whinnime

My bf and I are on a tight budget trip. We couldn't pay €60, €80 dinner for two but since we are in Valencia, we'd like to try the local food. I know that lots of times, the most authentic local foods can be found at inexpensive places rather than those fancy places in center city.

Any suggestions? Please help!

ekscrunchy

I cannot give you first-hand information, since I did not eat there, but when I return to Valencia, I would try Restaurant Levante, which is the relatively new city outpost of a well-known and well-regarded eatery in Benisano. There is quite a bit of info on chowhound.com, and we have a Valencia-based member here who is always ready with suggestions, so hopefully she will see this thread..
http://www.restaurantelevante.com/valencia/index2.html

I'm not sure that paella is one of those dishes best found in small, out of the way restaurants, so do not discount the fact that this is glossy spot. Stick to paella and forego the extras and you should be able to eat for a moderate amount.

ekscrunchy

ps. Even better if you can go to the original restaurant in Benisano, reachable by Metro, to the end of the line, in Liria, according to my notes:


https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q...isano&ie=UTF-8

whinnime

Thank you so much for your reply! I have to go back there soon, so I will keep your suggestions in mind.

lincasanova

I have a couple options for you.
one is to take a paella cooking class where first you go to the market, then you learn how to make the paella and later eat it with your new cooking buddies.They provide an interpreter if you give them notice.

www.foodandfun.es

Or.. try one of the may menu of the day places behind the central market and near the Lonja to se if paella is on the menu.Paella is made so many different ways, and turns out differently almost every time, you might be lucky and get a nice plate of tasty rice.

However, the best paella does have a slight smokey flavor when it is made over a wood fire.

We have had good paella at El Levante, but also once a very ordinary one. It is very hard for me to recommend a good paella place ( I assume you mean the Valencian chicken/rabbit paella). I will try to ask some friends, as we always get good paella at our local take out place as he has a great set-up over open fires out here in the suburbs . We rarely order paella when we go out.

However, we have had excellent fish rice ( Arroz del señyoret.. which is made with fish broth and peeld pieces of shrimp and a few other sea food pieces, but it is mostly rice.) at L'Estimat along the Malvarrosa beach. We also like Arroz a Banda.. another fish broth rice served with garlic mayonaisse," ajo aceite".

If I get anymore tips I will post them here from our local friends.

A great local place we like to go for their menu of the day is Cafeteria restaurante Rojas Clemente in the Plaza Rojas Clemente, which is a small plaza off Guillem de Castro wedged between that street and the Gran Via, not terribly far from the Angel Guimerá metro stop.

This fellow has a 10E menu with so much variety and he usually has one rice dish on it everyday.

sasham5

This came up when I was searching for a paella place to go to on a one-day visit to Valencia, and we went to Levante. Our experience was very average, and it really wasn't worth the effort and the waste of time (adding the amount of time you'll waste waiting for very inattentive service) to get out there from the center. We ordered the seafood kind, it was dry and incredibly salty. The downtown-office-business-lunch atmosphere don't add anything whatsoever to your Valencia experience. Skip.

ekscrunchy

Welcome to Fodors! Sorry to hear about your poor experience at Levante. Would you mind elaborating on where else you ate in the area, and what places you enjoyed?

What kind of seafood did you have in the Levante paella? Was your paella there dryer than other paellas you sampled in the area? Thanks!!