Four places here come from my list of saved places in Valencia: a Lebanese bakery, a brunch café, a craft beer bar and a wine bar. Seven more — the horchatería, the jazz club, a roaster café, a bar for agua de Valencia, a bookshop café, a craft beer bar and a bar in an old ice factory — I added on the advice of travel guides, first of all 34travel, and checked each on Google: still open, rated 4.2 or higher. I haven't written my own notes yet, so all the descriptions are put together from Google Maps reviews.
Prices are Google's average spend per person, valid as of 7 October 2026. Rate: 1 € ≈ $1.12.
In short
- Horchata and fartons: Horchatería de Santa Catalina, one of the oldest in town.
- Home-made Lebanese baking: Pastelería El Libanés, for baklava, labneh and Lebanese coffee.
- Laptop and brunch: Federal Valencia, a big bright café with a patio, though not one to go to for the food.
- Evening: live jazz at Jimmy Glass in El Carme, or craft beer and burgers at Fatalist.
- Agua de Valencia: Café de las Horas — a Baroque interior and, reviewers say, the best version in town.
- Ruzafa: breakfast at Bluebell, an evening at the Ubik bookshop café or on Italian craft beer at Ruzanuvol; by the sea, La Fábrica de Hielo.
Coffee and something sweet
Horchatería de Santa Catalina
El Mercat · horchatería · 1–10 € (≈$1–11) · daily 8:30–21:00
Google Maps · website · Pl. de Santa Caterina, 6
According to Google Maps reviews (4.2 from 12,000+): one of the city's oldest horchaterías, with painted tiles on the walls. Order a cold horchata, the tiger-nut drink, and dunk fartons — long sweet buns — into it. In winter there are churros with hot chocolate, which also get praise. Service is quick and you pay straight away. Some find the horchata too sweet and the place overrated. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Pastelería El Libanés
Ciutat Vella · Lebanese bakery and café · Mon–Sat 10:00–21:00, Sun 10:00–19:00
Google Maps · C/ d'Osca, 2
According to Google Maps reviews (4.9 from 160): a family-run Lebanese pastry shop that recently moved to new premises and is now also a café with a small Lebanese grocery. Reviewers love the baklava, Lebanese coffee, labneh, falafel, hummus, tabbouleh and fattoush — all homemade, cooked by the mother of the family. The owners are very warm and speak several languages.
Federal Valencia
Ciutat Vella · brunch and coffee · 10–20 € (≈$11–23) · daily 9:00–20:00
Google Maps · website · C/ de l'Ambaixador Vich, 15
According to Google Maps reviews (4.0 from 3,900+): a big bright café with high ceilings, a back patio and a shared table for laptop work. The menu is brunch — shakshuka, avocado toast, eggs Benedict, a huge Reuben sandwich. Opinions on the food split: some love the portions, others call it average and the matcha watery. Service can be slow and unfriendly. More a place to sit than to eat well.
Bluebell Coffee Roasters
Ruzafa · roaster café and breakfast · 10–20 € (≈$11–22) · daily 9:00–15:00
Google Maps · website · C/ de Buenos Aires, 3
According to Google Maps reviews (4.3 from 2,200+): a café in Ruzafa that roasts its own beans, with a cosy room and a patio. Reviewers praise the cappuccino, cold brew, granola with poached pear, avocado and tomato toasts, fresh orange juice and the cakes on the counter; there's oat milk. Downsides: it gets very busy, at peak times staff ask you to close your laptop, coffee can take a while, and prices are above average.
Drinks in the old town
Barrio5 Bar
Ciutat Vella · wine bar and tapas · 10–30 € (≈$11–34) · daily 12:00–0:00, Thu–Sat until 1:00
Google Maps · website · C/ de la Nau, 14
According to Google Maps reviews (4.1 from 190+): a pretty, calm wine bar with snacks and bigger plates; the olives and the unusual drinks get special mention — they even stock Mexican sotol. Quiet in the afternoon, busy in the evening. Reviews of the service are split: some find the staff friendly, others complain of slow service and an inflated bill.
Jimmy Glass Jazz Bar
El Carme · jazz club · 20–30 € (≈$23–34) · evenings, check show times on the website
Google Maps · website · C/ de Baix, 28
According to Google Maps reviews (4.4 from 1,200+): a narrow jazz club running since 1991, modelled on the New York clubs the owner used to go to — his photos from those years are on the walls. International and up-and-coming musicians play, the sound gets praise, and the band is practically in your living room. You can book, but it's best to arrive at opening. Downsides: shows can start later than announced, and the wine comes in tiny glasses. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Café de las Horas
Ciutat Vella · café-bar, agua de Valencia · 10–20 € (≈$11–22) · daily 10:00–1:30
Google Maps · website · C/ del Comte d'Almodóvar, 1
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 10,000+): a café-bar in the historic centre with a theatrical Baroque interior — velvet, chandeliers, gilded mirrors and a starry ceiling. People come for agua de Valencia, a cocktail of fresh orange juice, cava and spirits; many call this one the best in town, and you can take a bottle away. The marinated olives and cheese boards get praise too. Sit inside — the decor is half the experience. A little pricier than its neighbours.
Ruzafa and by the sea
Fatalist beer & food
L'Eixample · craft beer and burgers · 10–20 € (≈$11–23) · daily 16:00–1:00
Google Maps · website · Carrer del Comte d'Altea, 26
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 600+): a punk-rock craft beer bar with more than six taps, local and imported beers, and bartenders who give good tips. The food is street food: the pulled pork and burgers get praise, and burgers come with disposable gloves. Downsides: the burger can be too rare, and ketchup is charged extra.
Ruzanuvol
Ruzafa · craft beer bar · 10–20 € (≈$11–22) · Sun–Thu 18:00–0:00, Fri–Sat 18:00–1:30
Google Maps · website · Carrer de Lluís de Santàngel, 3
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 1,200+): a craft beer bar with an Italian bent — always-fresh Italian beer on tap, and cans to take away. The food is Italian-Mediterranean: reviewers praise the croquettes, aubergine rolls, piadinas, pizza and roast beef sandwich. Rock on the stereo, tables on the pavement, and friendly staff who give good tips. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Ubik Café
Ruzafa · bookshop café and bar · 10–20 € (≈$11–22) · Mon–Thu 17:00–0:30, Fri–Sun 10:00–0:30
Google Maps · website · Carrer del Literat Azorín, 13
According to Google Maps reviews (4.3 from 4,800+): a library-café in Ruzafa — walls of second-hand books, a bohemian feel and a terrace where a free table is rare. By day people read or work on laptops, in the evening they drink wine and house vermouth, and weekend mornings bring brunch. Reviewers praise the fried chicken and the muffins; there are readings and live music. The downside is small portions. 34travel recommends it too (article).
La Fábrica de Hielo
El Cabanyal · bar and cultural centre · Mon–Thu 17:00–1:30, Fri 17:00–2:30, Sat 12:00–2:30, Sun 12:00–1:30
Google Maps · website · C/ de Pavia, 37
According to Google Maps reviews (4.4 from 13,000+): a former ice factory by Cabanyal beach, now a bar and cultural centre: several rooms, a yard, live music on weekend afternoons, DJs at night and a separate techno room. Free entry and cheap drinks: vermouth and wine from 3 €, cocktails around 6.50 €, and local Turia beer. At weekends it's packed by ten at night, and there can be a queue at the bar. A good stop after a walk on the beach.
One last thing
Horchatería de Santa Catalina stays open until nine in the evening, so you can leave the horchata for the end of the day and then walk over to El Carme. Get to Jimmy Glass when it opens: the room is narrow, and the set may start later than promised. Also note that Bluebell closes at three, while Ubik and Ruzanuvol only open towards evening on weekdays.
More on Valencia: what to see, where to eat.