It’s not very hard to find a good restaurant in Valencia. The city has a passion for excellent food in combination with delicious drinks and good vibes. Have a look at our list of top 5 restaurants in Valencia!
1. Canalla Bistro
Star chef Richard Camarena owns this great restaurant. Apart from Canalla Bistro, which is also located in Madrid, he owns his own Richard Camarena Michelin star restaurant. But the quality of Canalla Bistro is just as amazing!
All meals have a touch of passion which you surely taste! The dishes are inspired by the Japanese kitchen and a bit of New York. You’ll find quite modern tapas on the menu, like courgetti (spaghetti made of courgette) with mango and parmezan cheese. But also baopao made of Bejing pork meat and a little dough cone filled with salmon, avocado and wasabi. The flavours are really surprising.
The tasting menu at Canalla Bistro is really worth a try! With every eight courses you’ll taste the international cuisine for only €26.00 per person (drinks not included). Keep in mind that you can only choose this menu if everyone at the table will do the same. Eating tapas? Don’t forget to the try the delicious dessert, the Frozen Tiramisu.
Location
Carrer del Mestre Josep Serrano 5
46005 Valencia
Website
Openingstijden
Monday until Sunday: 13:30 – 15:30 and 20:30 – 23:00
2. La Salita Restaurante
It really feels like entering a cooking show when you have dinner at La Salita! The meals are really a treasure, not only to eat, but also to look at. The chef pays a lot of attention to the presentation and transforms every dish into a true artwork. It’s not a surprise that the quality of the food is so good at La Salita. The owner, Begoña Rodrigo from Valencia, won the television cooking contest ‘Top Chef’. Two years later, she started La Salita, which she runs with her Dutch husband. They live in Valencia. All meals are prepared in collaboration with Mercado Central and local farmers. Make sure you go to La Salita if you want to experience a true culinary adventure!
Location
Carrer de Seneca 12
46021 Valencia
Website
Opening hours
Monday until Saturday: 14:00 – 17:00 and 20:00 – 23:00
3. Restaurante Cervecería La Principal
You can go to this restaurant to enjoy the authentic tapas, but it’s also a great place to sit back and have a caña (tap beer). Principal has a big selection of all kinds of meat and fish courses. Keep in mind that the prices vary a lot.
Specialities like the home made croquettes, the ‘Ensaladilla Rusa’ and a ‘Torta de Casar’ (a spicy but soft Spanish cheese) are really worth to taste. If you decide to try fish, watch the process of how it gets pulled out of the saltcrust at the table, right in front of you. Apart from the good flavours, the authentic but modern interior makes it a pleasant place to visit.
Location
Carrer de Polo y Peyrolon 5
46021 Valencia
Website
Opening hours
Monday until Saturday: 13:45 – 16:30 and 20:45 – 23:30
4. Bar Rausell
Only the interior and the decoration of this tapasbar makes dining here a great experience. The brothers Miguel Ángel y José Antonio Rausell run this family company with a lot of pleasure and passion. This restaurant is very popular among well-known locals as Michelin star chef Richard Camarena (owner of Canalla Bistro), Carlos Boga (manager of Las Arenas Hotel) and Paco Solaz, who has a shop at Mercado Central.
It all started with the first chicken on a spit in Valencia, here at Rausell. That roasted, delicious chicken caused a very long waiting line every Sunday. Many Valencian people wanted to taste it! It’s still a big success if you ask the locals. They love to have this chicken during their ‘almuerzo’: a treat between breakfast and lunch. Rausell is happy to serve you any meal a day: breakfast, lunch and diner are all delicious. And nowadays, you can also get takeaway meals here!
Location
Carrer d’Àngel Guimerà 61
46008 Valencia
Website
Opening hours
Wednesday until Saturday: 08:30 – 23:30
Sunday: 09:00 – 17:00
5. Vuelve Carolina
Last but definitely not least: Vuelve Carolina! Owned by the famous Spanish cook Quique Dacoste, who also owns a star restaurant in Dénia. This restaurant has a very trendy interior with a lot of wood and plants. In 2016, Vuelve got a price for the best patatas bravas in Valencia. That’s certainly a good reason to go here!
If you want to be surprised, go for the menu of the day (‘menu del día’). There’s a lot of variety in courses: tuna tartar, a seaweed salad or a delicious chocolate dessert. All dishes are beautifully presented and they taste great. This is also the place for wine lovers. There’s a very large wine selection!
Location
Carrer de Correus 8
46002 Valencia
Website
Opening hours
Monday until Saturday: 13:30 – 16:30 and 20:30 – 23:30
Other tips
– Keep in mind that Spanish people might eat at other times of the day then you are used to. Lunch is between 14:00 and 17:00 and is known as the most important dish of the day. That’s also why menus at lunch time are often a bit cheaper than menus at night.
– If you like to stay updated about the newest food hotspots and restaurants, follow Once Upon a Bike on Instagram and Facebook for the newest hotspots in Valencia.
– Do you fancy a drink after dinner? Try a drink in one of the cocktailbars in Valencia.
