Costa Blanca Food & Drink — The Complete Eating Guide

What the Costa Blanca actually eats

Forget the 'sangria and chips' cliché. The province of Alicante is one of the most distinctive food regions in Spain, anchored by three pillars: rice (more than 300 documented local rice dishes), seafood from the Mediterranean trawlers at Dénia, Santa Pola and Calpe, and the mountain larder of the interior — cured sausages from the Vall de Guadalest, mountain cheeses, almonds, honey and the world's best turrón from Jijona.

Lunch is the main meal, usually 14:00–16:00. Dinner rarely starts before 21:00. Most restaurants close one full day a week (commonly Sunday night and all Monday). Outside July–August, booking the night before is enough; in peak summer book the famous addresses two to four weeks ahead.

The rice dishes you must try

Rice is not 'paella' here — paella is one dish in a family of dozens. The province grows its own short-grain Bomba and Calasparra rice and has a recognised denomination, Arroz de Calasparra D.O. Each town has its signature.

Beyond rice — the rest of the Alicante table

• ✦Pescaíto frito — mixed fried fish from the day's lonja (fish auction). Best at Santa Pola, Dénia and Villajoyosa.
• ✦Gambas rojas de Dénia — the deep-red Mediterranean prawn, in season May–September, often €120–€180/kg and worth every euro.
• ✦Pulpo seco — sun-dried octopus, grilled, a Dénia and Jávea bar speciality.
• ✦Coca — flatbread topped with tuna, sardines, peppers or anchovies; the local pizza.
• ✦Olleta alicantina — winter bean, pork and morcilla stew from the interior.
• ✦Gazpacho manchego — game-and-flatbread stew (not the cold soup), from the Vinalopó valley.
• ✦Mojama — air-cured tuna loin, sliced thin over almonds, served as tapa.
• ✦Salazones — salt-cured fish (huevas, bonito, sardinas) eaten with tomato and olive oil.
• ✦Embutidos de la Vall — blood sausage, sobrassada-style spreads and chorizo from the mountain villages.
• ✦Queso de cabra — soft and semi-cured goat cheeses from inland Alicante.

Sweets, turrón and ice cream

Jijona (Xixona), 30 minutes inland from Alicante, is the world capital of turrón — the almond-and-honey nougat eaten across Spain at Christmas but available year-round here. Two protected varieties: Turrón de Jijona (soft) and Turrón de Alicante (hard). Visit the Museo del Turrón and any of the historic factories (1880, El Lobo, Coloma, Picó).

Helado artesano is taken seriously: Heladería Mistral (Jávea), Llinares (Alicante) and IFA-prize-winning makers across the province serve craft ice cream from late February to November.

• ✦Turrón de Jijona — soft, almond-paste based.
• ✦Turrón de Alicante — hard, whole-almond, snap-on-bite.
• ✦Coca de mollitas — sweet sugar-and-aniseed flatbread.
• ✦Pasteles de gloria — almond pastry with sweet potato filling.
• ✦Mantecados — crumbly Christmas almond biscuits.
• ✦Granizado de limón — slushy lemon, the summer street drink.
• ✦Horchata de chufa — cold tigernut milk, served with fartons.

Wine, beer and spirits

Alicante has two protected wine denominations — DO Alicante (around Monóvar, Pinoso and Villena) and the rare sweet Fondillón, a 10-year-aged Monastrell-based wine that was once a favourite of Louis XIV. Inland the cooperative bodegas run cellar-door tastings for €8–€15.

Where to eat — by ambition and budget

From three-star tasting menus to €1.50 tapas, the coast covers every level. A rough guide to where to spend:

Markets, fish auctions & food experiences

• ✦Mercado Central de Alicante — grand 1921 modernista hall; tapas counters inside.
• ✦Mercado Municipal de Dénia — small but excellent; the city's gastronomy hub.
• ✦Lonja de Santa Pola & Dénia — afternoon fish auctions (16:00–18:00), visitor viewings available.
• ✦Weekly street markets — Altea (Tuesday), Jávea (Thursday), Moraira (Friday), Calpe (Saturday).
• ✦Cooking classes — paella schools in Valencia, Dénia and Benidorm; €60–€95 including market visit and lunch.
• ✦Wine routes — Ruta del Vino de Alicante (inland) and Ruta dels Cellers (Marina Alta) — both with self-drive maps.
• ✦Turrón factory tours — Jijona, daily year-round except August.

Eating with dietary needs

Spain's celiac association (FACE) certifies hundreds of restaurants on the coast. Most menus mark gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options. Vegan rice dishes (arroz de verduras, arroz con alcachofas) are common in autumn–spring. Halal options are widespread in Benidorm and central Alicante.