Best Places to Eat in Alicante: A Local Food Guide (2026)

We spent a week in Alicante recently and made it our mission to eat as well as possible — which, in a city where the fish comes straight off the boats in Santa Pola and the rice traditions run deep, turned out to be remarkably easy. Alicante doesn’t shout about its food scene the way San Sebastián or Barcelona do, but it probably should. The quality of raw ingredients here is outstanding, prices are reasonable by European standards, and the locals take their lunch seriously enough that most restaurants still close between meals.

What follows is our honest guide to the best places to eat in Alicante — from a Michelin-starred tapas counter to a €3 gelato that might be the best thing you eat all trip. Some of these we tried ourselves (and we’ve flagged those), others came recommended by locals who steered us right every time. We’ve included price ranges, what to order, and whether you need to book ahead.

At a Glance: Best Restaurants in Alicante

Price guide: € = under €15 per person | €€ = €15–35 | €€€ = €35+

What to Eat in Alicante

Before diving into the restaurants, it helps to know the local specialities. Alicante sits on the Costa Blanca with access to some of the best seafood in the Mediterranean, and the region’s rice-growing tradition means you’ll find rice dishes here that rival (and sometimes surpass) Valencia’s. A few dishes worth knowing:

• Arroz a banda — rice cooked in rich fish stock, served with alioli on the side. The stock does all the heavy lifting.
• Caldero alicantino — the traditional fisherman’s dish: rice cooked in a broth made from rock fish, with ñora peppers giving it a deep red colour. Simple and brilliant.
• Fideuà — like paella but with short noodles instead of rice. More common here than in most of Spain.
• Mojama — salt-cured tuna, sliced thin and served with almonds and olive oil. You’ll see it on most tapas menus.
• Turrón — Alicante’s most famous export. The hard version (turrón de Alicante) is made with whole almonds and honey. Jijona, the soft version, is made just up the road.

Fine Dining and Special Occasions

1. La Ereta — Contemporary Mediterranean with the Best Views in Alicante

Best for: a special night out with panoramic views

Perched on the hillside below Santa Bárbara Castle, La Ereta has floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over the port, the sea, and the rooftops of the old town. It’s the kind of view that makes you put your fork down mid-bite. Chef Dani Frías runs two seasonal tasting menus — the shorter Ereta (around €75) and the longer Degustación (€85+) — both built around local produce and Mediterranean flavours. The restaurant holds a Michelin selection with two knife-and-fork symbols, which in practice means polished but not stuffy.

Book for sunset if you can. The walk up through the Parque de la Ereta is part of the experience, though it’s steep enough that you’ll want proper shoes rather than flip-flops. This isn’t an everyday meal — it’s a celebration restaurant, and it earns that label. Expect to spend €80–120 per person with wine.

2. La Taberna del Gourmet — Alicante’s Only Michelin Star

Best for: Michelin-starred tapas without the formality

The only Michelin-starred restaurant in Alicante proper, La Taberna del Gourmet, sits in the old town on Calle San Fernando. It started as a catering project back in 1979 and has evolved into a creative tapas destination with over 100 dishes on the menu. The black rice with cuttlefish is the signature, but the daily specials — built around whatever the fishermen brought in that morning — are usually the best thing to order. They also run a tapas tasting with wine pairing at €99, which is a good way to let the kitchen show off.

Some recent reviews suggest consistency can vary, which seems to be a pattern with busy Michelin-starred restaurants in Spain. Go at lunch when the kitchen is freshest, and sit at the bar if you can. Book well ahead, especially on weekends. Budget €40–60 per person à la carte.

4. Distrikt41 — Live-Fire Gastrobar by Dutch Chefs

Best for: creative live-fire cooking in a stylish setting

Distrikt41 is the only live-fire restaurant in Alicante, and it fills a gap that the city’s dining scene didn’t know it had. Run by Dutch chefs Danny and Joris, the cooking draws on Central European, French and Spanish influences, with most dishes getting a final pass over the flames. The result is food with real depth of flavour — smoky, precise, and different from anything else on this list. It holds a Michelin selection, and the tasting menus change with the seasons.

The space itself is sleek and modern, more gastrobar than white-tablecloth, which keeps the atmosphere relaxed despite the quality of what’s on the plate. They’re good with dietary requirements and happy to adapt the menu. Book ahead — it’s one of the trendiest tables in Alicante right now. Expect to spend €35–55 per person à la carte, more with the tasting menu and wine pairing.

Traditional Alicante and Rice Restaurants

4. Nou Manolín — The Classic Alicante Restaurant Since 1971

Best for: the quintessential Alicante dining experience

If you only eat at one traditional restaurant in Alicante, make it Nou Manolín. Open since 1971 on Calle Villegas, it’s essentially two restaurants in one: a lively ground-floor tapas bar with an open kitchen where you can watch the cooks work, and a more elegant dining room upstairs for sit-down meals. The tapas bar is where the action is — batter-fried anchovies, garlicky grilled prawns, sizzling sausage casseroles. Upstairs focuses on local fish and seasonal vegetables, with a Michelin selection to its name.

It’s part of Grupo Gastronou, the same group behind Piripi, which tells you something about the pedigree. The downstairs bar doesn’t take reservations — you turn up, grab a vermouth, and wait for a spot. Upstairs, you should book. Tapas bar: €20–30 per person. Dining room: €40–60.

5. Piripi — Refined Rice and Seafood

Best for: a proper rice dish in an elegant setting

Same ownership group as Nou Manolín and equally Michelin-selected, Piripi on Avenida Óscar Esplá is where locals go when they want rice done properly in a slightly more refined atmosphere. The fish arrives daily from the auctions in Dénia and Santa Pola, and the rice preparations — arroz a banda, arroz meloso, caldero — are handled with real precision. Like Nou Manolín, there’s a more casual tapas bar downstairs and a formal dining room above.

Piripi is the kind of place you’d take visiting parents or celebrate an anniversary without needing a second mortgage. Expect to spend €40–60 per person in the dining room. The rice dishes are for a minimum of two people, which is standard across Alicante.

6. Valencia Once — The Paella Institution

Best for: the best paella in Alicante

Operating since 1983 near the bullring on Calle Valencia 11, Valencia Once has been serving rice and seafood to locals for over four decades. Many regulars claim it does the best paella in the city, and the lunchtime queues suggest they might be right. The menu focuses tightly on what it does well: traditional rice dishes and fresh seafood, without trying to be anything else.

This is a locals’ restaurant in the best sense — not in a tourist area, no frills in the décor, just excellent food at honest prices. Rice dishes serve a minimum of two, so bring someone hungry. Book ahead, especially on Sundays when half of Alicante seems to want a table. Around €30–40 per person.

7. La Veda Arrocería — Best Value Rice in Alicante

Best for: excellent rice without the fine-dining price tag

If you want arroz meloso (creamy rice) that’s as good as anywhere in Alicante, but at a fraction of the price, La Veda on Calle General Lacy is your spot. It’s a dedicated rice restaurant (arrocería), and that focus shows. The daily menú del día at €18.50, including a drink, is one of the better deals in the city, especially given the quality of the rice.

The interior is cosy and modern, the portions are generous, and the staff are happy to explain the different rice preparations if you’re not sure what to order. It’s popular with local office workers at lunch, which is always a reliable indicator. Book ahead on weekends. €20–30 per person à la carte.

8. El Caldero — Where to Try Alicante’s Signature Dish

Best for: authentic caldero alicantino

The caldero alicantino is the dish that defines this stretch of coast — rice cooked in a broth made from rock fish and ñora peppers, traditionally prepared by fishermen on the beach. El Caldero by David on Calle Virgen del Socorro does a version that stays faithful to the original while keeping everything refined. The arroz meloso with tuna and shrimp is also worth ordering, and the caldero de gallina (chicken) works well if you’re not a seafood person.

The dining room is rustic, with wooden beams and tiled walls — unpretentious in the way the best local restaurants tend to be. It scores a 9.8 on TheFork, which is unusually high. Service is warm and attentive. Around €25–35 per person.

Tapas Bars and Local Favourites

9. Bar El Cantó — Old-School Tapas Done Right

Best for: proper no-frills tapas like the locals eat

Bar El Cantó on Carrer de Alemania has been serving tapas since the 1980s, and the formula hasn’t changed much because it doesn’t need to. Huevos rotos (broken eggs with jamón), garlic prawns, cod croquettes, and a mini steak-and-Brie roll that everyone orders. The kind of place where the menu is handwritten on a board, and the wine comes in small glasses without ceremony.

There are no bookings — people queue outside before it opens, which tells you everything. Go early (13:30 for lunch, 20:30 for dinner) or accept the wait. It’s worth it. The steak with tomato jam is a sleeper hit that doesn’t get enough attention. Expect €20–30 per person with drinks.

10. Chico Calla — The Buzz of Calle San Francisco

Best for: a lively local night out with creative tapas

Chico Calla is actually two adjacent bars on Calle San Francisco that are always heaving with locals — the kind of place where you grab a drink from the street hatch while waiting for a spot inside. The tapas are a step above standard bar fare: patatas de la tata, burrata, crispy calamari, mini burgers, and a salt cod dish that regulars swear by. The wine selection is surprisingly good for a place this casual.

No reservations — you just show up and join the crowd. It’s part of the experience. Friendly staff, great energy, and prices that won’t leave a mark. Perfect for a pre-dinner round of tapas or a full evening of grazing. €15–30 per person, depending on how carried away you get.

11. El Jardí dels Secrets — A Quiet Gem on a Side Street

Best for: a relaxed, personal meal away from the crowds

We stumbled into El Jardí dels Secrets on Calle Vicente Inglada almost by accident and ended up having one of our favourite meals of the trip. It’s small and intimate, run with real warmth by Ana, and the food is honest Mediterranean cooking done with care. We had the ensalada de tapioca de atún, tomato salad, huevos de merluza, lomo de atún rojo, and a grilled hake that was cooked perfectly — nothing fancy, just great ingredients treated well.

The highlight came at the end of the meal, when Ana brought out complimentary glasses of mistela — a traditional sweet wine from the region — along with some homemade biscuits. It’s that kind of place. Personal, generous, and the sort of restaurant you wouldn’t find unless someone told you about it. Well under €25 per person.

12. Taberna Alioli — Wine and Charcuterie in the Old Quarter

Best for: wine lovers and a pre-dinner stop

Tucked into the historic quarter beside the Concatedral de San Nicolás, Taberna Alioli is a stone-walled wine bar that feels like it’s been there forever. The focus is on cured meats, aged cheeses, and a wine list that punches well above what you’d expect from a bar this small. It’s the kind of place where you order a board of jamón and manchego, a glass of Monastrell from the Alicante DO, and let the evening unfold.

The Alicante wine region doesn’t get nearly enough attention, and this is a good place to explore it. Prices are honest — a glass of wine and a sharing board will set you back about €10–15 per person. It gets busy quickly given the size, so arrive early. A lovely start to an evening before heading somewhere for a proper dinner.

International and Fusion

13. Voltereta Tanzania — The One the Kids Will Love

Best for: families with young children and a fun atmosphere

We took our two-and-a-half-year-old daughter to Voltereta Tanzania on Calle Navas, and she absolutely loved it. The space is enormous — a converted cinema decorated like an African safari lodge, with jeeps, tropical plants, and enough visual stimulation to keep small children entertained through a three-course meal. Our daughter spent half the evening climbing in and out of the jeep while we actually got to eat in peace, which any parent of a toddler will appreciate. She had pasta, perfectly happy. We ordered the carrillera ibérica al Oporto and the secreto, both excellent — the secreto in particular was superb.

It’s a chain with locations across Spain, and the food is fusion rather than traditional, but it’s well executed, and the portions are generous. No reservations — walk-in only, which means potential queues at peak times. Worth arriving early (around 20:00) to avoid the wait. Around €20–30 per person. If you’re travelling with young children and need a restaurant where they can move around without anyone giving you looks, this is the one.

14. Wasamole — Fusion Food Inside the Mercado Central

Best for: the most creative cooking in Alicante

Hidden at the back of the Mercado Central, past the fruit and vegetable stalls, Wasamole is one of the highest-rated restaurants in Alicante with a 4.9 on Google — and it’s not hard to see why. Run by a Mexican-Spanish couple, the cooking pulls from Mexican, Asian, and local Alicante traditions to create something genuinely original. Think ceviches, dumplings, Massaman curry, and tartare, all made with produce from the market stalls a few metres away.

The space is tiny, so go outside peak hours or accept a wait. It’s open Monday to Saturday and closes mid-afternoon — this is a lunch spot, not a dinner destination. Around €30–40 per person. The Mercado Central itself is worth a visit even if you don’t eat here; grab some olives, jamón, and fruit while you’re wandering through.

15. Bacacay — Argentine Grill for Meat Lovers

Best for: a proper steak cooked over charcoal

If you’ve eaten rice and fish for three days straight and need some red meat, Bacacay on Calle Poeta Campos Vasallo is the answer. It’s an authentic Argentine parrilla — all the meat is cooked over charcoal, the empanadas are homemade, and the flan with dulce de leche is the real thing. The entraña (skirt steak) is the star, but the milanesas are comfort food at its best. They also have a decent Argentine wine list if you want to commit to the theme.

Portions are generous enough that you probably don’t need three courses. A family of four eating well with wine comes to around €200, which is fair for the quality of meat. Closed on Mondays. Scores a 4.9 on Google, which at this point is starting to feel like a pattern for the less obvious restaurants in Alicante. Book ahead at weekends.

16. OBRADOR Peccati Di Gola — Fresh Pasta Made in Front of You

Best for: handmade Italian pasta in an intimate setting

Run by Chef Enrico Cecchinato on Calle Poeta Quintana, OBRADOR has only six tables and an open kitchen where everything — from the bread to the pasta to the desserts — is made from scratch. It feels more like eating in someone’s Italian home than going to a restaurant. The gnocchi and arancini are standouts, and the tiramisu is made fresh daily. The lunch menú del día at around €22, including wine, is one of the best-value meals in Alicante.

With only six tables, booking is essential — especially on Friday and Saturday evenings. Go at lunch for the menú del día if you want the best value, or in the evening for the full à la carte experience. Around €20–30 per person. It’s the kind of small, personal restaurant that Alicante does better than bigger cities.

Casual Bites and Sweet Treats

17. Circo — The Best Burger in Alicante

Best for: a quick, quality burger

Sometimes you just want a burger, and when that mood hits in Alicante, Circo on Calle del Teatro is where to go. The beef is grass-fed and free-range from central Spain, the vegetables are sourced locally, and the house sauce ties it all together. It’s a simple menu — burgers, salads, not much else — but everything is done well. They have a second location at Playa de San Juan if you’re at the beach.

It’s casual, family-friendly, and fast. A burger with fries runs about €10–15, which is reasonable for the quality. No need to book — just walk in. A good option when the children have vetoed another rice restaurant, and you need something everyone will eat without complaints.

18. Alma Café — Speciality Coffee and the Best Brunch in Town

Best for: a proper flat white and a slow morning

Alma Café was our go-to for coffee during the trip — the best speciality coffee we found in Alicante, full stop. The brunch menu is solid too, with avocado toasts and baked goods that are a cut above the standard Spanish café. If you’re the kind of person who judges a city by the quality of its flat white, this is your spot.

It’s a smaller, newer place without the massive TripAdvisor footprint, which to us was part of the appeal — more locals than tourists, no queue out the door, just good coffee served by people who care about it. Perfect for a morning before heading out to explore the castle or the old town. Under €15 per person for coffee and brunch.

19. Livanti Gelato Di Sicilia — Possibly the Best Ice Cream in Spain

Best for: an afternoon treat you’ll think about for weeks

Ranked the third-best ice cream in Spain, Livanti near the Cathedral de San Nicolás makes artisan Sicilian gelato with around 70 rotating seasonal flavours. The creative options are what set it apart — Magna Grecia (rosemary honey, laurel, olive oil) and Maya (Venezuelan chocolate, chilli, bitter orange) sound odd but work brilliantly. The classics are flawless, too. Even in a country with good ice cream, this is a level above.

Cash only, which catches some people out — there’s a cash machine nearby. The largest serving is about €5, which makes it the cheapest outstanding meal in this entire guide. Go after dinner and stroll along the Explanada de España with your cone. It’s the kind of simple pleasure that makes a holiday.

Eating Out in Alicante with Kids

Spain is generally brilliant for eating out with children — no one bats an eyelid at a toddler in a restaurant at 21:00 — and Alicante is no exception. That said, some places are better than others when you’ve got small ones in tow. Voltereta Tanzania is the obvious winner for sheer entertainment value (see above), and Circo is reliable when everyone needs something quick and unfussy. The more traditional restaurants like Nou Manolín and Valencia Once are fine with children, but they’re sit-down places where you’ll need your child to stay at the table.

For lunch with kids, the Mercado Central is a good strategy — grab bits from different stalls and let them choose what looks good. Livanti gelato is an obvious bribe for good behaviour. Most restaurants in Alicante will happily accommodate highchairs and children’s portions if you ask, even if they’re not on the menu.

Frequently Asked Questions

What food is Alicante famous for?

Alicante is known for its rice dishes — particularly arroz a banda (rice cooked in fish stock) and caldero alicantino (fisherman’s rice with ñora peppers). Other local specialities include fideuà (noodle paella), mojama (salt-cured tuna), gambas de Santa Pola (local prawns), and turrón, the famous almond and honey nougat made in nearby Jijona.

What time do restaurants open for dinner in Alicante?

Most restaurants in Alicante open for dinner between 20:00 and 21:00. Lunch is typically served from 13:30 to 15:30. Many restaurants close between lunch and dinner (roughly 16:00–20:00), so don’t plan on an early evening meal. Tapas bars tend to be more flexible with their hours.

Do I need to tip in Alicante restaurants?

Tipping is not expected in Spain the way it is in the UK or US. Rounding up the bill or leaving 5–10% for good service is appreciated but not obligatory. Service charge is not typically added to the bill in Alicante.

Is Alicante expensive to eat out?

Alicante is one of the more affordable cities in Spain for eating out. A menú del día (three-course set lunch with drink) costs €10–18, a meal at a mid-range restaurant runs €20–35 per person, and even the fine-dining options rarely exceed €80–100 per person with wine. Tapas and casual dining are particularly good value.

What is a menú del día?

The menú del día is a fixed-price lunch menu offered by most Spanish restaurants on weekdays. It typically includes a starter, main course, dessert, bread, and a drink (often including a glass of wine) for a set price — usually €10–18 in Alicante. It’s the best way to eat well on a budget and to try what the kitchen does best.

Which area of Alicante has the best restaurants?

The old town (Casco Antiguo) and the streets around the Mercado Central have the highest concentration of good restaurants. Calle San Fernando, Calle Villegas, and Calle San Francisco are all worth walking down. For seafood with a view, head to the port area. Playa de San Juan has more casual beachfront options if you want to eat by the sea.

Do I need to book restaurants in Alicante in advance?

For fine-dining restaurants (La Ereta, La Taberna del Gourmet, Piripi) and tiny spots like OBRADOR, booking ahead is essential. For popular rice restaurants (Valencia Once, La Veda), booking is recommended, especially on weekends. Most tapas bars (Bar El Cantó, Chico Calla) don’t take reservations — you simply queue. Casual places like Circo and Alma Café are walk-in.