42 Best Restaurants in Catalonia, Valencia, and the Costa Blanca, Spain

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. 

In one of the prettiest corners of Altea's old town, this eatery was formerly a cloister and a school. Today the dining room and terrace combine contemporary design gracefully juxtaposed with a rustic setting, and the restaurant is known for serving polished international cuisine with French flair. 

In an intimate little space with wicker chairs and pale mauve walls, this restaurant in the old town serves a bargain Mediterranean three-course prix fixe dinner, wine included; you can also order à la carte. In summer, dine on the comfortable patio out back. 

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.

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.

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.

Dine on fresh seafood and paella on the terrace with fabulous views of the sea and the castle beyond.

Not your average ice-cream parlor, this to-go spot is the brainchild of master confectioner Jordi Roca, of El Celler de Can Roca fame. Exquisite helados, fanciful toppings, and popsicles in the shape of Girona's famous climbing bear are just some of the treats you'll find here. Expect long lines.

A few steps from the Plaza de la Reina, this cozy spots blends the concept of a tapas bar with that of an Italian wine bar, with dishes like oxtail cannelloni, eggplant “meatballs,” and classic lasagna served small plates-style. There’s a fantastic list of Valencian, Spanish, and Italian wines, with many available by the glass.

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.

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.

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.