Valencia restaurants are some of the finest in the world. Valencia is the birthplace of Paella as well as Spain’s third-largest city, so you can expect to eat your way through traditional specialties as well as internationally-influenced feasts.
There is so much great food in Valencia that deciding where to eat each night might be more difficult than usual.
I spent over two months exploring Spain and Valencia’s food really left an impression. In fact, I recommend choosing where to stay in Valencia based partly on where all the foodie action is. Let’s get into it.
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15 Best Valencia Restaurants
Casa Carmela
🍽️ Valencian | ($$$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 963 710 073
There is one food staple that should be at the top of your list of things to do in Valencia – authentic paella. There are lots of places to try the local delicacy in Valencia where it was first crafted, but one of the best restaurants for paella is easily Casa Carmela.
Casa Carmela is a family restaurant that’s been passed down four generations for almost 100 years. They offer a variety of paella cooked over a wood fire, including black rice paella and Paella Valenciana with rabbit, duck, snails, and more.
If you’re not feeling paella, Casa Carmela also has other brothy rice dishes, fresh fish, and lamb chops.
Asador El Porteño
🍽️ Argentinian | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 655 916 897
Even on a trip to indulge in Spanish cuisine, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Booking a table at the Argentinian gem of Asador El Porteño is the best way to mix things up while dining in Valencia. You’ll leave this hearty dinner totally full and satisfied.
El Porteño’s specialty is grilled meats that include pork and beef, along with plenty of tapas-style appetizers with an Argentinian twist, like empanadas.
For patrons who can’t make up their minds, opt for Asador El Porteño’s perfectly curated tasting menu. The menu comes complete with chimichurri chorizo for an appetizer and a variety of their best-grilled meats.
Lia València
🍽️ Mediterranean | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 961 940 403
Lia València is a Mediterranean restaurant that serves up both extraordinary food and a clean, upscale atmosphere. What more could you want?
Lia València’s lunch menu is one of the best in the city, and it comes with a choice of starter, main course, and dessert for just under €17. They also have a huge drinks menu with local Valencian wine and more. All in all, Lia València is the spot for a fun, late brunch or a full-blown dinner.
Le Favole Ristorante
🍽️ Italian | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 961 672 630
Breaking off from the Spanish eateries again, Valencia actually has some delicious Italian food. Just spend a night dining at Le Favole Ristorante and you’ll see for yourself.
Le Favole Ristorante isn’t just known for its delicious and creative wood-fired pizzas; the restaurant is also loved for its great service. Their amazing staff is friendly, accommodating, and will make you feel right at home. Meals are topped off with complimentary limoncello before you’re sent off to spend the night exploring Valencia.
La Salvaora
🍽️ Spanish | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 963 921 484
Searching for Spanish food that will make your toes curl? La Salvaora is the place to go. They throw a new take on classic Spanish tapas dishes and have options like orange-crusted salmon and beef cheeks with celeriac cream.
The best method at La Salvaora is to order the lunch or dinner pre-fixe menu with little tastes of all the best food they can muster. It’s perfect on a night when you don’t want to make any decisions and still know you’re going to get one of the best meals of your life.
Boa Beach Valencia
🍽️ Brunch | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 960 099 180
Not every meal can be a rich lunch of paella or a dinner of steak. Sometimes, you just want eggs benedict or an artfully created breakfast bowl for brunch. When that urge hits, head to Boa Beach Valencia right near El Cabanyal Beach.
Boa Beach Valencia has all the standard brunch fare, plus desserts, juices, and plenty of cocktails to get the party started early. I’d recommend their Agua de Valencia, specifically.
The decor reminds you that Valencia is a coastal city thanks to its beachy, trendy vibes. Boa definitely makes for a picturesque breakfast, lunch, or brunch.
Horchateria Daniel
🍽️ Ice Cream | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 963 519 891
Visitors with a sweet tooth won’t have a difficult time curing their cravings in Valencia. Start with the reliably delicious Horchateria Daniel. There is one location in the street food center of Mercat de Colon and another outside the city center in the neighborhood of Alboraya.
Horchateria Daniel’s handcrafted ice cream has a special creaminess to it that makes it irresistible, but there are plenty of other desserts to explore here. I recommend trying out Horchateria Deniel’s signature handmade horchata, pastries called Fartons, and iced coffee milkshakes.
There’s nothing better on a hot Valencian summer day than a stop at Horchateria Daniel to cool off.
Canalla Bistro
🍽️ Fusion | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 963 740 509
Hungry for a mad-scientist amalgamation of all the best flavors from New York, Mexico, and Japan? You can find it at Canalla Bistro. This Michelin-star restaurant is the brainchild of Ricard Camarena.
While the description might sound a little odd, Camarena brings elegance out of classic favorites from each culture. Eating at Canalla Bistro isn’t just another forgettable meal, it’s an entire gastronomic experience.
La Taberna Casera
🍽️ Tapas | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 617 697 369
There is something refreshing and fun about the Spanish culinary tradition of tapas, especially when you’re from somewhere like America where the meals are always focused around a central dish. One of the best places to get familiar with tapas in Valencia is La Taberna Casera.
This is a tried and true tapas joint with all the classics like croquettes, Iberian ham with Manchego cheese, and grilled prawns. The star of the menu at La Taberna Casera is its homemade sangria de cava.
Fum de LLum
🍽️ Mediterranean | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 960 045 458
Fum de LLum specializes in beloved Mediterranean dishes with a little pinch of innovation. There are a lot of eye-catching dishes to be had here, such as the duck breast tataki, the sheep cheese board, and the sea bream ceviche in bao bread.
The Senyoret Paella specialty at Fum de LLum is especially good if you haven’t gotten your fill of paella yet.
Forastera
🍽️ Creative Spanish | ($) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 963 558 915
Forastera is a favorite restaurant for Valencian locals and lucky visitors alike.
With a simple, immaculate restaurant design, Forastera is the ultimate spot for an easygoing date night in Valencia. You can’t go wrong with their expertly constructed tasting menu. Every dish matches perfectly with the one before, yet it’s still completely unique.
Their food is absolutely beautifully plated, so you’ll want to have your phone handy to take some Instagram shots. Forastera also totes a huge beer and champagne menu to peruse.
Manaw – Nikkei Bar
🍽️ Peruvian-Asian Fusion | ($$$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 960 691 632
Another one of Valencia’s fantastic fusion restaurants is Manaw – Nikkei Bar. This place combines bits and pieces from Peruvian and Asian cuisines to create something that will play on all your palette’s senses.
Their biggest drag is the mouthwatering seafood. They feature dishes like traditional Peruvian ceviche, flamed scallops, chili crab, and octopus anticuchero. Plus, their imaginative cocktails pair wonderfully with the seafood feast. The best ones are the passion fruit pisco sour and the spicy grandma.
Alqueria del Pou
🍽️ Valencian | ($$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | 📞 +34 962 110 446
Classic Valencian food is what you came here for and you’re sure to get your fill at Alqueria del Pou. Alqueria del Pou provides a true taste of Valencia.
Of course, the paella is mindblowing. The restaurant offers several varieties of the traditional Valencian dish, from the iconic Valencian paella to the lesser-known local favorite of fideua. There are also Valencian-style tapas and fish dishes.
When you’re finished with your meal, you won’t want to skip dessert here. Each of their sugary creations is divine, but the best is the orange tiramisu.
Fornelino
🍽️ Bakery | ($) | Website | 📍 Google Maps
When you’re exploring an exciting city like Valencia, you may need a spot to grab a quick, tasty bite to take on the go. That spot should be Fornelino.
Find breakfast croissants, coffee, or midday empanadillas at Fornelino. It’s a super affordable and laid-back little place to read a book and have a perfectly baked bite.
Ricard Camarena Restaurant
🍽️ Fine Dining | ($$$$) | Website | 📍 Google Maps | +34 963 355 418
The famous fine dining chef Ricard Camarena grew up only an hour outside the city of Valencia. Perhaps that’s why he made it his mission to bring so much of his creative, delectable foods to Valencia.
The Michelin-star Ricard Camarena Restaurant is located in the Bombas Gens Centre d’Art cultural center. It’s one of the chef’s best creations yet.
Ricard Camarena Restaurant is the epitome of fine cuisine, taking you on a wild tastebud journey. The menu here is constantly refreshed from season to season to make sure each ingredient is at its prime.
👉 Pro Tip: Ricard Camarena Restaurant is one of the fanciest in the whole city. As such, you will need a reservation any day of the week, and be sure to book months in advance if you plan on visiting on the weekend.
FAQ About Where to Eat in Valencia, Spain
What food is Valencia most famous for?
The food Valencia is most famous for is paella. Paella is a flavorful Spanish rice dish that’s usually prepared with seafood, chicken, and vegetables. It’s traditionally served in a large pan for the entire table. Trying Valencia’s paella is practically a requirement for any solid Spain itinerary.
Does Valencia have good food?
Valencia has incredible Spanish food and the city is particularly known for creating paella. The coastal city of Valencia has fresh, scrumptious seafood in all different forms. Besides paella, Valencia has a bunch of other tempting rice dishes, like arroz a banda and Arroz del senyoret. There are also plenty of delicious desserts to eat in Valencia, such as fartons, Valencian flan, and arnadi.
What are the best restaurants in Valencia?
The best restaurants in Valencia are Ricard Camarena Restaurant,Forastera, and Casa Carmela. Each of these gives its patrons something unique. At Casa Carmela, you can eat one of the tastiest Valencia paellas you’ll find on the planet. Visiting will provide you with a thoughtfully crafted tasting menu of Spanish dishes with an intriguing twist. Ricard Camarena Restaurant is a high-end joint that will elevate your dinner into a full-blown show.
What are the most romantic restaurants in Valencia?
The most romantic restaurants in Valencia are Canalla Bistro,La Salvaora, and Fum de LLum. These dining establishments have excellent quality food along with a dreamy, well-harmonized space. This combination is the golden ticket to a romantic evening in Valencia.
👉 Read Next: Spain Itinerary Planner (you can also get a free, printable version of our Spain itinerary here!)
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Are you hungry yet? Let me know in the comments which of these Valencia treasures is a must-eat for you. If it’s your first time visiting, don’t forget to read my guide to the best places to visit in Spain before you plant roots.
