A Guide to Eating and Drinking in Valencia

  Spanish Oranges

Like Madrid and Barcelona, Valencia is an incredibly cosmopolitan place. But – as is the case with these other fantastic Spanish cities – neither is it a faceless, international metropolis and Valencia is defined by a spirited independence in its cuisine, as with all other things.

Spain spends so much time telling all who’ll listen that eating and drinking in the country is not just about paella… And then there’s Valencia, where rice rules! As one of the homes of the dish, each restaurant quite understandably seems to have their own spin on the classically flexible combination of rice, seafood and/or meat.

Even ‘paella Valenciana’, which is thought to be the definitive, original paella, comes with various different twists across the city's restaurants. Popular variations include ‘arroz negre’ (a version of paella using squid ink to darken the rice) and ‘fideu’ – paella with the rice substituted for noodles.

Small tapas restaurants abound, with a (pleasingly cheap) local feel balanced out by a number of trendier places. The nearby port obviously has a major influence over the cuisine of Valencia, bringing in a great selection of local seafood dishes in addition to all the usual Spanish favorites.

The quarter of El Carme (just to the northwest of the center) is probably the most atmospheric place to head for a bite to eat. The narrow streets to the north of Calle de Caballeros are held in by rundown old houses and throng with people busily moving from one place to the next.

For a quick lunch after a morning’s sightseeing, there are plenty of bars, or ‘cervecerias’, around the Mercat Central (the city’s wonderful Central Market) where, along with a cool beer or a glass of wine, good food comes at a good price. Naturally, this is also the place to pick up wonderful, freshly picked and caught self-catering supplies.

Lying to the northwest of El Carme (on the other side of the River Turia), another good spot to make for is the area around the university. Less scenic it may be, but there are a cluster of places around the Plaza Xuquer and the Avenida Blasco Ibanez whose cheaper prices are tailor-made for the city’s student population and budget travelers.

As is the case in many Spanish cities, you only have to take an evening stroll past the many lively cafés, bars and restaurants to see that Valencia isn’t a place where eating and drinking is taken lightly. Rather than being merely an afterthought - as it is in some places - it’s a central, possibly even the central, part of life in the city.

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