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Locals regard this bustling, informal restaurant, on the promenade at El Cabanyal beach, as the best in town for seafood paella. Founded in 1898, the walls of the establishment are covered with signed pictures of appreciative visitors, from Ernest Hemingway to King Juan Carlos and the royal family. Try the paella marinera (seafood) topped with shrimp and mussels or hearty platters of calamares (squid) and langostinos (prawns). Save room for the delectable tarts made with fruit in season.
Av. Neptuno 6, Valencia, Valencia, 46011, Spain
Known For
- Locally revered seafood paella
- Sea views
- Historic locale
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed evenings in Dec. and Jan. except Fri. and Sat.
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This family-owned spot serves basic Catalan comfort food—sausages, smoked cod, croquetas—in a cozy, rustic space with arched ceilings, wood tables, and stone walls. The terrace is a treat, abutting the beautiful 12th-century church of St. Peter.
Carrer de Santa Llúcia, 6, Girona, Catalonia, 17007, Spain
Known For
- Simple Catalan dishes
- Rustic setting
- Fantastic terrace
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues., No dinner Sun.
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A favorite of Valencia's well connected and well-to-do since 1982, this family-run restaurant a few steps from the Plaza de la Reina specializes in seafood dishes like anguilas (eels) prepared with all i pebre (garlic and pepper), parrillada de pescado (selection of freshly grilled fish), and traditional paellas. Lunch begins at 2 and not a moment before. The walls are covered with decorative ceramics and the gastronomic awards the restaurant has won over the years.
Calle del Mar 27, Valencia, Valencia, 46003, Spain
Known For
- Specialty eel dish
- Award-winning dining
- Longtime family-run establishment
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Wed., Reservations essential
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$$$$ | El Carmen |
This thoroughly modern but comfortable restaurant in the Institut Valencià d'Art Modern is likely to put a serious dent in your budget, but it's unlikely you'll sample better venison carpaccio anywhere else, or partake of any finer an arroz caldoso de bogavante (soupy rice with lobster). The dinner menu is prix-fixe (€70). A great choice for lunch is the informal downstairs eatery, on the museum terrace, where the €12.50 prix-fixe lunch gets you a three-course feast.
Carrer Guillem de Castro 118, Valencia, Valencia, 46003, Spain
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted, Reservations essential
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This wine bar and restaurant in the heart of the casco antiguo (old town) earns high marks from locals and international visitors alike. There's a wide selection of montaditos (sandwiches), paella, and fresh seafood tapas—oysters, mussels, razor clams—complemented by a well-chosen list of Spanish wines.
Calle San Fernando 10, Alicante, Valencia, 03002, Spain
Known For
- Excellent wine list
- Tapas tasting menu (€34)
- Reservations essential
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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If you have time for only one meal in the city, take it at this elegant little restaurant in the heart of historic Tarragona. The menu is bursting with both mountain and Mediterranean fare, and the prix-fixe lunch is a bargain at €19. Start off with the canelons d'auberginia amb ànec (eggplant and duck cannelloni); seafood fans should try the tronc de lluç al forn amb patates (oven-baked hake with potatoes).
Carrer Sant Llorenç 15, Tarragona, Catalonia, 43003, Spain
Known For
- Mountain fare
- Good-value prix-fixe lunch
- Good wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon., No dinner Sun.–Thurs.
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So tasty is the paella here that even Valencianos regularly travel out of the city to Maribel Arroceria, off the main drag in El Palmar. Sit surrounded by the rice fields of Albufera Nature Park, either in the contemporary, air-conditioned dining room or outside at pavement tables overlooking the canal. Off the à la carte menu, diners can sample all i pebre anguilas (smoked eels simmered with garlic, paprika, and pepper), the rich and ever popular paella de magret de pato y foie con setas (with duck, foie gras, and wild mushrooms), and, if there’s room, dig into a brownie or cheesecake for dessert.
Carrer de Francisco Monleón 5, El Palmar, Valencia, 46012, Spain
Known For
- Paella and fideuà
- Fresh whole fish
- Canal seating
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed. No dinner
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Contemporary architecture and cuisine in the old part of Girona make for interesting dining at this sleek, streamlined restaurant. Grilled eel and pepper rice and fideuà with shrimp in a seafood emulsion are typical dishes, and there's a frequently changing five- and 10-course tasting menu.
Pou Rodó 12, Girona, Catalonia, 17004, Spain
Known For
- Good wine list
- Local oysters on the half-shell
- Tasting menu of seasonal dishes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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An Alicante institution, this inviting exposed-brick and wood-lined restaurant is very popular with locals, who come for the excellent-value tapas, market produce, and freshly caught fish, a tribute to the city’s enduring relationship with the sea.
Calle Villegas 3, Alicante, Valencia, 03001, Spain
Known For
- Market-fresh produce and fish
- Authentic local vibe
- Buzzy atmsophere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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Come here for good local fare and, if you order from the prix-fixe menu, a bargain. The menu lists daily-changing meat, fish, and vegetarian options, with staples such as lasanya de verdures (vegetarian lasagna), generously layered with mushrooms, spinach, carrots, and beans, and tasty pumpkin stuffed with vegetables.
Carrer Nou del Teatre 3, Girona, Catalonia, 17004, Spain
Known For
- Prix-fixe menu
- Good, honest local cuisine
- Generous portions
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted, Closed Tues. No dinner Sun.
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With picture-perfect views of the Cadaqués seafront, this restaurant’s terrace is always packed. Check the chalkboard for the day’s offerings, which overwhelmingly focus on local seafood and seafood-based rice dishes.
Plaça del Passeig 7, Cadaqués, Catalonia, 17488, Spain
Known For
- Seaside location
- Local seafood
- Excellent wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed. No dinner Sun. Winter openings times vary
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This excellent pocket of authentic Costa Brava cuisine serves everything from snails to wild boar in season. Wild mushrooms scrambled with eggs or stewed with hare are specialties.
Carrer Valls 11, Ullastret, Catalonia, 17114, Spain
Known For
- Eclectic cuisine
- Lovely terrace
- Excellent local wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon., No dinner Sun.–Thurs.
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Dine on fresh seafood and paella on the terrace with fabulous views of the sea and the castle beyond.
Carrer Sant Ramon de Penyafort 7, Tossa de Mar, Catalonia, 17320, Spain
Known For
- Fresh fish
- Seafood paella
- Great views from the terrace
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed., No dinner.
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Along with typical coastal Catalan fare like grilled sardines and prawns, this chic beachfront restaurant offers a handful of classic paellas—including a vegetarian option—as well as more creative seasonal dishes like candied artichokes with cuttlefish.
Passatge Jimmy Rena, s/n, Calella de Palafrugell, Catalonia, 17210, Spain
Known For
- Fresh seafood
- Beachfront tables
- Sea views through arched windows
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.–Wed. and Nov.–late March., No dinner Sun.
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Set in a Moderniste villa with a lovely turn-of-the-20th-century zinc bar, this restaurant serves typical Catalan and seasonal Mediterranean dishes like arròs a la cassola (deep-dish rice) with shrimp brought fresh off the boats in Palamos, just up the coast. The terrace is a popular spot just across the road from the beach.
Passeig de Sant Pol 95, S'Agar¿, Catalonia, 17220, Spain
Known For
- Terrace dining
- Across from beach
- €35 set lunch menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon., No dinner Sun.
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Carved into a rocky point above Playa San Sebastiá, the multi-level Vivero is actually three distinct spaces: a casual, alfresco tapas spot up top; a swankier "beach club" at the bottom; and sandwiched between is a bi-level indoor/outdoor restaurant, with a wide variety of seafood dishes and paellas. Whichever you choose, the real reason to come is for the magnificent views, especially at sunset.
Passeig Balmins s/n, Sitges, Catalonia, 08870, Spain
Known For
- Wonderful sea views
- Several spaces with different vibes
- Outdoor dining