Valencia - Eating
There is a huge selection of restaurants in Valencia. You will find everything from haute cuisine restaurants to fusion eateries, but the best bets are the traditional Spanish ones. Paella (the rice dish where basically any available ingredient gets used) was invented in Valencia and is served in almost every restaurant. The locals eat late and most restaurants don’t fill up until after 22.00.
Seu-Xerea
English chef Stephen Anderson runs the city’s most ambitious restaurant. It has dark red walls, strict lines, white linen tablecloths and large wine glasses. The menu is full of surprises, with dishes such as Oriental fishcakes with tzatziki, strawberry gazpacho, artichokes with foie gras, and the lamb dish paletilla de cordero con tabouleh y jugo de romero.
Palace Fesol
It has come a long way from its supposedly humble origins serving fesoles (lima beans) to the city’s poor. The best dish at this luxurious restaurant is the gambas (shrimp) carpaccio with raspberry vinaigrette. The green tiles of the open kitchen are a beautiful feature of the interior.
La Pepica
This Paella restaurant on the sea front is over 100-years-old. Among those who have sat here and enjoyed the rice covered seafood is the American author, Ernest Hemingway.
Ca’n Bermell
Located in a 17th-century palace in the heart of the Barrio del Carmen district, and managed by the effusive Señor Emili Bermell. The cuisine is Valencian and this is one of the best places in the city to enjoy the caldosa dishes boiled in bouillon and served with rice.
Tascas (Tapasbars)
The best place for tapas is the somewhat rough fishermen’s quarter, El Cabanyal. The anchovy tapas of Bodega Montaña are legendary, Ocho y Medio (on Plaza Lope de Vega) serves gourmet tapas and Bar El Pilar (on Calle Moro Zeit) is the oldest tapas bar in Valencia.
