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{{Infobox Restaurant
| name          = El Bulli
| image         = ElBulli Ferran Adrià.jpg
| image_alt     = 
| image_caption = The restaurant, seen from above
| city          = [[Roses, Girona|Roses]]
| country       = [[Spain]]
| head-chef     = [[Ferran Adrià]]
| established   = {{start date and age|1964|paren=yes}}
| closed        = {{end date and age|2011|7|30|df=yes|paren=yes}}
| rating        = {{Michelinstar|3}} ([[Michelin Guide]])
| website       = 
| coordinates   = {{Coord|42|15|00|N|003|13|35|E|region:ES-CT_type:landmark_source:cawiki|display=inline,title}}
}}

'''El Bulli''' ({{IPA|ca|əl ˈβuʎi}}) was a [[restaurant]] near the town of [[Roses, Girona|Roses]], [[Spain]], run by chef [[Ferran Adrià]], later joined by [[Albert Adrià]], and renowned for its [[Molecular gastronomy|modernist cuisine]]. Established in 1964, the restaurant overlooked Cala Montjoi, a bay on the [[Costa Brava]] of [[Catalonia]]. El Bulli held three [[Michelin stars]] and was described as "the most imaginative generator of [[haute cuisine]] on the planet" in 2006.<ref name="Carlin" /> The restaurant closed 30 July 2011 and relaunched as [[El Bulli Foundation]], a center for culinary creativity.<ref name="the season 2011 is over">{{cite web |url=http://www.elbulli.com/historia/index.php?lang=en&seccion=8&subseccion=8# |title=history |publisher=elbulli.com |access-date=15 January 2019}}</ref><ref name="El Bulli closes">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14352973 |title=El Bulli, 'world's best restaurant', closes |work=BBC News |date=30 July 2011 }}</ref>

==Restaurant==
The restaurant had a limited season: the PIXA season, for example, ran from 15 June to 20 December.<ref>[http://www.elbulli.com/reservas/index.php?lang=en Season 2010] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100829153619/http://www.elbulli.com/reservas/index.php?lang=en |date=29 August 2010 }} (reservations). ElBulli.com, 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.</ref> Bookings for the next year were taken on a single day after the closing of the current season. It accommodated only 8,000 diners a season, but got more than two million requests. The average cost of a meal was €250 (US$325).<ref>{{cite web |title=Kochrevolutionär sucht neue Inspiration |date=27 January 2010 |publisher=[[Frankfurter Rundschau]] Online |language=de |url=http://www.fr-online.de/panorama/kochrevolutionaer-sucht-neue-inspiration/-/1472782/3155812/-/index.html |access-date=16 September 2010}} ([https://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A//www.fr-online.de/panorama/kochrevolutionaer-sucht-neue-inspiration/-/1472782/3155812/-/index.html&hl=en&langpair=auto|en&tbb=1&ie=UTF-8 EN translation]). For 2010 price.</ref> The restaurant itself had operated at a loss since 2000, with operating profit coming from El Bulli-related books and lectures by Adrià.<ref name="Carlin">Carlin, John (11 December 2006). [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly/futureoffood/story/0,,1969713,00.html If the world's greatest chef cooked for a living, he'd starve], John Carlin, ''[[The Guardian]]''. Retrieved 30 May 2010.</ref><ref>Gould, Kevin (3 February 2007). [https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2007/feb/03/saturday.budget.restaurants Who's for a Bulli burger?]. ''[[The Guardian]]''. Retrieved 3 February 2007.</ref>  As of April 2008, the restaurant employed 42 chefs.<ref name="fifty" />

''[[Restaurant (magazine)|Restaurant]]'' magazine judged El Bulli to be No. 1 on its [[Restaurant (magazine) Top 50|Top 50]] list of the world's best restaurants for a record five times—in 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, and No. 2 in 2010.<ref name="fifty">{{cite web |url=http://www.theworlds50best.com/restaurants/restaurant_01.html |title=World's 50 best restaurants |publisher=[[Restaurant (magazine)|Restaurant]] |date=21 April 2008 |access-date=21 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080416001648/http://www.theworlds50best.com/restaurants/restaurant_01.html |archive-date=16 April 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Jukes |last=Matthew |date=26 October 2002 |url=http://travel.guardian.co.uk/article/2002/oct/26/travelfoodanddrink.foodanddrink.spain |title=Bulli for us |format=review |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=UK |access-date=16 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080930172051/http://travel.guardian.co.uk/article/2002/oct/26/travelfoodanddrink.foodanddrink.spain |archive-date=30 September 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/apr/21/san-pellegrino-best-restaurants-ramsay |title=Gordon Ramsay off the menu as San Pellegrino's best restaurants are chosen |last=Fleming |first=Amy |author2=Smithers, Rebecca |date=21 April 2009 |publisher=The Guardian (UK) |access-date=21 April 2009}}</ref>

==History==
{{multiple image
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| footer = 
| image1 = ElBulliArch.jpg
| alt1 = Front entrance of El Bulli
| caption1 = Front entrance
| image2 = Rear Stairs.jpg
| alt2 = Rear entrance of El Bulli
| caption2 = Rear entrance
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}}

The restaurant's location was selected in 1961 by Hans Schilling, a [[Germany|German]], and his [[Czechs|Czech]] wife Marketa, who wanted a piece of land for a planned holiday resort.<ref name="history" /> By the year 1963, the resulting holiday resort included a small makeshift bar known in Spanish as a "[[chiringuito]]", which was variously called "El Bulli-bar" and "Hacienda El Bulli"; this little bar was the nucleus of the future restaurant El Bulli. The name "El Bulli" came from a colloquial term used to describe the [[Frenchie (dog)|French bulldogs]] the Schillings owned.<ref name="VF">{{cite web |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/10/el-bulli-201010 |author=McInerney, Jay |title="It Was Delicious While It Lasted", Vanity Fair Magazine |website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |date=Oct 2010 |access-date=16 September 2010}}</ref> The first restaurant was opened in 1964.

The restaurant won its first [[Michelin star]] in 1976 while under French chef Jean-Louis Neichel.<ref name="history" /> [[Ferran Adrià]] joined the staff in 1984, and was put in sole charge of the kitchen in 1987. In 1990 the restaurant gained its second Michelin star,<ref name="history" /> and in 1997 its third.<ref name="history">{{cite web |url=http://www.elbulli.com/historia/index.php?lang=en |title=History of El Bulli |publisher=ElBulli.com |access-date=13 February 2010}}</ref>

El Bulli has published books on its development, menu and philosophy since 1993,<ref>[https://secure.elbulli.com/elbullibooks/ elBullibooks – Recopilación de información sobre los libros publicados por elBulli] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710174938/https://secure.elbulli.com/elbullibooks/ |date=10 July 2011 }} (catalog). El Bulli. Retrieved 16 September 2010.</ref> in both large format, some including CD-ROMs, and small format for supermarket sales.<ref name="Carlin" />  Ferran Adrià, [[Juli Soler]], and [[Albert Adrià]] published ''A Day at El Bulli'' in 2008. The book describes 24 hours in the life of El Bulli in pictures, commentary and recipes. Among the recipes included in the book are melon with [[ham]], pine-nut [[marshmallows]], steamed [[brioche]] with rose-scented [[mozzarella]], rock mussels with seaweed and fresh herbs, and passion fruit trees.

Chef and writer [[Anthony Bourdain]] described [[Albert Adrià]]'s contributions thus: "His book is a shockingly beautiful catalog of his latest accomplishments here&nbsp;...  Pastry chefs everywhere—when they see this—will gape in fear, and awe, and wonder.  I feel for them; like [[Eric Clapton]] seeing [[Jimi Hendrix]] for the first time, one imagines they will ask themselves 'What do I do now?'."<ref>{{cite episode |title=Spain |series=Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations |series-link=Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations |network=[[Travel Channel]] |airdate=18 August 2008 |season=4 |number=17 |minutes=~20}}</ref>

==Commercial products==
[[File:ElBulliKitchen.jpg|right|thumb|The kitchen at El Bulli]]
Texturas is a range of products by brothers Ferran and Albert Adrià. The products include the Sferificación, Gelificación, Emulsificación, Espesantes and Surprises lines and are the result of a rigorous process of selection and experimentation. Texturas includes products such as [[Xanthan]] and [[Algin]] which are packaged and labeled as Xantana Texturas and Algin Texturas respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bienmanger.com/2F2835_Xantana_Texturas.html |title=Xantana Texturas – Texturas – Albert & Ferran Adria (El Bulli) |publisher=BienManger.com |access-date=16 September 2010}}</ref>

Xanthan gum allows the user to use a very small amount to thicken soups, sauces and creams without changing the flavour. Algin is a key component of the "[[Spherification]] Kit" and is essential for every spherical preparation: caviar, raviolis, balloons, gnocchi, pellets, and mini-spheres.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bienmanger.com/2F2426_Algin_Texturas.html |title=Algin Texturas – Texturas – Albert & Ferran Adria (El Bulli) |publisher=BienManger.com |access-date=16 September 2010}}</ref>

==Closure==
In 2010, Ferran Adrià announced he would close El Bulli in 2012, due to the massive monetary loss it was incurring. He was quoted by ''[[The New York Times]]'' as planning to replace it with a culinary academy.<ref>{{cite news |first=Andrew |last=Ferren |url=http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/el-bulli-to-close-permanently/ |title=El Bulli to close permanently |newspaper=The New York Times |date=12 February 2010 |access-date=12 February 2010}}</ref>  He later denied the announcement, saying that ''The New York Times'' had misquoted him, and stated that El Bulli would reopen in 2014 after a two-year hiatus, as "initially planned"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.caterersearch.com/blogs/guide-girl/2010/02/ferran-adria-denies-reports-that-el-bulli-will-close-permanently.html |title=Ferran Adrià denies reports that El Bulli will close permanently |author=Guide Girl |publisher=Caterer Search.com |work=Guide Girl blog |date=15 February 2010 |access-date=15 February 2010}}</ref> and would still serve food.<ref>Hanly, Catherine, ed. (22 February 2010). [http://www.hot-dinners.com/Gastroblog/Latest/el-bulli-will-still-serve-food-when-it-reopens-in-2014 El Bulli will still serve meals when it reopens in 2014] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310094219/http://www.hot-dinners.com/Gastroblog/Latest/el-bulli-will-still-serve-food-when-it-reopens-in-2014 |date=10 March 2010 }}. http://www.hot-dinners.com Hot Dinners]. Retrieved 30 May 2010.</ref> Adrià later confirmed, in an October 2010 ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' article, that the restaurant would be closing permanently after July 2011.<ref name="VF" />

In 2011, their website stated: "On July 30th 2011 El Bulli will have completed its journey as a restaurant. We will transform into a creativity center, opening in 2014. Its main objective is to be a think-tank for creative cuisine and gastronomy and will be managed by a private foundation."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110408102235/http://www.elbulli.com/reservas/index.php?lang=en Notice on El Bulli's website.] Archived April 2011.</ref> Bourdain interpreted the goal of the new [[El Bulli Foundation]] to be an elite culinary and dining experience development workshop, hosting not only chefs but "architects, philosophers, [and] designers", and allowing them to "not just share [their] successes, but to share [their] mistakes or [their] process with the world as it's happening" by providing a forum to explore such concepts as "do we need a dining room?"<ref>{{cite episode |title=El Bulli |series=Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations |series-link=Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations |network=[[Travel Channel]] |airdate=1 August 2011 |season=7 |number=12}}</ref> In 2021, ''The Observer'' named the closure of El Bulli as one of the 20 "key moments in food" of the prior 20 years.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-04-18|title=20 years of Observer Food Monthly: 20 key moments in food|url=http://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/apr/18/20-years-of-observer-food-monthly-20-key-moments-in-food|access-date=2021-04-18|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref>

==Film==
''El Bulli: Cooking in Progress'' is a documentary about the restaurant highlighting the iterative creative process that occurred behind the scenes. Directed by Gereon Wetzel, the film follows the creative team led by Ferran Adrià through the whole 2008–2009 season. It premiered at the 2010 [[International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam|International Documentary Film Festival]] in Amsterdam.<ref>{{cite web |title=El Bulli – Cooking in Progress |url=http://www.idfa.nl/industry/tags/project.aspx?id=F8615452-B609-4B01-A8E6-80E4EB4372EF&tab=- |work=IDFA |access-date=2 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105094728/http://www.idfa.nl/industry/tags/project.aspx?id=F8615452-B609-4B01-A8E6-80E4EB4372EF&tab=- |archive-date=5 November 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Exhibition==
From July to September 2013, [[Somerset House]] in London hosted an exhibition dedicated to the food of Ferran Adrià and El Bulli. The exhibition looked back over the evolution of the restaurant's laboratory and kitchen.<ref>{{cite web |title=elBulli: Ferran Adrià and The Art of Food |url=http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual-arts/elbulli-ferran-adria-and-the-art-of-food |publisher=Somerset House |access-date=16 July 2013}}</ref> Multimedia displays examined the methods behind the creation of signature dishes and original sketches and hand written notes of the recipe creations were on display with [[plasticine]] models of the dishes that were served.<ref>{{cite web |title=El Bulli the Exhibition..... |url=https://www.styl.sh/articles/170-el-bulli-the-exhibition |publisher=Styl.sh |access-date=30 August 2013}}</ref>

==''Bullinianos''==
An important legacy of El Bulli is the long list of relevant chefs from around the world who spent some time in the restaurant's kitchens during their training or research stage periods. The El Bulli Foundation website includes a complete list of all the chefs who have worked there throughout its long history, known as ''Bullinianos''. Among the most internationally recognized are: Andoni Luis Aduriz (1993-94), from [[Mugaritz]], [[José Andrés]] (1987-88), [[Massimo Bottura]] (2000) from Osteria Francescana, [[René Redzepi]] (2000) - [[Noma (restaurant)|Noma]], [[Joan Roca]] (1989) and [[Jordi Roca]] (2001), from [[El Celler de Can Roca]], Eduard Xatruch (1999-2011), Oriol Castro (1996-2011) and Mateu Casañas (1997-2011), from [[Disfrutar]], and [[Aitor Zabala]] (2006-2009).<ref>{{cite web |title=Bullinianos, a Way of Life|url=https://elbullifoundation.com/bullinianos/lista-completa-de-bullinianos/|access-date=29 June 2025}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Publications==
* ''El Bulli 1983–1993'' (with Juli Soler and Albert Adrià), 2004. w/CD-ROM.
* ''El Bulli: el sabor del Mediterráneo'' (with Juli Soler), 1993. {{ISBN|84-7596-415-X}}
* ''Los secretos de El Bulli'' 1997. Altaya. {{ISBN|84-487-1000-2}}
* ''El Bulli 1994–1997'' (with Juli Soler and Albert Adrià), 2003. w/CD-ROM. Rba Libros, 2005. {{ISBN|978-84-7871-078-2}}
* ''Cocinar en 10 minutos con Ferran Adrià'' (with Josep M. Pinto), 1998. {{ISBN|84-605-7628-0}}
* ''Celebrar el milenio con Arzak y Adrià'' (with [[Juan Mari Arzak]]), 1999. {{ISBN|84-8307-246-7}}
* ''El Bulli 1998–2002'' (with Juli Soler and Albert Adrià), Conran Octopus, 2003. w/CD-ROM. {{ISBN|1-84091-346-0}}; Ecco, 2005. {{ISBN|0-06-081757-7}}
* ''El Bulli 2003–2004'' (with Juli Soler and Albert Adrià), Ecco, 2006. {{ISBN|0-06-114668-4}}
* ''El Bulli 2005'' (with Juli Soler and Albert Adrià), 2006. w/CD-ROM. Rba Libros. {{ISBN|978-84-7871-607-4}}
* ''A Day At El Bulli 2007'' (with Juli Soler and Albert Adrià), 2008. {{ISBN|978-84-7901-741-5}}
* ''FOOD for thought THOUGHT for food'' (El Bulli y Ferran Adrià), 2009 [[Actar]] Editorial. {{ISBN|978-84-96954-68-7}}
* ''Modern Gastronomy A to Z: A Scientific and Gastronomic Lexicon'' (Alicia Foundation, El Bullitaller), 2010. [[CRC Press]]. {{ISBN|978-1-4398-1245-7}}
* ''El Bulli 2005–2011'' (Ferran Adrià, Albert Adrià, Juli Soler), 2014. {{ISBN|978-0714865485}}

==External links==
*[http://www.elbulli.com/historia/version_imprimible/1961-2006_en.pdf History of El Bulli 1961–2006] (PDF). El Bulli.com, 2007.
* [http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/04/24/top.restaurants/  Spanish eatery tops table again]. CNN. 24 April 2007.
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q19883346|title=El Bulli: Cooking in Progress (2011)}}

{{Michelin Guide 3-star restaurants in Spain}}
{{Restaurants in Spain}}
{{The World's 50 Best Restaurants}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulli, El}}
[[Category:1964 establishments in Spain]]
[[Category:2011 disestablishments in Spain]]
[[Category:Cuisine of Alt Empordà]]
[[Category:Defunct Michelin-starred restaurants in Spain]]
[[Category:Molecular gastronomy]]
[[Category:Restaurants disestablished in 2011]]
[[Category:Restaurants established in 1964]]
[[Category:Restaurants in Catalonia]]
[[Category:Defunct restaurants in Spain]]
[[Category:Defunct companies of Spain]]