11 Restaurants in the province of Alicante for Nature Lovers

Ca L’Àngels

Polop de la Marina

Whether you do
the circular route
from Finestrat to crown the Puig Campana as if you decide to go into the to go into the hidden face of the second highest peak in the province of Alicante, this restaurant is a good choice. Also if you dare with the route
of Monte Ponotx
from Polop!

Ca L’Àngels is cozy, familiar and warm, so it is especially recommended in autumn or winter. Also for its home-style cooking that Vicenta Teuler cooks with love. His brother Paco, in the dining room, will recite the menu from memory, which changes daily, and will recommend unique wines. You are in good hands! What to order at Ca L’Àngels? The espencat, the fried mintxo, the balls in broth and, of course, some of its spoon dishes such as olletas or rice.

If you are going to do
the route of the Barranc de l’Infern
PR-CV 147, called the “Cathedral of hiking”, we have two recommendations for you:

La Venta del Collao

Benimaurell, La Vall de Laguar

They say the best places are hard to get to! And this home-style restaurant with unparalleled views is one of them. Go with time and be patient on the way up, because it’s worth it: they have a menu of the day with essential dishes such as the mellow duck fideuá with mushrooms or the wild boar stew. Attention vegetarians: some of their dishes, such as scrambled eggs or casseroles, are adapted to be suitable for vegetarians.

El Nou Cavall Verd

La Vall de Laguar

This “casa de menjars al regne de la muntanya” has its own personality. As they themselves say, they cook health and commitment to the land… from an impressive balcony overlooking the Vall de Laguar. Their values, very much in line with ours, are embodied in their traditional Valencian cuisine but with a twist. At the stove, the restless chef Evarist Miralles, who has been making people talk for several years now. Apart from its privileged location, we like the quality-price-pleasure ratio of its menu, which is unbeatable: for just over 30 euros per person, you can choose 3 starters, a main course and a dessert.

We continue our tour through the province of Alicante! In the area of La Vall de Guadalest it is difficult to choose, because there are several very cozy restaurants, but for the moment we recommend one: Venta La Montaña, in Benimantell. Write it down if you are going to do any of the following
routes in the Sierra de Aitana
or the
Circular route of the Guadalest reservoir
!

La Montaña Sale

Benimantell

What was once a post office in the early twentieth century is today, and since the 80s, an interesting roadside restaurant and home cooking. Its dining room resembles that of any village house in the area, with rustic decoration and a lot of personality. What to order at Venta La Montaña? The olleta de blat (a stew made with whole wheat grain, beans, pig’s trotter, rib, ham, turnip, carrot, thistle stalk and chard) or its rice dishes (baked, with crust, broth with rabbit, chicken and artichokes…). And leave room for dessert!

Further inland, in the region of Comtat, there are also many options if you are going to make any route such as
those of the Font Roja
o
those of Serra de Mariola
. We kept one, but we will continue exploring the area to give you more clues in the near future!

Natxo Sellés

Cocentaina

The chef Natxo Sellés, in his restaurant of the same name, brings unbound creativity to each dish: venison croquettes, turbot and shrimp figatell with piquillo sauce or his iconic steak tartar with puffed rice, sherry mayonnaise and truffle. The most classic (or those who want to know better the cuisine of the area) also have snacks such as pericana de capellá or rice: cauliflower and cod, cuttlefish and garlic or duck, truffle and foie. A tip: leave room for dessert, they are a delight! How does the
Almond donut, chocolate and tangerine ice cream
or the
Jasmine cream, apple and eucalyptus ice cream.
? You can’t miss their version of “Pan, aceite y chocolate” (bread, oil and chocolate), the typical snack of our childhood!

On this occasion, we approach the Mediterranean, which also gives us routes with views that will remain etched in your retina. If you decide to make the
Cap d’Or watchtower route
or the
Benitatxell Cliffs Route
one of our latest discoveries!

Billy’s Café Bar

Moraira

The project of Adrián Ruiz, son of the well known
Miquel Ruiz
(of
Miquel’s Baret
of Denia), is beginning to emerge. Its location is somewhat atypical, in the middle of the road to Moraira, and the simplicity of a perhaps somewhat dreary place does not help either, but gastronomically it is a must. Do not miss their volcanic bravas, mackerel sashimi or cuttlefish figatell.

Another of our favorite routes is
the one of the 8 villages
of the natural paradise that is the Vall de la Gallinera. Still do not know this beautiful valley in the interior of Alicante? This spring is a good time to discover it, in full cherry blossom.

Miró Cuina

Benirrama, La Vall de Gallinera

The area of the Vall de la Gallinera is a paradise for hikers but a gastronomic desert where there are few notable restaurants. The remoteness of the villages in this valley and the communications by curvy roads do not help. One of them, and our favorite, is Miró Cuina, the project of Enric Miró and María Navarro, with a very friendly Daniel Harkin in the dining room. There, they offer a unique menu (42€) in which they reflect their peculiar cuisine, which is based on seafood products that they buy in the fish market of Gandía. They also sell their own hand-smoked fish and bread that they make themselves! Among its dishes you will find, for example, a smoked moixa brioche, a pastisset of herbs and white shrimp or a tasty tuna with eggplant and saffron. Miró Cuina is a gastronomic jewel for palates that are always looking for something different.

We continue with our routes:
the one of the Cavas de Mariola
from the beautiful village of Agres, for example. Where to eat in the Comtat region? It is clear to us.

Casa El Tío David

Alfafara

It is surprising to find such a restaurant in a town like Alfafara. Coherence, human quality (and warmth) and local products are the hallmarks of this temple for lovers of local cuisine, with Paqui Pascual in the kitchen and her husband and son, both David Navarro, in the dining room. They only work with several tasting menus (between 40 and 50 euros per person) in which you will find very unique dishes, such as their version of dried octopus (with fried egg cream, lentil caviar and Valencian pickles), their salted fish, poultry rice dishes (pigeon, guinea fowl and octopus) or a comforting almond and saffron broth with truffled balls. For meat lovers, Paqui also prepares a shoulder of lamb baked Al-Andalus style or a pigeon breast with sloe and caper sauce. For dessert, without a doubt, their almoixàvena with arrop ice cream and tallaetes. We promise you that when you go there you’ll think you’ve taken too long to find out…

Benidoleig, in the Marina Alta, is known mainly for being the municipality where the Cueva de las Calaveras is located, a spectacular subway gallery that is among the most recommended in the Valencian Community. A visit that you can combine with the beautiful Garden of l’Albarda and then, for lunch (and always with reservation), go to our next recommendation:

Mare

Benidoleig

The charismatic Miquel Gilabert has created a concept that fits him like a glove. In what used to be his parents’ bar, in his village (Benidoleig), he has given life to a charming restaurant that is very different from anything else in the area. He works with several tasting menus (from 38 to 68€) with very thoughtful dishes that claim the Valencian cuisine of his childhood… and that of his mother Josefina, who accompanies him in the kitchen. Don’t miss their Majorcan sobrasada dish of black pig with honey, which he serves with an addictive pumpkin bread that he makes himself. The rest of the elaborations change according to the seasons, but always using local Mediterranean products.

Denia is one of our favorite towns in the province and any excuse is good to return and enjoy routes in the Montgo Natural Park or visit the Cova Tallada.

Pont Sec

Dénia

Pep Romany is the master of the sourdough cakes cooked in a wood-fired oven, although in Pont Sec you can order whatever you want, because everything is a safe bet. A decade ago he reconverted this large house, which had already been a restaurant in its previous life, into his gastronomic home, from where he promotes local produce: whether it is extra virgin olive oil -he sells olive oil from various producers in Alicante-, blat de la Marina or fresh fish from the Dénia fish market with which he prepares delicate salted fish or delicious rice dishes. At Pont Sec, coherence and naturalness are paramount. A tip: if you can’t find a table (you have to book in advance, especially in high season), you can order their cocas to take away -they market them under the brand Nyas Coca-… and have a picnic on the beach of Les Marines, which is just a few kilometers away.

Let’s continue! February and March are two great months to get into the Vall de PopThe almond trees are beginning to bloom. And although in recent years they have been affected by the plague of Xylella FastidiosaThe landscape is equally beautiful. And there, in addition to doing one of the many hiking trails that this environment offers us, it is essential to go to eat at that place that everyone talks about…

El Paraíso

Parcent

This restaurant is one of the best kept secrets of this inland valley of Alicante. And not only for its large windows with stunning views of the village of Parcent, but especially for its star dish: the aromatic wild boar fideuà. Its menu has an unbeatable price (around 20€) and is one of our favorites after a hiking route. Its service is friendly, like a good family business. Something to keep in mind, especially if you go with small children, is that the environment is quite noisy. A trick: it has two dining rooms and the first one is quieter than the one at the back.

To be continued…

And so far this is the end of our gastronomic tour through the province of Alicante. But it doesn’t end here! In the following chapters, we will tell you where to eat in
Relleu
,
Sella
or the area of the
Vall de Seta
. To be continued…