Finally! After years in Europe, we finally found a great Mexican restaurant which can stand up against our favorites in the States. El México de María is a small, popular place on C/ Denía in Ruzafa (location), serving excellent, authentic Mexican food.

The decór is simple & charming and the staff is friendly, but we really fell in love upon the arrival of our supreme nachos. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever eaten better nachos. Fresh tortilla chips, all the ingredients which one should expect, and a generous abundance of cheese. I tried to eat with my fingers first, but quickly switched to the fork. A far cry from the heartless, microwaved “shredded cheese on Tostitos” standard at most Mexican joints in Europe.

We both ordered entrées based on a mole sauce. Mine was called The Volcano and pretty much consisted of multiple layers of tortilla and cheese, baked and then covered with sauce. It was delicious, and helped me meet my cheese quota for the next 2 months.

The margaritas, too, were phenomenal — finally a proper margarita! The last time I ordered one, at a place in Berlin, the clueless bartender dumped a spoonful of salt into the drink. I couldn’t believe it. But at María’s, they were perfect; large and fairly priced at €4,50.

There’s no menú del día special offer during the day, so you have to order off the menu. This might make the restaurant more recommendable for dinner. Prices are reasonable and the quality of the food is excellent. Highly approved.

C/ Denia nº20
46006, VALENCIA
Tel: 96 332 80 78
Location on our Valencia Map

-Valencia’s Roman Origins

Near Ángel Guimera metro station is one of Valencia’s few authentic Peruvian restaurants, La Totorita.

Peruvian cuisine is one of the most varied and highly praised in the world, thanks to a unique blend of Incan and European heritages. Native foods like quinoa and yuca root combine with traditionally Western foods to provide meals that simultaneously feel novel and comforting.

We had a great experience at Totorita — a small, family run place on Calle Calixto III (location). We both loved the yuca fried up like potato wedges, and our meals were excellent. After eating, we stayed to enjoy coca mate tea, which actually contains cocaine! It’s not enough to get you high, but it is enough to be banned in the States, which was sufficient reason for me to give it a try.

Spain really benefits from the infusion of South American culture brought by its immigrants. XXX is a great and highly recommended restaurant for menú del día.

La Totorita
C/ Calixto III 35
46008 Valencia

963 231 281‎

Location on our Valencia Map

-Fireworks – Engraellat at Almirante Cardoso

Looking for something a little different than paella and bravas, we decided to check out La Lluna — a vegetarian restaurant near the Pl. de Mossen Sorell in Carmen (location).

La Lluna is small, and offers a non-smoking eating area in the downstairs. The menu is completely vegetarian and all-natural, and everything we had was delicious.

Although it was a Wednesday, every table in the restaurant was occupied — owing perhaps as much to the quality of the food as the excellent value. The menú del día gets you a soup, two plates and dessert for just €7,50. Drinks were extra, but we still ended up paying just €9 per person.

And the food really is fresh and natural. I decided to sample the selection of juices, and almost spit out my first gulp as I realized that the “Lemon Juice” I ordered was exactly that. Maybe it’s the American in me, but I expect my juices to be sugary, watered-down approximations of the fruit they claim to contain! I’ve never drank a glass full of actual lemon juice, and I think I liked it. I think.

La Lluna is currently on its summer schedule, closed from August 14th until September. But when it re-opens, make sure to check it out!

La Lluna – Restaurante Vegetariano
San Ramón 23
46003 Valencia
963 922 146
Location on our Valencia Map

- Great Place to watch Flamenco in Valencia

Just off colorful Plaza Tossal, you’ll find a wonderful Asturian sidrería (cider bar & restaurant) called El Molinón. This a great place to get dinner, and definitely earns Hola Valencia’s seal of approval.

The ingredients are imported directly from Asturias, so the cuisine must be pretty authentic (though we can’t vouch for that, having never made the trip to Spain’s beautiful northern region). Everything we’ve ever ordered at El Molinón has been delicious. The staff is friendly and happy to explain any questions you might have about the menu, which features a lot of interesting tapas and dishes you won’t see in other restaurants in Valencia.

El Molinón boasts an excellent selection of wines, and the list is found in an interesting place: written in chalk on the slate walls. A fun, distinguishing touch. Juergen & I haven’t ordered wine there, though, because we’re too enthralled with the deliciously bitter cider, which must be poured from a distance into the glass to best release its flavor.

The restaurant is popular and gets extremely crowded on the weekends, so show up early or be prepared for an hour long wait at the bar. Every time we leave, buzzing from cider, we excitedly make plans for a trip to Oviedo… which sadly never come to fruition.

Sidrería el Molinón
C/ Bollsería 40
96 391 1538
Location on our Valencia Map

- Great Pizza in Valencia

Everything about Orient Xpress, from its name, to the benches, to the menu printed on your paper place mat, suggests a quick meal on the cheap. It doesn’t even bother to peg itself down to a particular region of Asia… “Orient! Yep, we cover it all”.

But forget anything you know about judging a restaurant by its appearance, because Orient Xpress is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

We’ll start with the good — the food is excellent. Far better than I had expected. I started with a salad followed by yaki udon noodles with beef, and both dishes were delicious. Fresh ingredients in the salad and a perfect blend of spices & sauce in the noodles — and large quantities of both. I enjoyed every bite, and there was no room for dessert.

Juergen had Gyoza dumplings and spicy laksa soup.

But Orient Xpress was more expensive that what I had been expecting: lunch for €20, about $25, per person may be standard fare for some, but is well over our day-to-day budget. (It’s worth nothing that there’s a work-week menú del día starting at €13,50).

Another negative was the restaurant’s “too cool for school” vibe. Our aloof, whistling waitress started to walk away before we’d even finished ordering. When she asked if I wanted beef or chicken in my noodle dish, she didn’t mention that meat was an extra, and would cost €5 more. Nice. And the loud electronic music was difficult to talk over, more appropriate for a club than a pricey Asian noodle place.

The obvious influence is the popular Wagamama Japanese noodle chain — everything in white, open kitchen and an emphasis on “healthy” eating. Orient Xpress, in my experience, surpasses Wagamama in terms of the quality of food. As long as you’re prepared for it, you can enjoy a great meal there.

Orient Xpress
Calle Roteros 12
963 065 166
Their Website: orientxpress.info
Location on our Valencia Map

Tucked inside the massive Cathedral of Valencia, you can find the Diocesan Cathedral Museum — a set of exhibition rooms filled with art and artifacts not used for worship.

The most difficult part of visiting the museum is finding it. Following the cryptic instructions of the information lady, I felt almost transported into The DaVinci Code. “The golden sun … can be found… through a door in the chapel of St. Frances Borgia … look for it under the Goya, but not that of the demons … and hurry, my love: They’re after you“.

Once you find the museum (and elude the murderous monk on your tail), the first thing you’ll see is a huge golden sun. This is the largest monstrance (vessel for the Eucharistic host) in the world. Impressive.

The rest of the museum is small but filled with interesting works, including the original sculptures from the Door of the Apostles, and paintings by Juan de Juanes. A curious exhibit features small sculptures from a scene depicting the circumcision of Christ.

However the highlight of visiting the museum is not literally found inside of it — the huge paintings by Goya occupying the lateral walls of the Chapel of St. Francis Borgia. Particularly of interest is the painting on the right-hand wall, showing St. Francis attempting to convert an unrepentant man on his death bed. This is the first appearance of demons in Goya’s work.

The museum can be visited in conjunction with the rest of the Cathedral — the entrance costs €4 and includes an audio guide (available in English). It’d be easy to visit the Cathedral and never know the museum exists, since it’s so hidden.

Diocesan Cathedral Museum – More Info from the Cathedral’s Official Website

Near the Mercado Central, you’ll find a great little Indian restaurant and cocktail bar named Dhaba in the Plaza Don Juan de Villarrasa (location).

We went last week for the Menú del Día, for €10 a head, and really enjoyed the food — served under a concept called “Thali”:

Thali is a concept created for people who want to sample the wide array of Hindu cooking. Thali consists of various dishes, called “Kaulis”. Our Thalis include seven Kaulis which are… salad, yellow lentils, salted vegetables, basmati rice, curry, raita, and a dessert. You can choose between 4 different Thalis: Fish, Vegetarian, Chicken and Lamb (translated from Dhaba’s menu)

We tried the chicken and the lamb, and everything was delicious, particularly the curry and dessert. 7 dishes sounds daunting, but each one is small, and we didn’t feel overly full after the meal was done.

The interior is modestly and tastefully decorated, and the service is good. The person serving us came from Britain (we’re guessing), so non-Spanish speakers should have nothing to fear here. Dhaba is also open at night for dinner and drinks.

Dhaba
Plaza Don Juan de Villarrasa 6.
96 391 0019
Location on our Valencia Map
€10 Menú from Monday to Friday, 13:00 – 16:00