We have recently given you a full guide to some of our favourite places to eat in and around Valencia City. However many people have asked us about the best places to eat in some more of the towns around Valencia so today we thought we would suggest some places where you can find great places to eat without being in the city of Valencia itself*. We are only going to recommend places that it’s worth going out of your way to eat as most of our clients live in Valencia so remember to book to avoid disappointment, especially at weekends and enjoy our selection.
Of course, in the towns we have mentioned there are other restaurants worth visiting and plenty of local Menu del Día places where you can find great food but in this one we are talking about slightly higher price than normal in many cases, as we would say back in my home town “when you are going out for special“.
As we have written about inland towns where you can find a great lifestyle, you can see that post here, and we have also written about coastal towns worth investigating (Part one here and part two here), we thought it might be an idea to give at least one place in some of those inland towns as examples and also a few by the coast that might be worth checking out. So without further ado, let’s go, where are the best places to eat outside Valencia?
* Just like in the original posts about food recommendations we are happy to take your suggestions too and we will include them so if you know any great places in the towns and villages around Valencia let us know
L’Eliana
Let’s start with the most popular place for purchases outside Valencia city with our clients. L’Eliana is a self contained town just 16km along the CV35 motorway from Valencia. By self contained we mean that it has everrything required for day to day living from the large Carrefour supermarket to the smallest craft shops passing through it’s strongest point a huge selection of restaurants, cafes and bars. There are a constantly developing set of restaurants in L’Eliana so it’s difficult to pinpoint a favourite; If it’s Indian you want then the Swagat is good, for Pizzas and Italian there are innumerable choices it seems and of course there are the Spanish staples and fusion restaurants galore.
For the best though we are going to go with a traditional staple of L’Eliana, El Celler. Highly rated on Trip Advisor, Google Reviews, The Fork and Restaurant Guru among others they must be doing something right. They have been there for years serving excellent food and Tapas and they also give you the option of getting dishes they choose for you one by one until you are full. You must leave a space for the cheesecake though, it’s worth it.
La Pobla de Vallbona
La Pobla de Vallbona is where I live and there are plenty of cheap and cheerful places to eat but there are two staples for a slightly more expensive great meal out so we’ll mention them both, although they did both appear in our best restaurants for eating out post.
The first is La Vigueta which is at the bottom end of town near to the park. When you have 108 reviews on Trip Advisor with an average just under the maximum of five then you’re good. I have been many times and it never fails to disappoint. Especially love their “Revuelto de Morcilla” which is scambled eggs with black pudding and is so much better than it sounds in English.
Equally loved by the family is the Cabaña de los Gauchos on the other side of the motorway from the Carrefour. An amazing Uruguayan steakhouse where the only downside is for those vegetarians among us but then again not many vegetarians are thinking “I know I’ll go out for a meal tonight, how about a Uruguayan steakhouse for a change!” Great cuts and portions and a really nice set of staff and owners. If you don’t speak Spanish then invite me to go with you and I’ll translate (You’re paying though).
* My kids will never forgive me if I don’t mention Kebab La Pobla opposite Mercadona for their Kebabs and also their pizzas which are huge and good value (The Panllabi Pizza is excellent and just one large one for 14 euros will serve three people easily). However if the reviews are to be believed don’t order for delivery as they never get it right or they just don’t turn up. Luckily we live about 200m away. There are other Kebab shops in La Pobla with better reviews 😉
Lliria
Again one of the places we are mentioning in Lliria got into our previous post and that is Sitar Indian restaurant. Great for take aways and good for sitting in with a function room to the rear if you want that too but the terrace outside is in a car park. Has now been around for just over a year and it already has 266 reviews at at average of 4.7 on Google. That’s outstanding. Prices have gone up recently just like in most places but it’s still good value and worth it.
The best reviewed restaurant in Lliria is the Segle XXI. Typically Spanish with a changing menu according to the seasons and an excellent terrace with views over the Turia valley, El Segle is a great place.
Next though we are going into town to try Italian and in Lliria this means Pizzeria La Madonna. Excellent food and great prices. Almost as cheap to eat A la Carte as the Menu del Día and a good selection of wines too.
Naquera
El Pastoret of course. The home of the enormous mid morning bocadillo at ridiculously cheap prices, just get one and cut it in half if there are two of you as it will be more than enough, El Pastoret in Naquera continues to be hugely popular at the “pile it high and sell it cheap” end of the market and is hugely popular with cyclists before they carry onto the Garbí or as a reward at the half way point to Serra. However, they also have high quality food in the evenings when you are less surrounded by Lycra and bikes and that is also well worth your taste buds’ exploration.
However, El Pastoret is not the number one restaurant in Naquera, at least according to Trip Advisor, that accolade lies with Tentadero La Paz, a weddings, events and family meetings restaurant (I’ve never been so I’ll leave it in the hands of the online reviews to decide if you want to go). We are going to decant for Cornucopia Gastrobar for something a bit different in Naquera. Slow food and events with a family feel.
Betera
Betera is another place with some excellent options and here we are going to highlight two of them. Firstly we have the Villa Fusió right in the centre of town near the health centre. It’s a really grand entrance as it was one of the old Valencian money villas in the town converted four years ago into an excellent restaurant with a brilliant garden terrace to the rear.
The second option here is another classic in the sense that it has been here for years and continues to thrive, El Gordo y El Flaco (Laurel and Hardy) isn’t cheap but they have high quality dishes and an excellent building to enjoy meals with friends.
Coastal Towns
If you fancy heading out to the coast for something to eat with a sea breeze and maybe even a sea view then in some of the places we recommended in our posts about coastal towns you can get great food. Do check before going though as some of the following are not open in the winter months or take a month or two off after the new year.
Benicassim
Up the coast in Benicassim there are a plethora of places to eat overlooking the beach. Last summer we went to Boca Pez which has a great terrace with beach views and it’s great to eat with shade and lovely sea breezes. Not cheap but worth it for the food, the service and the location. Maybe try their tasting menu and enjoy a range of flavours. However, it only opens in the summer!
If you want to go somewhere and it’s not high summer then maybe try Villa Sofia for your beach views.
Peñiscola
Even further north than Benicassim is Peñiscola and here we have loads of choices for places but for simple seafood and those important sea and beach views you probably cannot beat Tasca Al-Masset on the headland. Will be open again in March so don’t look to go there yet.
However, according to many people you need to go away from the sea views to find the best restaurant in town in terms of the price quality relationship. Sabor a Mar has excellent seafood and is always praised for it’s black rice with squid ink.
Alcossebre
Down by the Marina in Alcossebre you can find a Michelin Starred Restaurant called Atalaya. As you would expect at a Michelin starred restaurant presentation is exceptional. A few recent reviews say the service is a bit rushed but most point out the excellent food with tasting menus at 45, 75 and 95 Euros. Steep but might just be worth it.
Denia
Quique de Costa has his flagship restaurant in Denia, Els Poblets, Michelin Starred and excellent. However, we are not going to recommend that as you would need around 200 Euros each for your meal. That’s quite a bit. Let’s make it a bit more affordable shall we. Movida comes in at a very respectable price and the reviews are fantastic. Set by the Marina in Denia and not just seafood, apparently the Beef Cheeks are to die for if you are into that sort of thing.
El Palmar
Not exactly on the coast but overlooking the Albufera lake to the south of Valencia so we are talking water anyway. El Palmar is where you go to get great paella so I won’t be saying there’s a great Indian or Mexican restaurant here. It’s Paella here every time (And some other seafoods) and you go here FOR LUNCH! Paella is for lunch peeps! Anyway, again there is a Michelin starred restaurant here and we are going to ignore it just like in Denia. We are going for the moderately priced El Rek over the more exclusive Nou Racó.
Cullera
Just to the south of Valencia we have Cullera. Cullera isn’t known as a hotbed of cuisine but maybe that moniker should change. La Casa de Carmen near to the beach doesn’t look much from the outside but if you are looking for a reasonable price menu del día and excellent seafood options then you won’t go wrong. Typical Valencian dishes including rice and they also do excellent Pizzas. For a more top end experience worth travelling for then the Rincon del Faro is pretty impressive (Nice website too) Expect higher prices of course but might be worth splashing out.
Gandia
Just south of Cullera we find Gandia. Gandia is split into two areas and the difference in food can be stark with the Playa de Gandia having the usual pizzas, rice and fried seafood of massively varying qualities and the town of Gandia itself offering some fine dining and surprises. Saborearte in the town, as opposed to the beach, is worth visiting for their taster menu and wine selection. When the food looks this good it is treated with respect! Hidden down a pedestrian street you can also find Avallier which will surprise you with the quality of the food and service.
Your Suggestions?
We know we have lots of readers already living in and around Valencia so let us know what discoveries you have made outside the city so we can share them with our community. Send us a mail and tell us more and if you have any photos then they will be welcome too. They don’t have to be in the towns we have highlighted here, anywhere in the Valencia part of the Valencia community will do.
Golden Visa Property Of the Week
This Villa looks like a country masía, although it is located in L’Eliana, only 1km from the metro, and the town centre is just past that. So an easy walk to public transport, shops, and a short stagger home from restaurants and bars.
This house dates from 1980, doesn’t sound that old to me, but apparently that’s more than 40 years ago? So this was a time when L’Eliana was becoming popular for city residents to move to as they looked for more space and a more relaxed lifestyle. Houses from this era, while being solid and well built, can look dated. This one however has is in a bit of a timeless country house style, with lots of wood, traditional tilework and high ceilings. In fact, most of the tiles and wood are original 19th century material, sourced from antique merchants when the house was being constructed.
Being part of the earlier developments, it stands on a large plot, before developers tried to squeeze in the maximum amount of properties per m2. So the grounds are over 2300m2, which means lots of mature trees, swimming pool and lawns, terraces as well as distance and privacy from the neighbours.
Inside, the ground floor is the living area, a large open living and dining room, and the kitchen is quite big as well. Upstairs there are 4 bedrooms, bathrooms, and as you can see from the photos, this is a large house. A house that has room for a pool table is always a house that has a lot of room to spare. There’s also an attic area that would make a great artist’s studio, home cinema, playroom, whatever would suit you and your family the best.
If you don’t like space, light and comfort, then maybe this isn’t for you. If you do however, get in touch.
Property of the Week
Take a modern house and then modernise it? This is a great house at a competitive price but you will need to make some choices… we’ll get to that later. Built 14 years ago at the end of a quiet road but higher that the other houses so you get great uninterrupted views around from your huge rooftop terrace, this property is on a manageable plot size of 360m2 and has some rather excellent palm and banana trees around it.
The main part of the house is on two floors. Downstairs we have a huge living room, bathroom and large kitchen. The living room could easily be split to include an office and still have plenty of space. Upstairs we have three bedrooms (Currently), two bathrooms including the en-suite and a large terrace which also leads up to the fantastic roof terrace where you really should be putting a shedload of solar panels and a chill out area under a wooden pergola so you can admire the daytime views and the nighttime stars. Off road covered parking and a reform where the owner has put in a new boiler, bathrooms and kitchen. Not at all shabby.
However I did say you need to make some choices. The current owner was getting some work done and it is shall we say a little unfinished, let down by builders who walked off the job after getting paid (Always use our trusted contractors), and it’s maybe not the best use of the space.
The main bedroom has an open plan bathroom with a circular bath right in the middle of it and let’s just say the builders let him down massively with their work and he is thinking of changing it back. I’d suggest you take a look and see if you like it first and if you don’t then it is resolved with a couple of walls, a bit of tiling and job’s a good’un. Because of this the owner has dropped the price to below local market values to allow you to do the work you want to.
The other issues are the staircase, careful there with no bannister currently, and a wall and wardrobe that was taken out, so what was a room is now a landing essentially and unfinished. This will probably be remedied but don’t be surprised if you get there and it isn’t. You have been warned.
Location wise the property is great in the Maravisa estate just outside La Pobla de Vallbona and L’Eliana, both within five minutes drive, three minutes from Carrefour and just a fifteen minute drive into Valencia. There is a community pool and padel courts and plenty of country walks nearby. Worth a look for sure.
If You Liked This…
Then maybe take a look at some of our previous recommendations and posts. Just click on the images below to discover more.
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