Eating and Drinking in Valencia has always been great, but it just gets better and better. Blink and there is a new eatery opening. On the following pages you'll find our pick of the best, it is constantly updated, whenever we (or you) find a new on we add it to the pages. So Click away, and when you visit the establishments listed in our pages, let them know you read about them here! And if ever somewhere doesn't live up to our review let us know why.

New Improved Restaurant Listings
Canovas Area
Barrio Del Carmen

And for now, until the new improved listings are fully ready, which will be very soon!
General Restaurant Listings

Not listed on our pages? Click above to download our listings form in Word format, fill it in and mail back to us!
We'll include it FREE, as soon as possible.

¿No apareces en nuestros listings? Haz click arriba para bajar nuestro formulario en formato Word, rellenalo, y mandanoslo por email! Te incluiremos GRATIS lo antes posible!

Dining in Valencia
Restaurant Reviews

Over the next few weeks and months we will be presenting reviews of some of our favourite and sometimes not so favourite restaurants here on these pages. These aren’t necessarily the best restaurants in Valencia, one or two of them aren’t even particularly nice, but each one has something special, something memorable; at least as far as we can remember. Each one was considered worthy of a place in this collection because it was something not completely different, but a little bit out of the ordinary. Either that or someone else was paying and so we didn’t really care that much one way or the other.

When visiting a strange city it’s so easy to fall into the tourist traps and get ripped off by somebody who saw you coming. We don’t promise you won’t get ripped off in any of these places either, but at least you’ll leave with a sense of having experienced the real Valencia, even if it was in a Chinese restaurant with a Rumanian waitress.

Feel free to drop us a line at eating@thisisvalencia.com and tell us whether you agree with the review, or to suggest a restaurant to us, or even send us your review. We will try and include it on the pages.

HOSTERIA EL VIZIO

Diana Jean visits a great new Italian on Malvarrosa

Around 15 Euros for lunch

Thisisvalencia.com regularly attend openings and It seems its only the Italians in this city that know how to promote a new restaurant.

The other Saturday night saw the official opening of a lovely new Italian restaurant on Malvarossa, the vivacious Sheree and her partners put on an extravagant feast for its selected guests

The food was superb and flowed all evening, we were attended by charming staff who kept plying us with new flavours to sample. Huge rounds of tasty parmesan to dig out, decorated the food table, wonderful platters of every cold cut you could dream of, with the best rare cold beef I have tasted for a very long time. Delicious roasted vegetables, lovely salads and super fresh and hot piadinis kept appearing regularly from the kitchen. After the initial buffet was enjoyed we were served plates of risotto, this has never been a favourite of mine but always willing to try anything, this turned out to be quite superb, a delicate cheesy rice and a dish I will certainly be ordering in the future!  By now absolutely bursting with food we were offered some lasagne, this was fabulous! Full of flavour and cooked to perfection. The bar was more then generous...

Sheree is from New Zealand and first came to Valencia with the America's Cup.

The uncertainty of the future of  the AC and the fact that Sheree found that she really liked VLC decided her to stay here and with her team of partners open this restaurant. Sheree is a charming, full- of-fun lady, who if Saturday was anything to go by will front this restaurant fabulously, making everyone welcome and ensuring a great meal and fun atmosphere.

Obviously with so many people and the tables removed for this event, one couldn´t quite see how the place will look on a normal day but it´s a good size seating 50 in and out, and a a nice room at the back for private dinners and  parties. Simply decorated, and pictures imported from Italy, good copies of the famous colourful fun images from Botero. The front has a big terrace with seating and heaters, onto the pavement and overlooking the beautiful frontage of the hotel Las Arenas.

Go try this excellent restaurant.

Open daily lunch and dinner

Eugenio Viñes 105, 46011 Valencia 96 372 77 88

www.hosteriaelvizio.com

CASA EL FAMÓS

Barbara O'Neill Visits this Valencian well-kept secret.

Around 20 Euros for lunch

A blend of restaurant and museum, it’s named for ‘El Famós’, aka Vicente Navarro, it can be found in an old farmhouse set in the Algirós region of ‘La Huerta’, the agricultural green belt that surrounds Valencia city. It was first opened to the public in the early 19th century by Juan Bautista Navarro Dols, to serve wine and food to labourers working in the surrounding fields, many of them living in the clay-walled, rush-roofed ‘barracas’ of which, sadly, few remain.

The restaurant is situated opposite the 17thC Ermita de Vera, a haunt of artists, many of them famous, drawn to its beautiful light-filled chapel and peaceful atmosphere. Their sketches complete, it must have seemed a natural transition to wander into ‘Famós’ for a glass of wine and a tapita of squid or rabbit. The union of peasant and artist was a comfortable one and the restaurant became a place that offered not only good, traditional food but excellent local wines as well; as it does today.

Noisy and fun, this restaurant is a delight. Still run by the Navarro family, who are both helpful and courteous, the paella, melloso and rabbit, still cooked over orange wood fires, are exceptional. The menu is typical Valencian and if you’re not sure what to order, help is at hand. But leave room for the puddings; all home-made, they are delicious.

As you pass through the door there is a strong sense of the past, a feeling that La Casa Famós has changed little since its inception. The clientele are still a mix of workers and artists but don’t be surprised if you find yourself in the company of doctors, lawyers, journalists or even politicians. The atmosphere is friendly and informal. The white-washed walls are covered with the pictures and canvasses of Vicente, their subjects ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous to the interesting to the sinister, all somehow in keeping with the blue and yellow Valencian tiles.

Although it appears to be a well-kept secret, El Famós is extremely popular and booking is a must. The only downside is very limited parking, so be warned.

Ermita de Vera, 14

Valencia

Tel: 963710 028 or 963556 384 (closed Sunday evening)

The next three reviews here are from the pen and mind of bon vivuer Bob Yareham

CINQUANTE CINQ
Before the epidemic..

Cincuante Cinq is, as the name implies, a Scottish restaurant. It is owned by Alasdair Moore from Edinburgh, who lived in Bordeaux and Montpelier for 15 years before moving to Valencia, where he missed those suave, subtle French flavours.

Such longing inspired Alasdair to set up his restaurant about 6 years ago, at a time when French restaurants were few and far between, unlike today when they are fast becoming an epidemic (in the nicest possible way).

The décor, and the unusual layout, largely enforced by the position of the columns, give a multi-area feeling, so that you could come back at least three times and feel like you’re eating in a different place.

That illusion however would be dispelled by the appearance of the same staff because, unlike so many restaurants, the staff at 55 want to stay, and they do, creating a pleasant family atmosphere.

There is also an artistic feel as Alasdair likes to give young artists an opportunity to exhibit their work, and when we were there, there were paintings by a young Valencian artist called David Ranz in a modernist style, and also hanging mobiles by British artist Tim Herdon, who is a friend of Alasdair’s and a regular diner here, as are many ex-pats who miss a little bit of typical Scottish French cuisine.

Alasdair likes to change his menu every month, although there are some favourite dishes that are always available, such as the foie, which is exquisite, as only the French can make it.

The leg of lamb is also very popular, if you can stand the wait and the seductive aromas wafting through from the kitchen.

Among the favourite starters is the fresh goats’ cheese salad, and there are various dishes using fluffy pastry (I think that’s the technical name) with different fillings (cheese and bacon when I was there).

Salmon tartar (I believe that means it’s raw but was afraid to ask) cod profiteroles and scallops au gratin (as we English like to brag) all make excellent fishy starters and prove by their fresh flavours that Alasdair is one of those ‘restauranteurs’ who you’ll find down at the quayside (or at least the Central market) at 4 a.m. looking for the best produce.

Among the meatier dishes you’ll find an original rabbit with large prawns, ‘carrillada’ (cow cheeks), which sound disgusting but are officially a delicacy and very expensive, being a dark, rich meat not dissimilar to boar.

Ox sirloin is often available, as are many kinds of fish, depending what flapped into Alasdair’s lap down at the docks.

He also offers snails in Borgoña sauce, but the less said about that the better.

For sweets there is often scrumptious apple pie, as well as pumpkin pie when in season.

Alasdair is one of those owners who like to hover around explaining the dishes and generally showing lashings of savoir faire, and for those who are on holiday or have recently arrived in Spain, he speaks quite good English too.

C/ Joaquín Costa, 55
Telephone: 96 325 50 29 
 

SEU-XEREA
East Enders for Yuppies

Apart from the Spanish Inquisition, the last thing I was expecting when I slipped in here for a bit of self-pampering was a lad from Bethnal Green to be wandering between tables ensuring that everybody was happy; but the fact is, and was, that Stephen Anderson has been the owner of this classy joint for nigh on 11 years now, and his British descent is one of Valencia’s best kept secrets (apart from the thousands of people who know).

The food itself could hardly be called British; not a chip or dumpling in sight, and it might be his interesting past (a Burmese mother and some summers spent in Italy) that have created Stephen’s original approach to food; or it might be the two years spent working and learning in the restaurant of top British chef, Alistair Little in London’s Soho, that has resulted in the success of this attractive, central restaurant, where you can eat quality, imaginative food without your bank manager throwing a tantrum.

There’s a tasting menu for groups at 45€, which might put some pockets off, or turn them inside out, but the star attraction is the mid-day, mid-week set menu at 20€ (plus 7% VAT, drinks apart), which changes every week and which offers an interesting variety of sensations for the demanding palate.

The week I was there we were offered an aperitif of crunchy crayfish in ‘ceps’ sauce (I had to look it up too, but it’s a kind of wild mushroom), followed by thinly sliced cod Carpaccio with ‘escalibada’, a Catalonia purée made of vegetables, and then Italian Polenta with mini squids.

The menu stretched my linguistic ability, but each dish, with its immaculate cutlery and crockery was a joy to eat. The accompanying wine was excellent too, and I must confess I didn’t study the list as obsessively as I usually do, having spotted straight off a fruity Basque wine of the ‘Txakoli’ variety, which you don’t often see in many places outside of the Basque Country.

For the main course we had three choices; salmon with black tagliatelle and sweet and sour sauce, pork sirloin stuffed with nuts and pumpkin sauce, or an octopus risotto.

Finally the dessert was a cheese mousse with poppy seeds and cassis ice cream.

The service was excellent and the waitresses, in their tight black uniforms, would have turned a younger, more foolish man’s head.

The restaurant glows a pleasant reddish colour and is divided into three areas. It’s a good idea to book, especially at a weekend, and be prepared to share the dining room with sleazy politicians looking for unsuspecting taxpayers to foot the bill, as the Valencian Parliament is just around the corner. In fact, Stephen assured us that the Socialist candidate for Mayor of Valencia, Carmen Alborch, had been in the night before.

God, why can’t I eat like that every day?

Seu-Xerea is in C/ Conde de Almodóvar 4. Telephone 96 3924000

ENTREVINS
Bottles hit you from all sides

Entrevins is yet another French-owned restaurant that has been set up in Valencia in the past few years, and another one of many that are converging on Valencia’s Notting Hill: the Ruzafa district near the railway station.

Bottles hit you as you walk in; not literally, but the restaurant also sells wines, and one of its two rooms is chock-a-block with an enormous variety of wines for sale.

Jazz music also hits you, as well as some tasteful (apart from the one of a large eye that I personally found increasingly intrusive as the wine….sorry….meal wore on) modern art on the walls of this converted town house that conserves much of its original style.

Fortunately the table mats don’t hit you, as they are black squares of slate, and are therefore useful for distracted teachers with pockets full of chalk.

In the evenings there is a ‘market’ menu at 19€ with 3 starters, a soup and meat or fish dishes plus dessert, or a 29€ tasting menu with 9 dishes.

At midday, when we were there, the menu cost 16€ and consisted of three starters from a list of 6. Each was excellently presented and we were able to choose such delights as a sardine salad with mango vinaigrette or a foie cascading mauve lettuce as only French chefs can cascade it.

Another interesting novelty was that you could combine the meal with a wine tasting, opting for either 3, 4 or 5 different wines, which the chef/owner selected according to each dish, which was an excellent way to indulge the palate without having to make major decisions (apart from the number of glasses you wanted to try).

The first on the list was an excellent white Bordeaux, trouncing the theory that French wines are the worst in Europe.

A cold soup in a glass followed the starters, and was an interesting combination of tomato and cherry.

For the main dish I had a stone grilled ox with celery purée, preferring that to the other option, which was a cod risotto.

Guillaume, from near Toulouse, has certainly put a lot of effort and knowledge into his small restaurant, and there are many details, such as the excellent bread and the startling offer of 29 different herbal teas, or the chunky lumps of brown and white sugar offered with the coffee, that make this a fine place to pamper yourself, if you feel that pampering is in order.

C/ Reina Doña Maria 3. Telephone: 96 3333523.

ZENIT HOTEL:
Table for Mister Smith?

Normally when I perambulate around Valencia looking for original places to eat (which involves great personal sacrifice for the benefit of my readers) I don’t often consider hotel restaurants. I suppose it’s because I always feel a bit self-conscious about wandering into reception without luggage; a bit like Dustin Hoffman in ‘The Graduate’, although, sadly to say, without Mrs. Robinson).

The Hotel Zenit is next to the railway station, and this day I was due to meet an English football team staying there, who were over here for a long weekend and so I thought I’d give it a try, especially as the menu outside looked attractive, offering 24 dishes for 14.90€ plus VAT, without drinks.

Half of the dishes carried a supplement, but that still leaves 4 starters, 4 main course and 4 desserts to choose from at the original price, and the opportunity to eat in excellent, elegant surroundings and to get hotel treatment from very attentive waitresses.

There was a lot of English being spoken in the nearby reception as guests came and went and the menu is also available in English if you ask for it. There is also a good wine list starting at 12 euros, although somewhat limited with only 11 choices. Mind you, as I rarely get past the fourth bottle when dining alone that is not necessarily as big a problem as getting home afterwards.

The décor is very modern with all the furniture in dark brown and everything else in white apart from 2 long twisted polished tree trunks and a lonely platter containing two large silver spheres, which could lead to all kinds of speculation. Huge lampshades like kettle drums hang in the centre glaring quite strongly while the perimeter has a darker light for those engaged in scurrilous dealings of a business or romantic nature.

A small biscuit covered in tuna roe and parsley sauce is brought as you contemplate the menu, from which I finally opted for a salad containing all known types of leaf and some splendidly tender sirloin with cherry tomatoes. For the second course I chose a marinated red tuna sirloin, cooked quite rare and accompanied by wild rice.

You can also eat à la carte, and among the interesting options are carrot soup with coriander and dried tomatoes, suckling pig, ‘fideua’ (the noodle version of paella) with sirloin (somebody must have bought in bulk!) plus spring onion and wild mushrooms or squid stuffed with apricots, foie and spicy eels. They also do a variety of paellas for two people upwards.

The toilets are carefully hidden through reception and downstairs behind a screen where the telephone is supposed to be according to the sign. Once inside, after hunting for the light switch, which is one of those that detect you and switch themselves on, thus making an excellent potential terrorist bomb, you can indulge in the curious sensation of resting your pure white tablet of soap on a bed of shiny black pebbles. I know it isn’t much, but then I don’t need much!

Another detail I like is that they don’t take away the other superfluous settings of cutlery and crockery when you sit down, which always makes me feel a bit like a leper.

The dessert was an orgy of self-indulgence consisting of melon flavoured ice cream with two types of brownie, walnuts and a thick chocolate sauce. Life needn’t always be continuous suffering.

Hotel Zenit is in Calle Bailen 8. Telephone: 96 3529000

DARBAR
Things Leaping Off the Walls at You

Walking into this Indian restaurant in Valencia’s Avenida del Puerto, just near the port is quite an experience. The décor is impressive to say the least but I’d need a degree in architecture to describe the crenulated arches and baroqueish, Moorish pillars that seem to leap off the walls at you from all directions; or maybe I’d had one too many pints of Guinness beforehand.

In great British style, and ignoring the comments of French dickhead; sorry, ex-president Jacques Chirac that the only thing English restaurants have contributed to haute cuisine is mad cows, this was a truly typical English night out; too many pints of Guinness followed by an Indian meal. Heaven.

Indian food has never really taken off in Valencia, unlike Chinese restaurants which are more numerous than suburban cats and just as tasty.

Those that have survived in Valencia have had to do battle with Valencian culinary conservatism (the Chinese are only successful because you can still eat out with a large family for a reasonable price; if the family is extremely large you can even sit surreptitiously at their table and eat for free without them even noticing).

Gold is the dominant colour in ‘Darbar’, an Indian word meaning ‘Assembly Hall’ or ‘Court’, an Indian village’s version of the Anglo Saxon communal hall where the tribe ate, slept and procreated together.

We however opted for the 29 euro menu, ignoring the 11.50 and 19 euro versions. Most of the menu was in English and Spanish although some, curiously, was only in English. Our waiter Aamir Anwar spoke excellent English and treated us like kings, which is appropriate as the walls were covered with portraits of various Indian monarchs.

The menu included a cocktail which was orange and contained approximately 40% of my hangover. The rim of the glass was coated with a mysterious red paste which Aamir helpfully informed us was an “Indian red paste”.

The restaurant is owned by Rashid Ahmed who has run similar restaurants in Paris and whose family own restaurants in Beirut and Dubai.

We had a seemingly endless stream of papadoums and nan breads to mop up some enticing sauces featuring cucumber, a hot lime that vacuumed the taste buds into cowering submission and one with banana and tamarind. This was followed by an interesting selection of grilled meats and fish, each with its own distinct spicy flavour.

Next came various curry dishes which proved that there are more shades of brown than in all your philosophy Horatio Nelson!

The sweets were excellent, my favourite being an iced pistachio cake.

The brandy was served in a heated glass as is becoming and the mint tea was a welcome caress for a sandpapered palate. The free liquor at the end was downed with manly abandon.

Darbar has 70 dishes to choose from including 6 for vegetarians.

The chairs are spectacularly large, ornate and heavy and very difficult to fall off….unless you work at it.

It is situated in Avenida del Puerto, 294, or was; telephone 96 3311583.

Sorsi e Morsi.
 

The newest addition to the Vicios Italianos family is this beautiful restaurant in Ruzafa. Probably the best looking of all 3 of them in Valencia, it has only been open for a few weeks and is already full every night. Stunning decor, stripped walls, over sized modern art, huge wooden bar and a garden where you can have dinner! The Vicios italianos have done it again and the team here at thisisvalencia.com are very proud of them. With the same kind of menu, but a little pricier, as Al Pomodoro (Calle del mar, 22 - 96 391 48 00) and La Pappardella (Calle Bordadores, 5 - 96 391 89 15), this restaurant has a classier and executive feel to it. Low lighting, open plan and all very white and brown this is the kind of place that will become a regular in your social life. See you there.
Congratulations Vicios Italianos! We salute you!

Sorsi e Morsi is at Doctor Serrano, 11 ( Barrio Ruzafa), 46004.
tel: 96 322 55 43
 

Lolita Devine.

All content
©2007
thisisvalencia.com
unless otherwise stated