Food lovers will find incredibly delicious and fresh seafood and fruits, exquisite wines, and masterful dishes in Valencia. If you’re in Valencia, here’s a list of dishes you absolutely must try here.
Paella
Paella is a national Valencian dish made of rice, meat, and vegetables, cooked in a pan over a fire.
Delicious paella is cooked on Malvarrosa Beach in restaurants with centuries-old histories:
- El Trompo (on Google Maps)
- La Pepica (on Google Maps)
- El Coso (on Google Maps)
- Casa Carmela (on Google Maps)
On El Saler Beach at the Arrocería Duna restaurant (on Google Maps), located right in the dunes.
- Borja Azcutia (on Google Maps)
- El Ocho y Medio (on Google Maps)
- La Cigrona (on Google Maps)
Drink Orxata
Orxata is a non-alcoholic refreshing drink. In Valencia, the popular orxata de xufes is made from water, chufa tubers (also known as tiger nuts), and sugar. Locals drink orxata with freshly baked fartons. Orxata is a nutritious product, considered a plant milk with high starch, fat, sugar, and protein content, as well as minerals and vitamins, including phosphorus, potassium, vitamins E, C, and biotin.
You can try orxata at horchaterias:
- Orxateria Santa Catalina (on Google Maps),
- at the Mercado de Colón,
- Horchatería el Collado
- La Casa de l’Orxata (on Google Maps),
- Els Sariers (on Google Maps),
- FABIÁN (on Google Maps).
Arròs a banda
Arròs a banda is rice cooked in fish broth with pieces of fish and seafood.
Arròs negre
Arròs negre is rice with seafood. The dish gets its dark color from squid ink, which also enhances the seafood flavor.
Fideuá
Fideuá is prepared in a wide flat pan using fish broth with the addition of seafood and noodles. Pearl noodles are used, which are thicker, curved, and have a hole in the middle.
All i pebre
All i pebre is eel stewed with potatoes. The dish is made with eel (or another fish), potatoes, garlic, red and hot peppers, pine nuts.
Alaons – Dishes Made with Salted Fish
Moixama is fillet of tuna cured in salt.
Tonyina de sorra is salted tuna belly. It is also very tasty when grilled.
Llet merengada
Llet merengada is a delicious, healthy, and refreshing milk-based drink with a cinnamon-lemon flavor. It is used in making ice cream, milkshakes, and sherbets.
Bunyols
Bunyols are fried doughnuts, sometimes round, sometimes ring-shaped. They can be sweet, salty, or have fish. Traditionally made for Fallas.
Here is another list of my favorite restaurants.
