Alicante: Food Guide - Dining Out

Paella is Alicante’s speciality and the city’s seafood is particularly excellent, with prawns, cuttlefish and squid some of the most common and the dishes with anchovies, red mullet, sardines, and tuna also popular choices. Arroz negro is another dish local to this part of Spain, made with black rice and cuttlefish.

Other rice dishes well worth trying are arroz a la alicantina, made with chicken, rice and shellfish or arroz de magor, and the Moorish influence is still noticeable in the cuisine of the town with dried fruits and nuts being popular and abundant. Alicante is one of Spain’s major wine producing areas and there are some excellent wines to be sampled. One of the most traditional local wines is El Fondillón, a fortified wine, not dissimilar to port.

Alicante has a good range of eateries to suit all budgets and tastes. One of the best eating places is Restaurante Alebrije, a beautiful and romantic garden setting. Dársen is another well-respected restaurant, the food is freshly prepared, and with its location on the port, the views out to sea are stunning. For a lighter snack, there are a huge number of bars serving tapas, and the Alicante Central Market is a great place to visit to sample some of the local specialties.