The first restaurant on my Valencia foodie bucket list was…closed.
Dusty metal shop shutters down, a notice taped on the front, and my tortilla de patata cravings left satisfied.
And the paella restaurant that had literally thousands of five-star reviews? Served us moldy bread. Twice! And the paella was disappointingly below average.
Even though I plan my foodie trips like an overqualified and underpaid project manager on her fifteenth red bull—scouring the internet for the best eats, diving into Google reviews, and coming up with a plan A, B, and C—things don’t always go as planned.
Yep, it still shocks me every time. “The unexpected” seems to love upending the plans of Type A travelers like me.
But despite the foodie mishaps that plagued my trip to Valencia, I still enjoyed a few truly spectacular eats that I definitely recommend devouring when you visit this beautiful Spanish city.
(And, of course, I’ll tell you exactly which ultra-popular paella restaurant to avoid.)
Horchata: Valencia’s Creamy Summer Drink
Despite living in Spain for over almost 5 years now, I had never been to Valencia until now. I had heard only incredible things about this city: orange-tree lined streets, endless beaches, and incredible paella. And of course, the birthplace of Spain’s famous summer drink: horchata.
So after an insane morning at La Tomatina—a ginormous tomato food in the streets of a small town outside of Valencia—we spent the afternoon at a cafe by our airbnb, sipping on horchata.
Unlike Latin America’s cinnamon-y horchata, which has a rice base, Valencia’s horchata is made from chufa (tiger nuts). This delicious superfood from Africa was brought to Spain during Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. Today, it’s grown all over the towns surrounding Valencia.
Valencia’s horchata is sweet, creamy, nutty, and has just a hint of cinnamon. It’s served cold and you can order it as a drink or in a slushie form. It’s traditionally served with fartones, sweet breadsticks that are light and airy, perfect for dipping in the horchata.
Where to try horchata in Valencia:
Trying The World’s Best Burger at Hundred Burgers
My hot take: Spain does burgers better than the US. I’ve been saying it for years now, and especially after enjoying so many incredible burgers at The Champion’s Burger foodie event.
And, apparently the world’s top burger connoisseurs agree, because they ranked Hundred Burgers, a burger joint that started in Valencia, Spain, as #1 on their ‘The World’s Best Burgers’ ranking—for two years in a row.
The cool thing about Hundred Burgers is that it all started because two friends began traveling the world in search of the best burger. And after trying over 300 burgers in 22 countries, their taste buds were ready to take the reins and start cooking. Their goal? Make the best burger at the best price.
But did they achieve it? Well, not quite.
I ordered the Satisfaction Burger: a delicious combination of two flavorful, 110-gram patties, American cheese, bacon, and smokey mayo. Here’s what I thought:
✅ The pros:
A LOT of meat—with two patties, this burger is a doozy. It’s 220 grams, which is about two serving sizes of meat, which means every bite is packed with the good stuff.
Good price—The burgers cost between €12-15 each, which is a fine price, especially for how much meat they have.
Awesome fries—Hundred Burgers has upleveled their fries to the max. They’re extra crispy, seasoned fries that are truly fantastic.
Solid burger options—They’ve got the classics, and then they’ve got burgers with spicy Korean gochujang sauce and peanut butter and BBQ sauce. The base of the entire menu is the bacon cheeseburger, which I applaud.
❌ The cons:
The patties could have been juicier. The meat was fine, but the burger ended up tasting mostly like meat. Nothing’s wrong with that, as long as it’s cooked perfectly, which unfortunately it wasn’t.
I need more sauce. The smokey mayo sauce was fantastic, but I need more of it. Especially with two patties. What can I say? I’m a sauce girl.
The bun to burger proportion was off. The bun has a tremendous influence on the burger’s taste—and this one was a little too bready and dry for me.
Hundred Burgers wasn’t the best burger I’ve tried (right now, that top spot belongs to a delicious burger I recently tried in Madrid). But, if you’re at Cabanyal beach and craving a burger, it’s a great option.
👀 Check out the menu here.
💸Price: €15-20 per person.
📍Location: Inside the Mercabañal food zone near Cabanyal beach. (You won’t see the restaurant name from the street, look for a sliding glass door with Mercabañal stickers on it, then go through the indoor seating area to the outdoor area, and up the stairs to the second floor.)
Fantastic Tapas At Pelayo Gastro Trinquet
Incredible tapas, a large menu selection, and the chic and unique ambiance (wander around a bit and you’ll discover you’re actually dining alongside a 195-foot-long Valencian Trinquet sports court) makes Pelayo Gastro Trinquet one of the best places for tapas in Valencia.
What we ordered:
Las Bravas del Trinquet—These patatas bravas (chunky, crispy fried potatoes with garlic mayo and spicy red sauce) won Valencia’s patatas bravas food festival a few years ago. And it shows. Perfectly crispy potatoes, fantastically creamy alioli (garlic mayo), and an unforgettable chunky bravas sauce that was just so flavorful. 11/10
These patatas bravas from Pelayo Gastro Trinquet are some of the best I’ve had. Coca d’Oli Pont Sec—Olive oil flat bread topped with a light pesto sauce, Iberian pork loin carpaccio, and parmesan cheese. This is the sleeper menu item you must try. A fantastic flavor combo that’s filling and adds a nice contrast to the rest of the traditional tapas. 10/10
Viera del Pacifico—Grilled scallops in a lime-chili emulsion. I’ve been obsessed with scallops lately so I had to give these a try. The fancy sauce stole the show and overpowered the delicious scallop flavor, but they were still good. 8/10.
Bunyol de l’Albufera—A smoked eel fritter with a powerful, creamy sauce. This bite won the 2025 Best Valencian Tapa Award. It gave off fishy-curry vibes, and while interesting, was my least favorite of the four tapas we tried. 7/10.
I highly recommend coming here for tapas—or, if you’re really hungry, they also offer paellas (and you can eat them right out of the paellera, paella pan, which is apparently tradition in Valencia)! Make sure you try the Coca de Llanda de Naranja, an orange sponge cake that’s a traditional Valencian dessert.
👀 Check out the menu in Spanish or in English here.
💸Price: €20-25 per person.
📍Location: On Calle de Pelai, very close to the Plaza de Toros and the Valencia train station.
The Paella Disappointment at La Pepica
Things started out well, but ended tragically. We ordered zamburiñas gallegas a la plancha (Galician seared scallops, I told you I was obsessed) to start, and they were divine. Perfectly juicy, tender, and flavorful.
Then, we decided on the Paella Pepica, supposedly the most seafood popular and best paella, which came with a total of FOUR sad, small shrimps. Despite cutting them into halves and fourths, my share of the shrimps disappeared quickly, and the remaining rice didn’t make up for the lack of actual seafood. The paella was fine, but not at all memorable or outstanding.
Unfortunately, after 125 years of making paella, La Pepica could only deliver a disappointing, below-average paella. Oh, and moldy bread.
That’s what really shocked me. When I asked for bread, I expected the traditional crispy baguettes we all love. Instead, I got a few thick, stale-looking sandwich slices—dotted with mold.
I politely requested different bread, pointing out the mold (and assuming it was just a fluke). But it wasn’t, because when the waitress returned, the “new” bread she brought had even more mold on it!
Now, my intention with Emily Eats Everywhere is NOT to tell you all the places you shouldn’t go—it’s to share the best recommendations for authentic eats abroad. But unfortunately, after this disappointing experience at La Pepica, for now I’m left without a quality paella spot to recommend.
Esmorzaret: A Valencian Foodie Tradition Sandwich-Lovers Will Adore
If you’ve been to Spain before, you know they’re famous for their notoriously late meals. Lunch isn’t until 2pm. Dinner can be as late as 9 or even 10pm (which can be rough if you, like me, are a foodie with a bedtime).
A Viral Sweet Treat That Deserves a 10/10
When I saw foodies and influencers promoting 99 Cheesecake on social media, I was intrigued. Offer me quality food for less than a euro, and you can lure me just about anywhere. (Now I understand why my mom always told me not to get into a stranger’s car, and I quote: “even if he tells you he has ice cream.”) What can I say? I’m easily persuaded by great deals and snacks.
Now here’s the thing: not all the cheesecakes are 99 cents.
In fact, only one of the cheesecakes—the classic, plain cheesecake—is 99 cents. The rest (white chocolate, cookies and cream, lotus, flavor of the month, etc.) are €2.99. And, if you want a topping like fruity jam, caramel, melted chocolate, or cookie pieces, each one costs 80 cents. Still cheap, but not 99 cents.
That being said, the cheesecake was fantastic. I got the classic with a raspberry jam topping, and my husband got the cookies and cream flavor. Both were incredible. Creamy, sweet, perfect consistency.
Good thing I don’t live in Valencia, because I’d be tempted to get on every single day.
👀 Check out the options here.
💸Price: €1-5 per person.
📍Location: On Calle de Roger de Llòria, less than a 10 minute walk from Valencia’s train station, Estació del Nord.
Things to Do in Valencia
If you like artsy European beach towns, you are going to love Valencia! Make sure you add a few of these fun activities to your travel itinerary in between meals:
A bike tour of Valencia’s city center! This is always my favorite thing to do when visiting a new city. Valencia is very bikeable—you can ride through Turia Garden (the biggest and most famous park in the city), through the historic city center, and along the beach! Rent a bike on your own here or go for a guided tour like this one.
Visit Valencia’s famous Hemisfèric & Science Museum. Those cool, dome shaped buildings surrounded by water that you’ll see in all the Valencia photos? They’re actually museums! Get your tickets here.
Take a day trip to Montanejos hot springs! About 1.5 hours outside of Valencia, you’ll find a stunning lagoon with waterfalls, turquoise water, and incredible landscapes. It’s called Fuente de los Baños, and it’s a must-see if you’re near Valencia. Rent a car and visit on your own or do a day-trip tour like this one.
Take a day trip to Cala del Moraig! This adorable beach cove is the perfect spot to swim, snorkel, and hike through the sea caves. This tour from Valencia takes you on a stunning panoramic coastal hike over this picturesque beach.