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This week Benidorm has been the capital of music thanks to the second edition of the Benidorm Fest, which will end on Saturday 4th February with the election of the next candidate to represent Spain in Eurovision. We don’t know if Agoney, Blanca Paloma, Vicco, Karmento or any of the other finalists will win, because the battle is very close. Just as difficult as deciding on the best place to eat in the area.
The province of Alicante has become a cradle of haute cuisine, where you can try a three-star restaurant like Quique Dacosta’s in Denia. But there are also plenty of options in Benidorm and nearby towns, if you want to celebrate the victory of your favourite artist. Or make up for the defeat. Whatever the result, here are 8 restaurants you must try in Benidorm or the surrounding area.
La Tana (Benidorm)
A small but charming place. Specialising in fresh pasta, you can try different types of sauces, as well as pizzas with flavoured doughs, their famous La Tana casserole, prawn crêpes, chicken with spinach and many more dishes. A good choice at a very affordable price.
Calle Molí, 12 (Benidorm)
96 680 12 06
Menu: €20
Italian / Mediterranean
La Cava Aragonesa (Benidorm)
It is a large bar with numerous pinchos, tapas, raciones, iberian cured meats …. And a Mediterranean menu featuring its famous Yescas (Catalan-style toasted bread with extra virgin olive oil and scrubbed tomato, made with more than 100 varieties of cold meats, cheeses, salted and smoked meats). It offers an unrepeatable culinary experience.
Plaza de la Constitución, 2 (Benidorm)
96 680 12 06
Daily Menu: €14,90 / Menu: €40-60.
Mediterranean
DVora Gastrobar (Benidorm)
It is located in the city’s old aquarium. You will enjoy a meal in the light of the Mediterranean in a charming and cosy place that will delight all your senses. You will live a unique gastronomic experience with a Mediterranean-based cuisine but full of nuances.
Plaça de Sant Jaume, 5 (Benidorm)
965 850 818
Tasting menus: €44,90 and €52,90.
Mediterranean / Avant-garde
Mal Pas (Benidorm)
This restaurant is named after a well-known cove in the area. It offers rice dishes and traditional seafood dishes from the Levantine cuisine. And all in an atmosphere that will make you feel at home, while you enjoy the historic centre of Benidorm.
Calle Santa Faz, 50 (Benidorm)
965 85 80 86
Rice / Seafood
Quique Dacosta (Denia)
Quique is the man who can do anything. The chef who brought three Michelin stars down on the Valencian Community a decade ago, who won the first one for his restaurant in Madrid in less than a year -Deesa, at the Hotel Ritz-. Quique is the man who tries everything, or at least tries. It occurred to him that beauty could be cooked, so he entrusted the team with the recipe, providing them with ingredients such as technique, creativity, innovation and the cult of the territory. He also knew how to dress it up, as well as he dresses himself, with a solemn room. Quique is the man who dreams everything, and therefore also achieves everything.
Calle Rascassa, 1 (Urbanización El Poblet)
965 78 41 79
Tasting menu: €250.
Creative
Written by Almudena Ortuño.
Baeza & Rufete (Alicante)
They told me it was a soulless restaurant. They lied to me. Certainly, the space does not do justice to the cuisine, but there is something moving in such a small room, almost single-handedly tended by Esther Castillo, sommelier and hostess. And, above all, there is the good work of Joaquín Baeza. Beyond his two story lines – aromatic herbs and EVOOs with personality – the chef has a rare virtue: everything he does, he does for a reason. And intention has always been the secret ingredient.
Avda. de Ansaldo, 31 (Alicante)
965 16 22 47
Tasting menus: €58 and €118.
Menu: €70-90.
Creative
Written by Almudena Ortuño.
Casa Bernardi (Benissa)
We tend to forget about Italian restaurants when we talk about the best ones, and it turns out that they often are. Ferdinando Bernardi knew how to take care of the Michelin star that Enrico Croata obtained for Orobianco, but, about a year ago, he left Calpe and opened the doors of his own house, where he recovers the discourse of the environment and sustainability. Surrounded by vegetable gardens, carob, olive and almond trees, he has plenty of produce from Alicante, which he uses for cannoli, risottos and pasta. And that is also Mediterranean.
Partida Pedramala. Avda. de la Fustera, 60C (Benissa)
622 30 86 25
Tasting menus: €70, €75 and €95.
Italian / Market
Written by Almudena Ortuño.
El Xato (La Nucia)
This family business has more than a century of history. What started in 1915 as a modest bodega became a tapas bar (Bar Chato, as in the featured photo). The 4th generation of the family turned it into the most prestigious restaurant in the Marina Baixa. They offer the Temptations Menu (€78) and the Centenary Menu (€95) where you can discover the roots of Mediterranean cuisine through the vision of chef Cristina Figueira.
Avda. La Iglesia, 3 (La Nucia)
963 82 74 42
Tasting menus: €72 and 89 €.
Traditional
