The Top Restaurants in L'Eixample & South Valencia

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If you’re looking for some serious foodie indulgence, Riff is the place to eat. This small, intimate Michelin-starred restaurant aims to surprise diners with the carefully creative flavour combinations on each plate, and the wine list is seriously special, too.

This restaurant run by local Michelin-starred chef Ricard Camarena offers an exciting dining experience without the eye-watering bill at the end of the night. The surprising fusion menu, with pretty plates inspired by the chef’s travels around the world, has something for every taste. Try as many flavours as possible by ordering some smaller plates, tapas style.

Italian and Mediterranean cuisine is crafted using the freshest local produce in season at this modern-meets-traditional spot. Dinner here manages to feel wholesome yet indulgent, with dishes such as smoked aubergine and creamy buffalo mozzarella, or candied pear and gorgonzola cream wrapped in filo pastry on onion crumble. Make sure to try one of their vermouths from the long list available, too.

Hip minimalist style meets healthy, international vegan cuisine at Copenhagen. It’s a great place for a relaxed yet stylish lunch with friends, and their colourful menu proves to be miles away from typical expectations of vegan food. This most cosmopolitan of restaurants is part of a small chain with two equally popular sister restaurants in Valencia.

Feast on platters of Italian cheeses and cold cuts or try the homemade pasta and pesto at Osteria Vino e Cucina, a colourful neighbourhood restaurant with some of the friendliest staff around. Their rustic northern Italian cuisine is as authentic as it gets.

Valencia’s Argentinean population has given the city some incredible eateries, and this rustic-looking restaurant is one such place. The traditional grill serves up top quality meats and the steaks here are among the best around. It’s a great place for a relaxed meal with friends thanks to the lively, unpretentious atmosphere, friendly staff and free-flowing drinks.

For a truly laid-back Spanish tapas experience try El Albero, a Andalusian tavern in the Ruzafa neighbourhood that will transport you to the southern Spanish region with its fiery food and colourful decor. While it’s a good place for drinks and music on a Friday night, during the week it’s the ideal relaxed and friendly spot for a tapas lunch washed down with Andalusian beer or wine.

Dine like Spanish royalty in the sumptuously decorated dining room of Asador de Aranda, It’s a large place that’s best for special occasions, when you can feast on traditional Spanish meat and fish dishes and, of course, Valencian paella, with plenty of excellent wine from around the country.