and the tasting menus at the heart of our gastronomic project.
