Valencia — Where We Ate & Drank
We ate our way through 13 restaurants and 2 bars in Valencia — from Big Johnson's smash burgers to paella in its birthplace. Our cheerfully lowbrow guide to what actually fed us.
Valencia in August meant paella in its birthplace, horchata against the heat, and the Oceanogràfic's absurd, wonderful scale. Our list runs cheerfully lowbrow — smash burgers at Big Johnson's, burritos, old-Rome trattoria — with Café de las Horas' baroque interior for the agua de Valencia ritual.
Las Fallas in March burns the city down on purpose; plan accordingly. These 13 restaurants and 2 bars are the ones that actually fed us.
- Best months to visit: December–April, September–October
- 5 Michelin-starred tables · 1 UNESCO site
- Also covers Paiporta
- Worth timing: Las Fallas (15 March), La Tomatina (nearby Buñol) (26 August)
Plan your Valencia days with these picks →