Spain Guide
Valencia and Murcia
Eating
1 El Alto de Colón Inside Mercado Colón 
963 530 900 Elegant, vaulted restaurant with a menu that skews high-end Mediterranean with innovative flourishes, such as sticky rice heaped with fresh shellfish.
2 El Ángel Azul c/Conde Altea 33 963 745 656. A favourite haunt of the city's chattering classes, The Blue Angel excels in Spanish and Mediterranean cuisine with gourmet twists. Mains include everything from fresh fish and hearty meats to an aromatic Arabic pastela, made with moist chicken with cinnamon, pine nuts, almonds and honey; the wine list is also a talking point. Price: Mains €15–19 Opening time: Closed Mon eve, Sun & part of Aug
3 
Bar Pilar On the corner of c/Moro Zeit 13, just off Plaza del Esparto 963 910 497 This boisterous joint, which has been around since 1917, gets packed on most nights, with the beer-happy crowd spilling out onto the pavement. The speciality is clochinas (mussels), which you can slurp at the bar, then toss the shells into buckets on the floor.
4 Barbacoa Plaza del Carmen 6 963 922 448 Veteran meatery in the heart of Barrio del Carmen. The steaks are sizzled where you sit, and demand is usually such that reservation is recommended at weekends.
5 Bodegas Montaña c/José Benlliure 69 963 672 314 In the old fishermen's quarter of Cabañal sits this vintage, cheery tapas bar – one of the oldest (and best) in the city. Bodegas Montaña used to supply wine to the merchant ships, and still features one of the most impressive wine cellars in the city. Graze on a wonderful array of tapas from anchovies and michirones (cooked fava beans) to cod croquettes, which get a nutty kick from pinenuts. Opening time: Closed Sun dinner & second half of Aug
6 La Bodeguilla del Gato c/Catalans 10 963 918 235 Lively tapas bar with exposed brick-and-mustard walls hung with bullfighting posters. Munch on pulpo a la Gallega, octopus dusted with paprika, and crisp flamenquines, croquettes of pork, ham and cheese.
7 Ca' Sento c/Méndez Núñez 17, west of the centre, near the port 963 301 775 Tucked away in a low-key, portside neighbourhood, Ca' Sento's petite, discreet appearance – just nine tables – belies the creative prowess going on in the kitchen. The menu hinges on the freshest frutas del mar, which innovative chef Raúl Aleixandre, a protégé of Catalan Ferrán Adrià, wisely allows to shine on their own merit, teasing out their natural, sea-soaked flavours with unique accompaniments: raw oysters arrive with a dollop of lime foam, while tuna belly quivers under a spray of soy sauce. Reservations essential.Price: Mains €25–30 Opening time: Closed Mon, Sun & part of Aug
8 La Carmé c/Sogueros 2 963 922 532 Chandeliers sparkle, an old piano sits in the corner and mosaic tiles adorn the bar at this atmospheric restaurant, with a cosmopolitan menu that ranges from succulent duck to Hungarian goulash. Opening time: Closed Sun & part of Aug; usually open for dinner only
9 Crêperie Bretonne Annaick c/Bordadores 4 963 153 524 At least one old London bus is still doing the rounds, (literally) propping up the bar in this humorously conceived Catalan chain. Fun interior design, professional crepes and cañas with genuine fizz makes this perfect for an after-cathedral lunch. Opening time: Closed Mon
10 Fresc Co c/Félix Pizcueta 6, also at c/Salamanca 6 It may have a groaning pun for a name but this place packs in a true cross section of city society. They come for the all-you-can-eat, all-day buffet, filling up on fresh, healthy Valencian produce. Price: €8.50 weekday lunch, €9.95 after 6pm and at weekends
11 La Lluna c/San Ramón 23 963 922 146 Inexpensive, friendly and unpretentious vegetarian restaurant right in the heart of the Barrio del Carmen with a bargain-priced menú. Opening time: Closed Sun, Aug & Easter
12 Maramao c/Correjería 37 963 923 174 Basement restaurant with a modish, gallery feel, original stonework and a tile-topped zinc bar. Staff, and most of the ingredients, are passionately Italian, the pasta's home-made and the lunch menú only €10.50.
13 Ocho y Medio Plaza Lope de Vega 5 963 922 022 Named after the Fellini film, this bi-level restaurant, with dusky peach walls, blonde-wood floors and views of the Santa Catalina church, excels at innovative French-tinged Mediterranean fare, from their speciality, rich foie gras, to grilled squid with black risotto. Opening time: Closed Sat lunch & Sun
14 La Pepica Paseo Neptuno 6 963 710 366 Founded in 1898, this inviting, spacious paella restaurant has hosted plenty of rich and famous, from Hemingway and Orson Welles to swaggering bullfighters and the Spanish royal family. Settle in on the sun-speckled terrace and tuck into fresh fish and seafood and aromatic paellas. Opening time: Closed Sun dinner & second half of Nov
15 La Salvaora c/Calatrava 19 963 921 484 This slender Andalucian restaurant, with high, dark-wood tables and white-marble floors, pays homage to flamenco singers and stars via black-and-white photos along the walls; creative fare from around Spain includes tripe tossed with red peppers and steak with a port reduction. Ask about the owners' La Bulería (c/Obispo Jaime Pérez 24, west of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias), where you can watch full-fledged flamenco shows over dinner (Thurs Sun). Opening time: Closed Mon
16 La Sucursal c/Guillém de Castro 118 963 746 665 Valencia's IVAM features a superb restaurant that matches (if not sometimes trumps) the art within. The elegant, spare La Sucursal features artisanal cuisine with a twist, from saffron-scented rice studded with lobster to a cauliflower mousse. Price: Mains €21–35 Opening time: ß