Dining Recommendations by Ivan
Some finer dining recommendations by Ivan
Here are some of my favorite places to eat.
not all of them have Spanish cuisine, naturally, but all of them are good, and some of them are superb.
RiFF
Conde Altea, 18
963335353
One of the best restaurants in city, a Michelin starred one, run by a fantastic chef Bernd Knöller. The amazing thing is that there’s a 35 EUR lunch set menu with lots of dishes, absolutely unbeatable Price to Quality Ratio.
L’ALQUIMISTA
Carrer de Lluís de Santàngel, 1
685201413
Simply the best Italian in the city. Pasta fresca, amazing quality. Very small – only five tables, so you have to book in advance. Only natural wines in the list. Great price/quality ratio.
CASA CARMELA
Calle Isabel de Villena, 155, 46011 Valencia
963710073
Probably, the best paella in Valencia.
SAITI
Reina Doña Germana, 4
960054124
A very nice small restaurant by chef Vicente Patiño. Great food in a lovely setting. Good PQR.
ADUANA
963672677
Puerto de Valencia, Plaza de Aduana
A place in the seaport, close to the beach, rather nice.
RETROGUSTO COFFEEMATES
Mercado Central, Stall 169-170
There’s no discussion, it’s the best coffee shop in Valencia. A third-wave coffee shop located in the Central Market, Martina and Paula use beans from independent roasters such as Right Side, Nomad, Hola Coffee and of course Five Elephant. La Marzocco for expresso, Aeropress, V6, Kalita et c. for filters. If you like coffee, your day in Valencia must begin there. The only problem with them is that they don’t open on Sundays as the market is closed.
BODEGA ANYORA
Carrer d’en Vicent Gallart, 15
963558809
A nice new place in Cabanyal, a picturesque neighbourhood by the sea. Chef Roman from Bar Tonyina has some interesting dishes in the menu, and there are also some nice references in his wine list, too.
MIMMO CANTINA
Carrer Dr. Sanchis Bergón, 24
963154968
Chef Giulio Donnarumma offers you elaborated italian dishes with a modern twist.
Impressive home-made bakery and desserts.
EL CELLER DEL TOSSAL
Calle Quart, 6
963915913
Luca Bernasconi knows a lot about food and wine, so you’ll always eat and drink well in this place.
If you’re a wine lover, forget about the wine list (the official one is short) and ask Luca personally. He’s got an impressive cellar downstairs with a lot of amazing bottles waiting to be uncorked.
Great lunch menu at a very reasonable price.
MOMIJI
Mercado de Colon, Carrer de Jorge Juan, s/n
960709175
My favourite sushi restaurant in Valencia. Chef Diego Laso knows his stuff and offers a very high quality japanese cuisine at affordable prices. His homemade unagi kabayaki (eel) with sushi rice and shiso leaves is an absolute must. When booking a table, ask for a seat en la barra to watch the Momiji team do their magic while you’re enjoying your meal.
KARAK
Calle Musico Peydro 9, 46001 Valencia
+34 963 15 45 88
The prices and quality of Spanish restaurants like Karak still surprise me every time. 32 euros for a 10 course tasting menu. Clean, honest and fresh ingredients with influences from all over the world. Some of the dishes comparable to Michelin star restaurants in other countries. Friendly staff, especially the chef Rakel Cernicharo and her partner. Rakel was recently the winner of Top Chef España.
APICIUS
Eolo, 7
963936301
Chef Enrique Medina and his wife and sommelier Yvonne Arcidiacono offer modern and creative dishes using the best produce purchased daily at the Central Market, paired with some nice local and international wines. Special seasonal menus, such as autumn mushrooms, game, truffle, white asparagus… One of those places where you become unsure whether the Michelin critics really know their trade.
BOIX QUATRE
Carrer de Boix, 4
961192882
Chef Josué Ribes adds a nice modern twist to traditional valencian dishes in his small cosy restaurant located on a quiet street in the old city. You really should try his signature dish Sepia Neta sobre Sepia Bruta (cuttlefish in two ways), it’s exceptionally good.
