Mercado Central de Alicante
Housed in a gorgeous 1920s Modernista building on Avenida Alfonso X El Sabio, Alicante's Mercado Central is the beating culinary heart of the city. Beneath its ornate iron-and-tile facade, more than 250 stalls overflow with tiger nuts for horchata, blood oranges, fresh-caught red prawns (gambas rojas de Dénia) and rounds of local cheese.
The stalls worth seeking out
Head straight to the fish hall on the ground floor where the morning catch from the nearby port of Santa Pola and Dénia arrives before 9 am. Look for the vivid scarlet gambas rojas — sweeter and more intensely flavoured than any prawn you have eaten before — sold by the kilo at the fish counters and ready to be taken to a nearby restaurant to cook.
The fruit and vegetable section is a lesson in Valencian terroir: glossy Murcia artichokes, fragrant Elche pomegranates in autumn, and enormous beefsteak tomatoes from the Vega Baja. Stall 47, run by the same family for three generations, is famous locally for its dried fruits and nuts, including the Marcona almonds grown just inland.
Eating and drinking inside
Several tapas bars operate inside the market itself, opening from mid-morning. Bar Mañueta near the central atrium is a favourite with traders and serves a no-nonsense plate of boquerones en vinagre (anchovies in vinegar) and cold Estrella Damm for almost nothing.
On Saturdays a small artisan producers' market sets up in the square outside, adding organic olive oils, local honey and handmade ceramics to the mix — arrive before noon before the best stock disappears.
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