I will be in Alicante for a few days in July and would love recommendations, especially for casual places, tapas, bakeries, etc. Would love to know if anyone’s been in the past 2 years who could give some advice!
We will also spend 3 nights just north of Alicante in the countryside inland from Altea/Benidorm. We’re probably staying in Polop, but will have car.
Finally, would also love advice about where to spend one night between Polop and Barcelona…we’ll be in a car, so it could be really anywhere (but probably not Valencia proper). We’d be happy to plan this overnight around a great meal.
Thanks in advance
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I went to El Cantó (tapas place) a couple of times (it’s conveniently located in the neighbourhood of my hotel). Seemed to be always full. I went at opening time and only then I could get a seat at the bar. Apparently it’s quite touristy but I only heard Spanish spoken by other patrons when I was there. The place is tiny so it fills up fast.
Also ate at a real restaurant but can’t remember what the name of it is anymore. Only have photos of the food.
There are so many restaurants it can be hard to pick a couple of “best” ones if one only has a couple of days. Make sure you try typical food such as tomato bread, fartons (drink horchata with them), foods with almond sauce (Picada), and never forgo the jamón under any circumstances. Check out the market, too. Pick up tinned and dried seafood for the road or to take home. I especially love the tinned seafood and dried tuna and dried tuna roe. The tomatoes, olive oil and jamón are the.best!
Check out my trip photos for some idea. (Watch in full screen)
I’m going to try to revive this thread - I saw the Valencia & Denia thread but curious about Alicante.
I’ll be spending some time in Alicante in January (the month essentially), I know it’s very much the off season, but curious if anyone has been and has any food recommendations. I’m sure we’ll be taking the tram up the coast to some of the other towns in the region. Very excited to see what all the city has to offer! Thanks!
Lots of personal food recommendations for Alicante–
Nou Manolin
This is the torchbearer of the Alicante fine dining scene, a classic founded in 1971 by the Castelló family, and one that can be enjoyed both at its lively, rustic style downstairs bar, simply the best traditional bar in town, and in the elegant upstairs dining room. It was also a favorite of the late Parisian chef Joel Roubouchon, and Nou Manoín inspired him to create his own Atelier.
Come here for the crustaceans arriving fresh from the piers of Santa Pola and Dénia: gamba roja, quisquillas, sepionets, cigalas, dentón, berberechos, their version of Russian salad, ensaladillarusa, (a copious portion meant to be shared), the signature pork sandwich, “Piripi” (copied by Seville’s Bodeguita Romero), and the rice dishes sing.
Michelin recommended and sporting 2 Repsol suns. https://grupogastronou.com/en/nou-manolin/
Piripi
Nou Manolín’s younger sister restaurant, opened in 1994 and run by Vicente Castelló’s son, Juan José, offering essentially the same menu of well crafted dishes both with an upstairs dining room and lively bar. Michelin recommended and boasting 1 Repsol sun. https://grupogastronou.com/en/piripi/
Taberna del Gourmet
This is the highly successful, casual spot run by the Perramón-San Román family of noted restaurateurs since 1979, extremely popular with locals, offered us one of our best casual meals of our trip. We enjoyed the arroz a banda served with a side of ali oli, alcachofas a la plancha (grilled artichokes), solomillo con salsa de setas (pork loin with mushroom sauce) and patatas a lo pobre (heavenly oven baked potatoes) and lemon ice cream with extra virgin arbequina olive oil. Rice dishes can be prepared seco, cremosos or meloso (dry, creamy or soupy)
Bar Manero
This is the more “casual”, but still very elegant delicatessen/gastro bar owned by El Portal, sitting next door. It’s been designed in a rather Belle Epoque Parisian style, a jewel box of a gourmet deli, selling the finest quality products Spain has to offer under their own label, and serving beautiful tapas in a narrow but very pleasing, buzzy setting. Dishes we enjoyed: tomato and ventresca salad, the rabo de toro (oxtail), Iberian ham of their own label, Gorgonzola croquettes, the canalón filled with tuna, tomato and spinach pasta and the Bikini Manero con trufa sandwich (grilled ham & cheese with truffle).
At the end of the bar there is a members only “speakeasy”, Club Manero Dom Perignon.
Bar Manero has recently received a solete from the Repsol guide and comes Michelin recommended.
It now has 2 sister Bar Maneros in Madrid, one in the Salamanca district that we frequent and a new “super Manero” near Las Cortes, the showstopper.
Abarrote
The small, casual gourmet deli/gastrobar par excellence of the Terre group. Abarrote (meaning “groceries” in Mexico) serves up tapas, original sandwiches and also functions as a take-away shop, selling the highest quality canned goods (conservas) and their artisan breads. One can dine on the stew of the day, a delicious “Porky” sandwich (entrepan), home cured tuna belly, chicken salad, baked rice or a canelón with truffles and mushrooms*,* a most unusual rendition of patatas bravas, oven baked rice, cheese or charcuterie platter, salads, wines by the glass, a cocktail or enjoy a tapas tasting menu for two. https://abarrotebar.com
Gastronomic, chef driven:
Baeza & Rufete
One of the new jewels in the hot Alicante restaurant scene, this small gastronomic space is located in the suburb of San Juan next to the beach, ten minutes from th city center.
Chef Joaquín Baeza Rufete, who trained with 12 Michelin-starred Martín Berasategui. Here he has received one Michelin star and one Repsol sun. He’s noted for his use of the very finest olive oils and aromatic herbs and locally sourced ingredients, constantly changing with the seasons. Here he serves two tasting menus, one short, one long.
Monastrell
At the harbour, the gastronomic space of much acclaimed chef María José San Román, owner of La Taberna del Gourmet, located in the port, next to the Royal Regatta Club. Vegetables come from the family’s garden and all products are locally sourced, kilometer zero. Here chef San Román serves tasting menus only.
1 Repsol sun. 3 tasting menus, including a vegetarian menu.
La Ereta
At the foot of the Castillo Santa Bárbara in La Ereta Park, 10 minutes from the town center, this chef-owned restaurant affords scenic views overlooking the sea from its floor to ceiling windows, suspended 150 meters above the city. In this minimalist space chef Daniel Frías offers a tasting menu only, priced at €95. Rice dishes are the chef’s forte. 1 Repsol sun.
Glamour spot
Très chic, "super cool place to see and be seen” that even changes its lavish décor twice a year. It offers a fine dining experience, or one can simply enjoy gourmet tapas at the always crowded bar.
The wine cellar houses 40 different champagnes (Krug being the “house” label) and 300 wine labels presented on an ipad. It also houses one of Spain’s great cocktail bars (Forbes magazine has called it the best in the country) and offers DJ spun music at night. 1 Repsol sun, Michelin recommended.
Adriá once said "“Alicante and its province are one of the best eating places in the world”—a bit of hyperbole perhaps, but the dining scene is great, as are the raw ingredients in this region.
Adriá also waxed rhapsodic about the paella de conejo y caracoles serranos al sarmiento (with the traditional rabbit and snails) at
Restaurante Alfonso Mira in Aspe. But it’s a half hour drive away in the Vinalapó hinterlands.
There is so very much gastronomically to explore on the Costa Blanca, from Dénia to Alicante/Alacant to Elche to the hinterlands to the east (Elche and beyond).
Since I’m there for a month, I’m very much excited to check out the market there too. I love those big open markets.
I know it’s January (not exactly the height of the growing seasons) but any local must find/cook ingredients? I’m curious if winter brings in any unique seafood catches - but don’t find any indication online that that is the case.
The covered Mercado Central in Alicante is a delight; it’s perhaps not quite as architecturally impressive as Valencia’s Mercat Central, but it has 11,000 square meters of space. It’s well worth a daily visit. It was opened in the early 1920s and today has almost 300 stands.
In January look for mushrooms and black truffles from Andilla, a village close to the Teruel border,
for vegetables search for broccoli, cardoons, beets, chard, pumpkin, squash, borage, Brussel sprouts, kale, red cabbage (lombarda) and artichokes.
For something very local to the entire Valencian area, look for pericana, a spread made of red peppers, dried cod, garlic and olive oil.
I don’t know about unique seafood catches in winter. But the fishmonger section of the market is a feast for the eyes, and the fishmongers at the José Fuster stand can fill you in.
And look for wines from Enrique Mendoza (we toured here) and Pepe Mendoza Casa Agrícola.
I am going to Alicante on the last week of December for some business-related work. I will be having 2 days of free time. I was thinking about some food tours and a wine tasting tour. I am in touch with a guide from https://gowithguide.com/spain Did any one of you use their service before?
I haven’t used their services.
They seem to be a clearinghouse. a matchmaking service to connect those looking for guide services in many different locales with local guides, some licensed some not, similar to Tours by Locals.
As to official licensed guides, these are the ones working in the city or province of Alicante https://guiasoficialescv.com/en/guides/?filter_guide_location[]=225&filter=1&sort=random
I don´t know which do food or wine tours.
We did wine tasting on our own, traveling to the winery of Enrique Mendoza in Romeral (we had a car) for a tour and tasting, the “Gold Experience”. They do this in Spanish or in English. Enrique Mendoza is a member of the prestigious Grandes Pagos de España, many of which we’ve toured.
Also the winery Pepe Mendoza, Casa Agrícola, in Lliber.
These wineries belong to the Vinos de Alicante wine growing region.
Just back from our trip to Alicante - thank you all for your help and suggestions!!! I know everyone wants pictures . . .but I’m not the phone at the table type of person, so I don’t really have any. I know, I know, sorry.
We had a fabulous time and really enjoyed our time in Alicante. I’ll break this into two posts; one food focused, one experience related.
First - the main market in Alicante (Mercado Central) is a complete joy and I can’t express how jealous I am of those in Alicante with access to something like. The number of vendors and quality of products is just mind blowing. The skill of the butchers and fishmongers is insane - a real art that we have just completely lost here in the USA. The speed, accuracy, and detail in their butchery was a joy to experience!
I was also able to go to the weekly “farmer’s market” in our neighborhood (San Blas), which I was told is the largest in the city center area. That was also a complete joy. The number of vendors was also so impressive. These markets are all fruits/vegetables. Every time I bought something my brain had trouble processing the price they told me because it was so insanely inexpensive.
From a dining perspective - From @Maribel recommendations above, we went to the following and completely second the recommendations:
Nou Manolin - ate at the bar, had a lovely waitress, delicious food (arroz a banda, baby squid, shrimp, and plenty of plate envy as we were there )
Taberna del Gourmet - we went for a bunch of shared dishes with friends, everything was great.
Bar Manero - we went late night for a quick bite the day we arrived (jet lag in full effect). Their tortilla with truffle was so delicious. I wish we would have gone again later in the trip when we were more familiar with “food words” to get more.
we never made it to “Open”, but it was recommended to us by a few other tourists while we were there (American, Dutch, and German).
I do want to give a few other shout-outs to places we went and a few opinions.
Opinions: I know there is a LOT of online chatter about “tourist” restaurants . . . “don’t eat at places with pictures” . . . . etc. While I get this advice and I know it’s meant to be helpful . . . .it is also virtually impossible to follow. Alicante center is a tourist driven location, almost every restaurant has pictures because there are SOOO many people from all over the world visiting and the pictures are helpful in those situations (we heard English, Dutch, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, a few other Scandinavian languages, and a few other Eastern European languages). We really didn’t have “bad” food anywhere, some not as great as others, but no real “bad” food.
There is also a LOT of online feedback about price vs quantity vs quality. I don’t know how to help people with this part. You can eat very inexpensively in Alicante and still have great food and for some that is the priority. You can also have a very nice dining experience and pay more for it. Is that worth it? That is a personal choice. So don’t be too put off by reviews that complain about price, we found that it carries little weight in the end.
A few places we went that I would also recommend. These are not the Michelin recommended places as those are easy to find on your own. These are also not expensive places. Locals may say that some of these are “touristy” but . . .we enjoyed them. We were also there in January (the lowest of low seasons) and all we heard was Spanish in almost all of these - but that doesn’t mean they weren’t Spanish tourist . . how would I know?!?
Cerveceria Layton (this is right around the corner from D’Tablas) this is a very small place and felt super local (they do have more seating upstairs if the counter area is full, but it was much more fun downstairs in the middle of all the craziness). They have a Menu del dia (most places do) which was plenty of food for a low price and changes daily. They were super friendly to us. We enjoyed that during lunch they seemed to know almost everyone and lots of local workers came in for lunch, a quick bite, or a coffee. My recommendation would be to walk past D’Tablas, look inside so you can say you saw it (it’s all over the tourist blogs) and eat around the corner. We ate here 3 times during our stay, mainly because we enjoyed being there and the staff was just very kind.
El Canto, we very much enjoyed our lunch here as well. It is another packed, small space but we enjoyed it. We ate at the bar, tried several things, but I remember the arroz caldera the most. It is a “daily special” (I think it was on Thursday, but don’t hold me to that) and isn’t available until 2pm. We tried to order it at 1:45 and nope, not until 2pm. So we started with other things and the guy behind the bar came and told us when it was available.
Obrador Peccati Di Gola, I know - why recommend an Italian place in Alicante Spain, I get it. But after a month you got to change it up. And we ended up eating here twice. They make all their pasta in house (they also sell it at the counter). Their menu del dia was delicious (different each time) and the pasta was done very well. It’s near the Mercado. If you are going for lunch I recommend a reservation since they have very few tables (though the first time we went they were able to fit us in - we were only two people though).
Alma Cocina Viajera and/or Imperio Gourmet Alicante- we only ate at Imperio gourmet, but I found this spot because Alma was recommended in my pre-trip research. I put them here because this is in a VERY local “food hall” on Calle Churruca. It is in what was the neighborhood’s old market but each stall is now a food stall (I’d guess there are 10ish stalls in total). Alma is very seafood driven (but was full) and Imperio is pork/beef focused and we very much enjoyed our meal. I remember the carpaccio the most with frozen grated foie (mi-cuit technically) on top. If you’re looking for a very local experience, I highly recommend checking out the food court and picking what suits you! I remember a beer/tapas place, a vermut place, a Peruvian place . . . .
Cerveceria Sento (Ramblas), this place is on many blogs and has several outlets around Alicante. I recommend the Ramblas location since it just feels old, it’s a tight space, and was great fun. We ate there twice. The bartender/server was super friendly and helpful and really helped make the experience. The other locations I’m sure serve the same food and could be just as good, but walking past them they didn’t have the same “feel”.
On the “mushroom street” there are SO many restaurants and so many with menu pushers out front. There are three places I would recommend if you’re eating there. Vino y Mas, Chico Calla, and L’Arruz. They all had solid food and no menu pushers out front (and I don’t think any of them had food pictures out front if memory serves and that is how you’re gauging where to eat
Alma de Barra, friends recommended this to us. We very much enjoyed it, also very seafood driven. Their “black rice” was delicious!
Casa Domingo, this is on the beach in Playa San Juan. Yes you will pay a bit more because of the location, but come on - great food on the beach over looking the ocean, the upcharge was pretty small if you ask me. There are two sides to this place. One side is a sit down restaurant. You will need a reservation as it is super popular. Even in January I wasn’t able to get a reservation for the same day (a Saturday, and very limited spots for Sunday). The other side is a walk in/up first come first serve bar area. You can get the same rice dishes, etc in both places. The restaurant side though does have “menus” you can choose from (e.g. a starter, a salad, and a rice dish) but those are not available on the bar side. We ended up on the bar side and had a great time. Worth the tram ride over to San Juan (at least in January - I can see in peak summer it could be a zoo).
100 Montaditos and/or D’Tablas - these two places come up on all the food blogs and you tube videos. Unless they really seem like your “vibe” I would say you can skip them both. BUT, if you want to do them to say you did (and we did LOL) here is what I would recommend. 100 Montaditos - do the location by the beach, not the one by Luceros - at least you’ll have a great view of the beach!!! D’Tablas - if it isn’t packed when you walk buy, come back later. Part of the draw is the craziness and the stream of different tapas you can pick from as the waiters walk around. There are more options walking around when there are more people in there eating (but we’d eat around the corner at Layton as I said earlier, but that is more our vibe YMMV).
Okay that’s all I can remember right now, if anything else comes to mind I’ll post more. I’ll also post a “food adjacent” post separately in the next few days. Thanks again for all your help!
Sorry - haven’t posted a follow-up, but just came across this on an online news page re: Alicante and it’s increase as a “culinary” destination for tourists. (the numbers are for the whole Alicante region, not just the city of Alicante, but still interesting to me - and some local food items I didn’t know about)
In this regard, data published by the Ministry of Tourism during the second half of 2024 show that the province has a total of 14,687 bars and restaurants.
Of these, 13 establishments share 14 Michelin stars, placing the province of Alicante fourth in Spain in terms of numbers. Not only that, but the autonomous region also highlights seven designations of origin: Alicante Wines, Alicante Spirits, Vinalopó Bagged Grapes, Alicante Mountain Cherries, Callosa d’En Sarrià Medlars, Alicante and Jijona Turrón, and Elche Mollar Pomegranate.
- I saw the Valencia & Denia thread but curious about Alicante.
I know, I know, sorry.
