Three places here come from my list of saved places in Valencia: an oyster bar, an Armenian grill and a Russian restaurant. There was no paella and no markets, so I added eight more on the advice of travel guides, first of all 34travel, and checked every one 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
- Paella: Casa Carmela by Malva-rosa beach — cooked over wood, lunch only, book ahead; in the centre, Navarro at lunch and La Riuà in the evening.
- Market morning: the Mercat Central and the Central Bar counter inside it — come before 1 pm, after that there's a queue.
- Oysters and cava: Ostras Pedrín Bonaire in the old town — short menu, fast and fairly priced.
- Fried sardines: Tasca Angel, a tiny tapas bar where you mostly eat standing.
- Portions for two or three: the Armenian grill Asador Bufalo near the station.
- A tavern from 1836: Casa Montaña in Cabanyal — a tasting menu among the barrels, booking a must.
Markets
Mercat Central
El Mercat · covered market · Mon–Sat 7:30–15:00, closed Sun
Google Maps · website · C/ de Palafox, 13
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 97,000+): one of Europe's biggest and most beautiful food markets, a Modernista building with a dome and stained glass. Hundreds of stalls: fruit, nuts, seafood, jamón, cheese, fresh juice, and you can eat on the spot in the fish section. It's touristy, but the quality gets praise. Come in the morning — it gets crowded towards lunch and closes at 15:00. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Central Bar by Ricard Camarena
El Mercat · tapas and sandwiches · 20–30 € (≈$23–34) · Mon–Thu 9:00–15:00, Fri–Sat 9:00–15:30, closed Sun
Google Maps · website · Mercat Central, Pl. de la Ciutat de Bruges, s/n
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 3,000+): chef Ricard Camarena's counter right in the middle of the Mercat Central — bar seats only, no bookings. Reviewers praise the oxtail, cuttlefish, artichokes, bravas, the sandwich of the day, agua de Valencia in a big glass and, above all, the cheesecake. After 1 pm the queue can reach 40 minutes, though staff take drink orders along the line. Some find the chef's name oversells it, and the squid can come undercooked. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Mercado de Colón
L'Eixample · food hall · daily 10:00–0:00
Google Maps · website · Carrer de Jorge Juan, 19
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 47,000+): a 1916 market in Valencian Art Nouveau style — iron, glass and bright ceramic mosaics. Today it's a meeting place with cafés, tapas bars and restaurants where you can sit in the shade with a coffee or a horchata. Note that in spring 2026 most of the lower level closed for refurbishment, so there's less choice for now. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Paella
Casa Carmela
Malva-rosa · wood-fired paella · 50–70 € (≈$57–79) · Mon–Sat 13:00–16:00, closed Sun
Google Maps · website · C/ d'Isabel de Villena, 155
According to Google Maps reviews (4.4 from 9,600+): a long-running restaurant near the beach where paella is cooked over a wood fire and served in the pan — many call it the best of their trip. The wine list is huge. It's lunch only; book the table, and the paella, in advance, sometimes weeks ahead. The minimum spend is around 50 € per person. Downsides: QR-code menus only, service that can rush you, and a confusing queue at the door. Go to the beach afterwards.
Navarro
Ciutat Vella · paella and rice · 40–50 € (≈$45–56) · Mon–Sat 13:00–16:00, closed Sun
Google Maps · website · C/ de l'Arquebisbe Mayoral, 5
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 3,300+): a family restaurant in the centre that opens for lunch only. Reviewers praise the seafood paella, the squid, the Valencian tomato salad and the sangria — many call the paella here the best of their trip. The classic paella valenciana, with rabbit and snails, has to be ordered a day ahead, and tables booked a couple of days ahead; if online booking fails, it's easier to drop by in person. Paella takes 25–30 minutes, and the dining room can get hot.
La Riuà
Ciutat Vella · paella, family tavern · 30–40 € (≈$34–45) · Tue–Sat 14:00–16:00 and 21:00–23:00, closed Sun–Mon
Google Maps · website · C. del Mar, 27
According to Google Maps reviews (4.2 from 3,400+): a family tavern now run by the third generation, its walls covered in painted plates, with mostly Spanish spoken around you. Several kinds of paella, a vegetarian one included, plus well-liked sangria and white wine. In the evening it opens at nine and fills up at once — book, though even with a booking you may wait. Downsides: some found the seafood paella short on seafood, and the valenciana watery and too salty.
Tapas and more
Ostras Pedrín Bonaire
Ciutat Vella · oysters and small plates · 20–30 € (≈$23–34) · Mon–Sat 11:00–0:00, Sun 11:00–16:00
Google Maps · website · C/ de Bonaire, 23
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 3,500+): a small, always busy tavern in the old town with a short menu — oysters (Gillardeau and tempura ones among them), smoked fish, anchovies in vinegar and cava. Service is fast and prices fair. A few words of Spanish help. On the minus side, the cava pours are stingy, and some reviewers felt foreigners weren't made welcome.
Tasca Angel
El Mercat · tapas bar · 10–20 € (≈$11–23) · Tue–Sat 11:00–15:00 and 19:00–23:00, closed Sun–Mon
Google Maps · Facebook · Carrer de la Puríssima, 1
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 1,500+): a tiny old tapas bar where everything is cooked in front of you, by the same people behind the bar for years. The thing to order is grilled sardines, praised even by people who don't like sardines; also recommended are ajoarriero, cuttlefish in ink, prawns and lamb neck. There are only a few stools, so you'll mostly eat standing up. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Casa Montaña
El Cabanyal · old wine tavern · 20–60 € (≈$22–67) · Mon–Fri 13:00–16:00 and 19:30–23:30, Sat 12:30–16:00 and 19:30–23:30, Sun 12:30–16:00
Google Maps · website · C/ de Josep Benlliure, 69
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 6,100+): a tavern in Cabanyal opened in 1836, where you eat among the barrels and the shelves of a huge wine list. Go for the tasting menu or tapas: reviewers praise the salt cod brandade, cuttlefish in sauce, local clóchinas mussels, tuna and oysters. Tables go well in advance, so booking is a must. Downsides: the steak is pricey for how it's served, the sausages are average, and you may be hurried at the end of the lunch service.
Asador Bufalo
Extramurs · Armenian grill · 20–40 € (≈$23–45) · Tue–Sat 12:00–0:00, closed Sun–Mon
Google Maps · website · Carrer del Doctor Sanchis Sivera, 4
According to Google Maps reviews (4.8 from 700+): a family-run Armenian restaurant not far from the train station — shashlik, grilled chicken, whole potatoes on skewers and a fresh cucumber, tomato and parsley salad. Portions are huge; one feeds two or three. The owners are very warm and speak Spanish, Armenian and Russian. Downsides: the kitchen may close earlier than the listed hours, and it's a fair way from the centre.
Volga
El Pla del Real · Russian and Ukrainian food · 20–30 € (≈$23–34) · Tue–Thu 13:00–16:00 and 18:00–23:00, Fri–Sun 13:00–17:00 and 18:00–23:00, closed Mon
Google Maps · Instagram · Carrer de Xile, 5
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 400+): a cosy restaurant with home-style cooking — borscht, Olivier salad, khinkali, soups, flavoured nastoyka vodkas and an unexpected Borodinsky rye bread ice cream. There's a good-value weekday set lunch. Reviewers praise the friendly staff and fair prices, and locals eat here too.
One last thing
Valencia runs on a lunch schedule: the Mercat Central and Central Bar close at three, Casa Carmela and Navarro only open for lunch, and Casa Carmela's tables sometimes go weeks ahead. So do the market in the morning and paella for lunch, and keep in mind that Tasca Angel is closed on Sundays and Mondays. For paella at dinner, there's La Riuà from nine in the evening.
More on Valencia: what to see, coffee, horchata and bars.