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There is no need to stray further than the gateway of Alicante for cuisine served the true Spanish way. Renowned the continent over, Alicante’s scores of fine arroz or rice dishes is surely something not to be skipped in a visit to the city. The dishes are a sumptuous myriad, all delicious and varied. Cooked in the most different, original and needless to say, creative ways around, the delicious rice dishes are incomparable.
They traditionally come in three delicious forms - the arroz a banda is basic rice with fish, arroz negro is distinctively served with “black rice" along with cuttlefish, and the arroz al horno which offers baked rice. Seafood is stupendously unrivalled, presented in a multitude of ways, while the countryside offers the freshest fruits and vegetables. These rice dishes are huge and are usually only served for consumption by two.
Darsena is the one-stop place for fine arroz (Tel 96 520 75 89, Email restaurante@darsena.com )with menu containing no less than 144 varieties of rice, including the region's specialties. Some of the gastronomic offerings are known as arroz a la alicantina (rice with mussels, king prawns and chicken), arroz a banda (rice cooked in fish broth) and caldero (fish followed by a rice stew). Average rice dish is at €10. Darsena is open 1.30 pm - 4.30 pm / 8.30 pm - 11.30 pm Mon - Sat.
Locally, the dessert consists of the ever sumptuous pan de higo, turron and so forth. This is fig bread, a paste made of dried figs. The bakery lines are exceptional, particularly the "turrones." The turrón is Alicante’s version of nougat, made of toasted almonds, honey and sugar. The Jijona ice cream shouldn’t be missed too. Unique, excellent liquors abound in Alicante as well. The prestigious mark of quality is suffuse in Alicante’s wines, what with the tag of Designation of Origin - Alicante. This should cater to those with discriminating tastes for wine, as this seal is given in Spain to select wines and products. There is also the unusual local drink, horchata, which is made with 'chufas'.
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£20 can buy a diner a three-course meal, including arroz a banda (rice with seafood), a traditional Alicante dish served sizzling from the pan, richer in flavor than paella.
£12.50 could buy an unhurried tapas spread of chorizo, stuffed tomatoes, anchovy salad and prawns in garlic.
£3.20 buys three snacks and a glass of white wine at a traditional tapas bar. A serving typically consists of asparagus filled with crab meat, with ham and tomato on bread.
Tight budget doesn’t matter if paella is a constant craving. One should look for El Pollo Pancho, an establishment cooking them the right way.
There is a plethora of typical low key Spanish eateries dotting Alicante. They serve traditional meals for good value. A great place is El Corsario (Tel 96 521 49 27, Calle San Agustín, 1) Menús average €7.5 and we suggest you try the sepia (cuttlefish). Opens 8 am - 4 pm / 8 pm - 2 am Mon - Sat.
For a piece of Turkey transported to Spain, the Restaurante Kebap (Tel 96 522 92 35, Calle Italia, 2) is a popular Turkish restaurant with a lively atmosphere, friendly service and meals that would keep one up for an encore. Main course is tagged at €5.70. Opens 1.30 pm - 4 pm / 8 pm - 12 am daily.
For those on vegetarian diet, one will enjoy L'indret (tel 96-521-66-14, Calle Garcia Morato 5; menús average €8; open 1pm-4.30pm Mon-Sat).owned by colorful characters, Fernando and Tony. They unleash two different creative vegetarian menús each day.
The densest concentration of Alicante’s best restaurants is in the business quarter. Local gastronomic delights include the giant red prawns and caldero, a fish stew with rice (arroz) such as arroz con costra (rice with meat and beans and an egg crust), and arroz negro (squid in its ink and rice).
Situated on the Explanada de España 8 is a classic seafood and fish restaurant specializing in caldero. Surviving the commercialization of the esplanade, La Goleta Sit is as al fresco as can be, sampling typically the rice specialties, salt fish salads (an acquired taste) and helado con turron (ice cream flavored with nougat).
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Fusing a seemingly immiscible combo of Japanese and Spanish cookery is Spoon (Calle Onja de Caballeros 10, Casco Antigua, +965 219 028), a small, stylish newcomer offering nuevo Mediterranean food. Each patron is greeted with an hors d' oeuvre served on a spoon bent like a shoe. Apparently worth trying are bite sized fillets of cod served with warm marmalade (pinto de bacalao €2.50), pan con mantequilla de trufas (€5) and carpaccio de magret (€9.50).
Doubtlessly, Nou Manolin is every pundit’s choice for excellently tasty and local dishes. It is a famous local restaurant hidden among a small cluster of bars and eateries (Calle Villages 3, +965 200 368). Like any other Spanish restaurant, Nou Manolin gets livelier after 10 pm. The local jamon Iberian or marinated partridge with vegetables and fresh pate (both delicious but expensive at €12) at the bar are worth trying. Hence, it is recommended to heading upstairs to the palatial restaurant for goat cutlet with garlic (€14), arroz with rabbit and snail or with cuttlefish and artichokes (both €20).
Equally tasty is the Hospes Amerigo's Senzone tapas bar - chrome, wood, velvet drapes and gourmet snacks.
Meanwhile, Cantina Villahelmy is for those scrimping on budget but looking for a fulfilling meal. Cozy and popular, this not so big place is conveniently located in the town center, an ideal dining for a quick, cheap fill. The menu basically only offers light foods, but for something a bit more heavy, their excellent salads, or perhaps the couscous or squid come at very affordable tags.
Those within mid-range budget could hop in Casa Ibarra to be found on Calle de Raphael Altamira, 19. This is reputed as one of several budget places around Plaza del Ayuntamiento that churns out some decent food. A tasty set menu is available for a very reasonable price. It is also reputed for having a great variety of tapas ('squids to the Roman' is the engaging translation of one seafood dish). One can take a pick from a large array of fish and grilled meat including tender lamb chops.
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The upscale demographic is one spoilt for choice, as Piripi offers one of the most stylish, imaginative tapas or fine rice and seafood dishes. Located on the Avenida Oscar Esplá 30, Piripi is the place to dine in, where the owners are fond to showcase the produce of the region. Many of their ingredients are sourced from vegetable gardens nearby, so rest assured the ingredients are as garden fresh as can be. One of the menu’s highlights is the incredibly tasty mousse de turrón de Jijona (almond nougat mousse).
La Dársena, established in the 1960s, is a renowned restaurant along the marina. On the Costa Blanca, it is reputed for offering a stunning variety of 148 different paellas. Imagination’s toll takes to the sky for limit, as everything unlikely to go into paella goes into the very creative versions of their menu, even cauliflower, chicken livers, and lamb kidneys. The more conventional paellas are readily available as well, including succulent morsels like shellfish. The appetizer, fritura de la Bahía, is a big highlight. This is basically a crisp fish fry of local fish (similar to red mullet) and boquerón (fresh anchovies). One can also choose to gorge on a velvety smooth crab soup flavored with Armagnac, or a refreshing tart composed of tuna and fresh spinach. Probably the most unforgettable of the many types of paella is arroz con bacalao y costar de ajo, which is made with salt cod, thinly sliced garlic, and potatoes, the medley crowned by a light, airy egg crust.
Restaurante El Jumillano has changed so little in its age old existence. This is a very antiquated restaurant with nonetheless, equally a timeless reputation for fine dining. This is virtually a gastronomic time capsule. A humble wine bar when it opened in 1936 near the old city, Restaurante El Jumillano didn’t stop being the loveable and original wine and tapas bar that it is; however, the food has improved as time went by. Juan José and Miguel Pérez Mejías are the original owner’s living children. They carry on the family legacy by bringing out the best set of succulent food, including fresh fish laid out in the dining room on the sun-bleached planks of an antique fishing boat. Many menu items derive from locally inspired recipes, and the specialties including a "festival of canapés," slices of cured ham served with fresh melon, shellfish soup with mussels, Alicante stew, pigs' trotters, a savory filet of beef seasoned with garlic, and a full gamut of grilled hake, sea bass, and shellfish.
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