Bocadillo de calamares is the working-day Valencian sandwich: floured fried squid rings on a fresh bread roll, with a lemon wedge and sometimes allioli.
The bocadillo de calamares became a Spanish working-day staple in the post-Civil War years, with each city developing its own version. The Valencian style uses squid from the lonja fish market, dredged in flour (no batter), fried briefly in olive oil and stuffed into a fresh bread roll with a lemon wedge. Central Bar inside the Mercado Central is the canonical Valencian counter version, sourced from the market's own fishmongers metres away.
3 editor picks for Bocadillo de calamares (Valencia style) in Valencia, ranked by editorial score. All Valencia signature dishes · Bocadillo de calamares (Valencia style) across every city.
Central Bar by Ricard Camarena ★ 4.5
ciutat-vella · Mercat Central, Plaça del Mercat s/n, 46001 Valencia
Central Bar inside the Mercado Central in Valencia is Ricard Camarena's market-counter project, serving bocadillos and tapas built from the market stalls metres away.
La Pilareta ★ 4.2
el-carmen · C/ del Moro Zeit, 13, 46001 Valencia
La Pilareta on Carrer del Moro Zeit in Valencia's Carmen quarter has run a counter-tile bar since 1917, famous across the city for its clochinas (small native mussels).
Bodeguilla del Gato ★ 4.1
el-carmen · C/ Catalans, 10, Zona Carmen 46001, Valencia
Bodeguilla del Gato in Valencia's Carmen quarter is a corner tapas bar with a wide carte of tapas and bocadillos, a wood-bar counter and a small terrace on a quiet plaza.