Restaurante La Pepica, Malvarrosa Beach
Since 1898 this legendary beachfront institution has been cooking paella Valenciana over orange-wood fires in full view of the dining room. Ernest Hemingway was a regular, and his signed photo still hangs among hundreds of others on the wall — but the rice is the real reason to make the pilgrimage.
What to order
The paella Valenciana here is the canonical version: rabbit, chicken, flat green beans (ferraura), white butter beans (garrofó), tomato and saffron — nothing else. The socarrat, the caramelised crust of rice on the bottom of the pan, is the mark of a properly cooked paella and La Pepica's kitchen nails it consistently. Order for a minimum of two people and allow 25 minutes for it to arrive.
If you want seafood, go for the arrós a banda — rice cooked in a rich fish stock and served with alioli — rather than the tourist-trap 'mixed paella' you'll see elsewhere. Finish with a slice of tarta de naranja, a dense Valencian orange cake that is nothing like what you get at home.
The setting and when to go
The restaurant sits directly on the Passeig de Neptú promenade facing the Mediterranean, and the sea-view terrace fills fast on weekends. Book at least a week ahead for Saturday lunch between June and September — this is not a walk-in situation during high season.
The surrounding Malvarrosa and Cabanyal neighbourhoods are worth exploring before or after lunch: the colourful tiled facades of the Cabanyal fishermen's houses are a UNESCO-listed heritage site and make for a superb post-lunch wander.
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