Eat well in Benidorm without overpaying: the locals'-budget edition.
Eat well in Benidorm for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.
La Bahía has fed Levante beach in Benidorm since 1989 from a seafront terrace facing Benidorm Island, serving paella, fried fish and platos combinados.
OrderA paella on the terrace, or a plato combinado for a quick, cheap lunch.
TipIt works as a café too, from breakfast coffee to an evening meal; book by phone for a terrace table in summer.
Las Gaviotas has fried fish on Calle del Esperanto in Benidorm since 1987: whiting, adobo, king prawns, squid, anchovies and tiger mussels with allioli.
OrderA mixed fritura with bread and allioli, then tiger mussels if the table is hungry.
TipThere are no bookings and the room fills fast in summer, so arrive at opening time or expect a short wait for a table.
Ray's 2 Fish and Chips fries English-style battered fish and chips on Benidorm's Avenida del Mediterráneo, run by the same owners since 1985.
OrderBattered cod and chips, eaten at an outdoor table on the avenue.
TipIt keeps office hours: weekdays only, with the kitchen closing at 19:30, so plan it for lunch or an early tea.
Café De Kroon is a Dutch eetcafé on Avenida de Murcia in Benidorm's Levante quarter, a terrace bar serving snacks and plain Dutch and Belgian comfort food.
OrderA frikandel or a pair of kroketten with a Belgian beer on the terrace.
TipIt draws a Dutch and Belgian crowd and posts in Dutch on its Facebook page; Sunday is the one closing day.
Bolikki is a family-run beach restaurant at the La Cala end of Poniente in Benidorm, where rice dishes lead a menu that also runs a good-value set lunch.
OrderOne of the rice dishes the kitchen is known for, ordered for the table.
TipA daytime place, serving from noon to early evening; it took part in the city's 2026 spoon-dish week and the 2025 rice week.
Bar Marianos has fed Calle Gerona around the clock for more than 40 years, a 24-hour Benidorm bar whose spit-roast chicken turns all day and all night.
OrderThe spit-roast chicken, at any hour of the day or night.
TipMariano Sanz of Bar Marianos is the 2026 godfather of Benidorm Gastronómico, the town's calendar of food weeks.
La Tabernita del Sur fries Andalusian pescaíto on Plaza de la Constitución in Benidorm's old town, a small southern-style tavern from the Aurrera group.
TryPescaíto frito, Andalusian fried fish
TipFried fish is the house pride, and it entered the 2026 tapas contest with a spring roll filled with stewed lamb.
Pintxos Aurrera lines its bar with Basque pintxos and raciones on Costera del Hostal in Benidorm's old town, the counter style of San Sebastián's Parte Vieja.
TryBasque pintxos and raciones from the counter
TipIt entered the June 2026 tapas contest with a curried chicken empanada; the Aurrera group runs several bars on the same streets.
Churrería Rafael fries churros and fatter porras on Avenida de los Limones in Benidorm, served with thick hot chocolate or coffee, to eat in or take away.
TryChurros and porras with thick hot chocolate
TipIt sits near the Colci cinema, and reviewers make it an afternoon merienda stop before a film; Monday is the closing day.
Gigis Pasta is a takeaway counter on Calle Gerona in Benidorm making fresh pasta by hand with organic ingredients, some local and some brought from Italy.
TryFresh handmade pasta to take away
TipA takeaway concept with a few outdoor seats, it stays open until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights.
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