Valencia is known for its amazing paella, the cocktail Agua de Valencia and citrus fruits. But in a city so big and with so many cute restaurants/bars, it can be difficult to decide where you want to go to try these foods. In this blog I will list some of my favorite places in Valencia to eat or to have a drink in the Spanish sun.
Mercat Central
One of the biggest markets in Europe where you can find every delicious specialty of Valencia. The building itself is already worth visiting because of the special Valencian Art Nouveau style. I could not leave this market without trying an empanadilla with goatcheese (for only €1!) and a fresh pomegranate smoothie (for €2). It can be quite busy so I recommend visiting it in the morning so all the products are still available. The fish department for example had a lot of places that were almost sold out when I visited it. The market is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Address: Plaça de la Ciutat de Bruges
Café de Las Horas
Café de Las Horas is a unique bar in the Old Town of Valencia decorated like a combination of the classic literary café, the Parisian café, the English tea room and the American cocktail bar. All of this in an extravagant neo-baroque environment. Other than the amazing look of the café, it also offers amazing cocktails like the famous Agua de Valencia: a combination of cava, vodka, gin and sugar. I decided to try the Mediterraneo cocktail with vodka, granita lemon, cava and Blue Curacao which I would definitely recommend! The bar is a little more pricy than other bars in Valencia but the interior and atmosphere is worth it.
Address: Carrer del Comte d’Almodóvar, 1
Restaurante Babalú
The best dinner I had while I was in Valencia was 100% at Restaurante Babalú. They offer a three-course menu for only €14.50 on weekdays, including amazing paella! In the weekends the price of this menu will be about €16, which is still very cheap. For the starter you can choose between six different meals including cuttlefish grilled in mery sauce which I chose. And it was amazing! For the main dish you also have six different options including three different kinds of paella: seafood paella, Valencian paella or vegetarian paella. Finally for dessert, you have four different options. I went with the cake of the day and got a delicious coconut cheesecake. Another plus: they have a Happy Hour from 19-21 when cocktails are only €4.50!
Address: C. Cerrajeros, 17
Boa Beach
Playa de las Arenas is the closest beach to the center of Valencia and easy to reach by bus. Boa Beach is one of the cutest restaurants on the boardwalk where you can get a good cocktail or some big cakes (or both). They offer breakfast, lunch and snacks for when you get hungry during a sunny day at the beach. I recommend trying the Red Velvet cake because it was delicious. Combining it with a cocktail might seem weird but the Daiquiri de fresas went great with it!
Address: Passeig de Neptú, 62
Nou Dorita
A great breakfast spot for a fast meal when you want to visit the city as soon as you can! The first time I went here, we sat down for two minutes and already had coffees and food on the table. I have to admit, the coffee is not the best, but they have amazing croissants and other breakfast items! The staff is really friendly and I liked the atsmosphere in this place.
Address: Carrer del Túria, 31
Valencia is filled with great restaurants and cafés so this is just a really small portion of what I got to visit in the city. Let me know on my Instagram (@kolibrietravel) if you have visited some of these places!
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