Sometimes we find a cafe, sometimes we find a destination, and sometimes we find a home. La Comuna definitely falls into the latter with it's welcoming staff, traditional Spanish decor and incredible coffee. The cafe sits quietly on a bustling corner of the north side of Girona, and taking a comfortable seat in the large glass window I'm able to watch the world roll by. But a quick look around and realise there's something more happening here. To the right of the bar is a Ryzon shop, with memorabilia and a bike from Jan Frodendo - who it turns out owns the cafe with his wife Emma. At the back there is a small curated courtyard, and downstairs beneath ancient stone arches a yoga studio. Am I dreaming, or did I just find my new home?
★★★★★ Coffee
★★★★★ Cake
★★★★☆ Bike Friendly
★★★★★ Service
★★★★★ Location
Coffee & Cake
A lot of positive signals greet you as soon as you walk through the door at La Comuna. There's a customised La Marzoco coffee machine, the Frodmissimo coffee beans so favoured amongst the triathlon community, and of course a pretty solid selection of cakes hiding within the glass stand. Flat whites, matcha lattes, espresso, chocolate brownie, shortbread, croissants, you name it they've got it. As always a good banana bread is at the top of the list (and theirs is excellent!) along with some more brunchy options like Bircher Seed Bowls and Poached Eggs with Salmon on Toast. Full marks for breakfast, brunch or lunch!
Bike Friendly?
This is a tricky one, and for all the right reasons. La Comuna is clearly built by cyclists (well, triathletes but same thing!), for cyclists. You'll see more cyclists at this cafe than anywhere else, with nothing but smiles and high fives between them and the staff it's really pretty amazing. But if you've seen our reviews before you'll know that we look for some key elements for cyclists... like Wifi, Bike Racks, Pumps, Power Sockets, Tools etc. La Comuna doesn't provide many of these extra facilities, but they clearly excel in creating a special luxurious space for everyone. For that reason we've balanced the score out at 4, and we to be honest... Just this once... Maybe it's better without all the bike tools and racks. We love the zen vibes that La Comuna gives us, and we wouldn't change it for the world.
Service
We have always found the service as La Comuna very good indeed! Friendly staff, quick service for take away for table delivery for more complicated orders. But most importantly every seems very happy, chatty, and please to help. It's surely a sign of a great team, and great vibes. More of all of that for me please - full marks!
Location
Another big win for La Comuna, the location is on-point. Slightly away from the main high streets but never more than a short walk, still near a main road, but far enough away that it's quiet and peaceful. The big glass windows at the front of the cafe really open it up the town, and enable some great people watching. In fact whilst we last visited we spotted 3 pro riders from Movistar and Israel Premiertech meeting just outside to start their ride. If it's good enough for them ...
Summary for La Comuna, Girona
If I were to spend the rest of my life working in a cafe, this would be the one I chose. It's just so well done, so carefully curated and put together that you can't help but want to stay a little longer. Unfortunately for us we can't move in! Though since they also have equally luxurious apartmetns available to rent, we have every excuse to come back.
If you've been, or you're there right now (!)
let us know your feedback in the comments below:
Quick note on the review process
We either find the cafe's on our cycling adventures, or we're directed to them by friends. From there we rock up on the bike, order coffee, soak up the vibe and speak with the team. Once we've been there 4/5 times we'll write the review.
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