The home of paella, La Albufera rice and the modernist Mercado Central.
Valencia eats around rice. Paella was invented here in the 18th century rice paddies of La Albufera, and the canonical paella valenciana (rabbit, chicken, ferraura green beans, garrofo butter beans, saffron, bomba rice) still rules every Sunday lunch table. Beyond paella the rice repertoire runs deep: arroz a banda, arroz del senyoret, arroz negro, arroz al horno, arroz meloso, fideua. The Mercado Central, an 8,000 sqm modernist hall opened in 1928, is the daily larder for restaurants from Casa Carmela on the beachfront to Ricard Camarena two Michelin stars at Bombas Gens. The Russafa quarter has turned into a third-wave coffee, natural-wine, vegan corridor in the last decade; the Cabanyal fishing village delivers grilled sardines, esgarraet (roasted pepper and salt-cod salad) and all i pebre (eel and garlic stew). The horchateria tradition (Daniel, Santa Catalina) pours iced tigernut milk with fartons. Agua de Valencia, the cava and orange juice cocktail, anchors the late-night bars of Ciutat Vella.
Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in Valencia, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
The plates that define eating in Valencia.
Paella valenciana is Valencia's defining rice dish: bomba rice cooked over orange wood in a flat pan with rabbit, chicken, ferraura green beans, garrofo butter beans, saffron and tomato.
Where: Casa Carmela, Casa Roberto, La Pepica, La Riua, El Encuentro
Arroz a banda is Valencia's seafood-stock rice, cooked in a fish broth made from rockfish, served alone with allioli on the side: a sailor's rice from the Cabanyal fishing quarter.
Where: La Riua, Casa Carmela, La Pepica, Rausell
Fideua is the noodle-paella of the Cabanyal fishing quarter: short thin fideos noodles cooked in seafood stock with prawns, squid and monkfish, served with allioli on the side.
Where: La Riua, Casa Carmela, Casa Roberto, El Rall
Arroz al horno is the wood-oven-baked Valencian rice: a clay cazuela of bomba rice with chickpeas, blood sausage, pork ribs, tomato and potato slices, baked in the bread oven.
Where: Navarro, Casa Roberto, Racons, El Encuentro
Horchata de chufa is Valencia's defining drink: a sweet iced beverage made from Alboraya tigernuts, served with long soft fartons for dipping.
Where: Horchateria Daniel (Mercado Colon), Horchateria Santa Catalina
Agua de Valencia is the city's cocktail: Spanish cava blended with fresh Valencian orange juice, gin and vodka, invented in 1959 at Cafe Madrid.
Where: Cafe Madrid, Cafe de las Horas
A handful of the places we send friends to when they are in Valencia.
Casa Carmela on the Malvarrosa beachfront in Valencia has cooked wood-fired paellas to order since 1922, with a 20-strong rice repertoire and a lunch-only beachfront kitchen.
Signature: Paella valenciana, Arroz a banda, Esgarraet
La Pepica on Passeig de Neptu in Valencia's Malvarrosa beach has served paella since 1898; Hemingway, Queen Sofia and Orson Welles all ate the rice here.
Signature: Paella valenciana, Arroz a banda, Arroz del senyoret
Casa Roberto on Carrer del Mestre Gozalbo in Valencia's Eixample has cooked Roberto Aparicio's traditional paellas since 1986, with a long chef's record in Valencian rice.
Signature: Paella valenciana, Arroz al horno, Croquetas
La Riua on Carrer del Mar in Valencia's old town has run a family-tavern rice kitchen since 1978, now in the third generation, with a dozen paellas on the carte.
Signature: Paella valenciana, Arroz a banda, Fideua
Llisa Negra on Carrer de Pasqual i Genis in Valencia is Quique Dacosta's product-driven fire-only kitchen, with no gas stoves and every dish cooked over wood and embers.
Signature: Arroz seco, Pescado a la brasa, Carnes a la brasa
Casa Montana on Carrer de Josep Benlliure in Valencia's Cabanyal fishing quarter has poured wine from oak barrels and served tapas since 1836, with a 1,500-bottle wine cellar.
Signature: Esgarraet, Anchoas del Cantabrico, Atun en aceite
Valencia's medieval old town: cathedral, La Lonja silk exchange, the Mercado Central, and the bar-lined Plaza de la Virgen.
Best for: Paella, Tapas, Horchata, Markets
Also: el-carmen
Valencia's hipster food district south of the train station: third-wave coffee, natural wine, vegan, and a daily produce mercado.
Best for: Brunch, Wine bars, Coffee, Vegan
Valencia's old fishing village by the port: tiled facades, grilled sardines, salt-cod esgarraet and a rising brunch scene.
Best for: Seafood, Paella, Tapas
Also: cabanyal
The 19th-century grid south of the old town: Mercado de Colon, Calle Conde Altea wine bars, fine-dining rooms and quiet residential streets.
Best for: Fine dining, Markets, Wine bars
The narrow medieval streets inside Ciutat Vella: bar-crawl central, late-night agua de Valencia, and the Torres de Quart.
Best for: Bars, Late-night, Tapas
Valencia's alternative-bohemian quarter north of the centre: student bars, vegan kitchens, craft beer and live-music corners.
Best for: Vegan, Craft beer, Casual
Peak food season: March for Las Fallas (street paella, fartons, bunyols de carabassa). May for sweet new-season Valencian oranges and the first cuajada fresh cheese. September to November for rice harvest in La Albufera and the start of all i pebre and arroz al horno season. August is the slowest restaurant month; many small kitchens close for two to three weeks.
Local dining hours: Lunch 14:00 to 16:00, with paella always at lunch and never at dinner. Dinner 21:00 to 23:00. Many beach paella restaurants close at 17:00 entirely. Horchaterias open mid-morning and run through evening tea hour. Tapas counters open from 12:00 with vermut. Sunday lunch is the major weekly meal and paella is the canonical Sunday plate.
Tipping: Service is included; no tip is expected. Round up the bill or leave a coin or two at a tapas counter for very good service. A 5 percent tip at a fine-dining room is on the high end of generous; 10 percent is American territory. Never tip on the card terminal.
Valencia's signature dishes include Paella valenciana, Arroz a banda, Fideua, Arroz al horno, Horchata con fartons. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.
TableJourney editors map Valencia by district. Ciutat Vella, Russafa, El Cabanyal, L'Eixample are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.
Editor picks in Valencia include Ricard Camarena Restaurant, Flores Raras (formerly El Poblet), La Salita, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.
TableJourney covers 4 editor-picked food tours in Valencia, with what each shows you and how much to budget.
TableJourney's Valencia dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten_free, halal venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.