Type of food: Tapas

Guia Repsol: *

Price: €€

From hotels by car: ON 25 min • MS 14 min • SY 12 min • DI 24 min • VI 56 min

A small tasca tucked away in Dénia's old town, run by chef Miquel Ruiz — a former Michelin-star cook who chose to go smaller and closer to the source. Everything starts at the market, then becomes tapas: careful, unshowy, and full of flavor. No tasting menu, no ceremony, just food worth the wait for a table.

From €40 per person

Type of food: Creative Mediterranean

Guia Repsol: *

Price: €€€€

From hotels by car: ON 20 min • MS 9 min • SY 5 min • DI 22 min • VI 48 min

A quiet address in Pedreguer's old market quarter, easy to miss and worth finding. Chef-owners Ausiàs Signes and Feli Guerra build two tasting menus — Valentina and Ausiàs March — entirely from Mediterranean and Marina Alta ingredients, with a dessert course that stands out even in this company: Ausiàs won Madrid Fusión's Pastelero Revelación award in 2022. Michelin-recognised, but still refreshingly unpretentious for what's on the plate.

From €75 per person

Type of food: Mediterranean

Michelin: Good Cooking (level below 1 star)

Price: €€€

From hotels by car: ON 35 min • MS 19 min • SY 20 min • DI 5 min • VI 59 min

A terrace restaurant on the canal, facing the old Parador, open since 2006. The kitchen blends Franco-Belgian training with Mediterranean produce, changing with the seasons. Refined, but never distant — the kind of place that rewards a second visit. Recommended in the Michelin guide.

From €50 per person

Type of food: Mediterranean

Michelin: Good Cooking (level below 1 star)

Guia Repsol: Recommended (level below 1 sun)

Price: €€€

From hotels by car: ON 30 min • MS 18 min • SY 19 min • DI 4 min • VI 58 min

A two-storey house in Jávea's old town, run with quiet care and a lot of local produce. Traditional Mediterranean dishes, given "a turn" — as the name suggests — without losing what made them good in the first place. The lunch menu, especially on Thursday market day, is something regulars build their week around.

From €45 per person

Type of food: Mediterranean

Michelin: Good Cooking (level below 1 star)

Guia Repsol: Recommended (level below 1 sun)

Price: €€€

From hotels by car: ON 20 min • MS 6 min • SY 7 min • DI 18 min • VI 52 min

An old farmhouse at a crossroads, once home to the village wheelwright. The kitchen leans into local Mediterranean produce, with a tasting menu called "Origen del chef" that traces chef Federico Guajardo's own path back to his roots. Simple rooms, one with a fireplace, and a terrace for something slower before or after. A good choice when you want quality without ceremony.

From €65 per person

Type of food: Mediterranean

Michelin: Good Cooking (level below 1 star)

Guia Repsol: *

Price: €€

From hotels by car: ON 35 min • MS 19 min • SY 20 min • DI 5 min • VI 59 min

Family-run, right on Arenal beach, with the sea as its larder. Traditional Mediterranean cooking — proper rice dishes, fideuà, whatever came off the boats that morning. No pretence, just good ingredients handled well, and a sunset view thrown in for free.

From €40 per person

Type of food: Mediterranean

Michelin: *

Guia Repsol: **

Price: €€

From hotels by car: ON 35 min • MS 18 min • SY 19 min • DI 4 min • VI 58 min

One Michelin star, earned by a young couple, Borja Susilla and Clara Puig, who trained together under Quique Dacosta before opening their own small place by Arenal beach. The setting is unpretentious. The cooking is not — technical work hidden inside food that still tastes like home. One of the best-value stars on this coast.

From €40 per person

Type of food: Creative

Michelin: *

Guia Repsol: **

Price: €€€

From hotels by car: ON 15 min • MS 10 min • SY 8 min • DI 20 min • VI 50 min

One Michelin star, cooking that draws on the family's own orchard and garden. Casa Pepa has stayed close to its roots — Nuria and Antonio built the kitchen's reputation on what grows just outside the door, served in a converted country house full of character. It's refined but unpretentious, more heartfelt than showy. A good choice for guests who want ambition on the plate without ceremony around it.

From €60 per person

Type of food: Mediterranean

Michelin: *

Guia Repsol: **

Price: €€€€

From hotels by car: ON 25 min • MS 14 min • SY 12 min • DI 24 min • VI 56 min

One Michelin star, right across from Dénia's harbour, gulls included. The name says it plainly: fish, and fire. Chef José Manuel López works the coals with real discipline, letting the catch of the day speak for itself. Opened by Tomás Arribas — the man who once mentored Quique Dacosta — this is tradition and craft in equal measure.

From €82 per person

Type of food: Creative

Michelin: **

Guia Repsol: ***

Price: €€€€

From hotels by car: ON 30 min • MS 15 min • SY 16 min • DI 8 min • VI 54 min

Two Michelin stars, set among orange groves just outside Jávea. Chef Alberto Ferruz builds his menu around what the Marina Alta actually grows and catches — rice, citrus, seafood — refined but never far from its roots. The setting is calm, almost rural, a quiet contrast to the ambition on the plate. Come with time on your side; this is a meal meant to be lived in, not rushed through.

From €115 per person

Type of food: Creative

Michelin: ***

Guia Repsol: ***

Price: €€€€

From hotels by car: ON 25 min • MS 15 min • SY 14 min • DI 26 min • VI 58 min

Three Michelin stars, built from one coastline. Quique Dacosta has spent over twenty years turning Dénia's red prawns, rice, and wild herbs into something quietly extraordinary. The tasting menu is as much an experience as nutrition, more like a performance than dinner, perhaps, and you will remember it. So appreciate that it moves slowly, course by course, with nothing rushed and nothing wasted. It's a long evening — plan for it, and let it take the time it needs.

From €300 per person

Type of food: Tapas & grill

Price level: €€

From hotels by car: ON 30 min • MS 18 min • SY 19 min • DI 4 min • VI 58 min

The highest-rated tapas spot on this list, tucked into Jávea's old town. Small plates, grilled meats, and a room that fills up fast for good reason. No pretence — just proper cooking done well, at a price that makes it easy to go often.

From €35 per person

Type of food: Creative Mediterranean

Price level: €€€

From hotels by car: ON 15 min • MS 22 min • SY 18 min • DI 34 min • VI 54 min

A small, quiet restaurant run by chef Víctor Estruch under the idea of "cuina consentida" — pampered cooking. The menu is deliberately short, changes with the seasons, and leans hard into "less is more." Honest, seasonal, and easy to overlook if you don't know to look for it.

From €50 per person

Type of food: Casual Mediterranean, daily menu

Price level: €€

From hotels by car: ON 20 min • MS 9 min • SY 4 min • DI 22 min • VI 48 min

A neighbourhood favourite with a reputation that outruns its size. The set menu changes daily and rarely goes above €17 — three courses, well made, no fuss. One of the better-value meals in the whole comarca.

From €20 per person

Type of food: Mediterranean, daily menu

Price level: €€

From hotels by car: ON 30 min • MS 14 min • SY 13 min • DI 24 min • VI 56 min

A daily menu built around whatever's good that day, served with more care than the price suggests. Starters here punch well above their weight. A dependable, unshowy choice in the heart of Dénia.

From €25 per person

Type of food: Traditional Mediterranean

Price level: €€

From hotels by car: ON 60 min • MS 44 min • SY 42 min • DI 48 min • VI 10 min

A village restaurant inland from the coast, quiet and unhurried. Traditional mountain-and-garden cooking, the kind that doesn't need updating. Worth the short detour off the coast road.

From €38 per person

Type of food: Italian

Price level: €€

From hotels by car: ON 2 min • MS 20 min • SY 18 min • DI 32 min • VI 58 min

An Italian kitchen inside the Oliva Nova resort, popular with both guests and locals. Straightforward, well-executed classics rather than reinvention. A reliable choice when you want something familiar done properly.

From €40 per person

Type of food: Mediterranean grill

Price level: €€

From hotels by car: ON 30 min • MS 14 min • SY 12 min • DI 24 min • VI 56 min

Right on Dénia's marina, with the boats as your backdrop. Mediterranean grill cooking — simple, fresh, and better than the casual setting might suggest. A good pick for an easy evening by the water.

From €40 per person

Type of food: Traditional Mediterranean

Price level: €€

From hotels by car: ON 15 min • MS 22 min • SY 18 min • DI 34 min • VI 54 min

A shaded courtyard restaurant in Pego, traditional Mediterranean cooking with a little more polish than most inland options. The rice dishes are the reason people come back.

From €35 per person

Type of food: Traditional Mediterranean, rice & cocas

Price level: €€€

From hotels by car: ON 25 min • MS 11 min • SY 9 min • DI 22 min • VI 54 min

A Dénia institution, known above all for its cocas — the local flatbreads — and its rice, cooked slowly with proper stock. Old-fashioned in the best sense: no shortcuts, no theatre.

From €50 per person

Type of food: Creative Mediterranean

Price level: €€€

From hotels by car: ON 32 min • MS 18 min • SY 19 min • DI 0 min • VI 58 min

The restaurant of Jávea's Dionis Boutique Hotel, set around a quiet garden built for dining alfresco. The kitchen leans into rice specialities and fish straight from the local lonja, dressed up with a bit more imagination than a typical hotel restaurant. A calm, well-kept option if your guests are staying nearby, or just want a boutique-hotel evening without the fuss of driving further.

From €50 per person

Type of food: Creative Mediterranean, tasting menu

Price level: €€€

From hotels by car: ON 24 min • MS 11 min • SY 9 min • DI 22 min • VI 53 min

A rooftop restaurant above Dénia with views that reach out over the town. The tasting menus change often and take a few liberties — vegetarian guests are genuinely well looked after here, which isn't always true elsewhere. Lively, a little theatrical, and a good pick for a celebratory night.

From €55 per person

Type of food: Creative Mediterranean, tasting menu

Price level: €€€€

From hotels by car: ON 30 min • MS 12 min • SY 11 min • DI 24 min • VI 55 min

D'Excaro is built entirely around tasting menus. The cooking is ambitious without losing its footing in local produce. One for guests who want something a step beyond the traditional rice houses, without going all the way to a Michelin star's price tag.

From €75 per person

Type of food: Rice & Mediterranean

Price level: €€

From hotels by car: ON 40 min • MS 18 min • SY 19 min • DI 3 min • VI 58 min

A neighbourhood rice house in the Badia de Xàbia, doing exactly what its name promises — rice, and more. Straightforward, well-priced, and built for regulars rather than tourists. A dependable local option away from the busier parts of town.

From €35 per person

Type of food: Grilled meats & seafood

Price level: €€

From hotels by car: ON 35 min • MS 18 min • SY 19 min • DI 4 min • VI 58 min

A steakhouse-and-seafood grill in Jávea that keeps coming up in local recommendations for one reason: it consistently delivers more than the price suggests. No pretence, just good grilling and honest portions.

From €38 per person

Type of food: Seafood

Price level: €€€

From hotels by car: ON 10 min • MS 22 min • SY 19 min • DI 34 min • VI 60 min

A seafood-focused restaurant on Oliva's beachfront, well regarded locally though it keeps a low profile outside the area. Good for a straightforward seafood dinner with the sand still close enough to feel underfoot.

From €65 per person

Type of food: Modern Mediterranean

Price level: €€€

From hotels by car: ON 20 min • MS 6 min • SY 7 min • DI 18 min • VI 52 min

An intimate restaurant in La Xara run on a simple philosophy — mostly product, a little imagination. Chef Rómulo built his reputation working the best kitchens in the area before landing here. Careful decor, careful plates, and a room that feels more like someone's home than a restaurant.

From €55 per person

Type of food: Mountain-village Mediterranean

Price level: €€€

From hotels by car: ON 25 min • MS 18 min • SY 14 min • DI 30 min • VI 46 min

A small restaurant in the tiny mountain village of Sagra, set in what was once the village schoolhouse — the name says as much. By the side of Monte Pego, it's the kind of find that rewards guests willing to drive a short distance inland for it.

From €50 per person

Type of food: Traditional Mediterranean

Price level: €€€

From hotels by car: ON 55 min • MS 40 min • SY 38 min • DI 44 min • VI 14 min

A well-established traditional restaurant in Polop, known for doing the classics properly rather than reinventing them. Comfortable, generous, and popular with locals who've been coming for years.

From €55 per person

Type of food: Creative Mediterranean, tasting menu

Price level: €€€€

From hotels by car: ON 58 min • MS 52 min • SY 48 min • DI 58 min • VI 0 min

Perched above Benimantell, at VIVOOD Landscape Hotel with the Castell de Guadalest in view, ConTemple runs three tasting menus built around seasonal, local produce. Guests regularly compare the cooking to a Michelin-starred kitchen. The setting alone — mountains on one side, the old castle on the other — makes it worth the drive up.

From €70 per person

Type of food: Traditional Mediterranean

Price level: €€€

From hotels by car: ON 10 min • MS 22 min • SY 19 min • DI 34 min • VI 60 min

A steady, well-liked Mediterranean restaurant in Oliva. Nothing flashy — just solid cooking and a comfortable room, the kind of place that keeps its regulars for years.

From €50 per person

Type of food: Mediterranean, rice specialty

Price level: €€€

From hotels by car: ON 20 min • MS 0 min • SY 6 min • DI 18 min • VI 52 min

Set within the La Sella resort near Ondara, with the Montgó massif as a backdrop. Rice dishes are the strong suit, served on a terrace built for lingering. Convenient for guests staying nearby, and good enough to justify a visit on its own.

From €45 per person

Type of food: Italian

Price level: €€€

From hotels by car: ON 30 min • MS 14 min • SY 12 min • DI 24 min • VI 56 min

A well-regarded Italian kitchen in Dénia, praised for keeping its cooking honest rather than chasing trends. A reliable choice when the group wants something other than rice or seafood for the evening.

From €45 per person

Type of food: Contemporary Mediterranean, rice specialty

Price level: €€€€

From hotels by car: ON 40 min • MS 17 min • SY 18 min • DI 5 min • VI 57 min

An adobe-style building above Jávea with panoramic views and a reputation that draws people specifically to seek it out. The rice dishes carry the menu, served in a room built around the landscape outside it. A destination in its own right, not just a place to eat on the way somewhere else.

From €68 per person

Type of food: Oyster & seafood bar

Price level: €€

From hotels by car: ON 25 min • MS 13 min • SY 11 min • DI 23 min • VI 55 min

A focused oyster bar tucked into Dénia's Els Magazinos market, built around one idea done well: oysters from Galicia, Ireland, France and beyond, alongside ceviche, octopus, and Dénia's own red prawn. A good wine list by the glass rounds it out. Best for a couple or a small group who want something a little different from the usual rice-and-seafood routine.

From €40 per person

Type of food: Gourmet tapas & wine

Price level: €€€

From hotels by car: ON 2 min • MS 20 min • SY 18 min • DI 32 min • VI 58 min

Set inside La Plaza Oliva Nova, the resort's own gastronomic square, Wine & Tapas pairs a well-chosen wine list with tapas that lean more refined than the name suggests. Calm, comfortable, open even through the winter — a good choice when you want something more considered than a casual bite.

From €45 per person

Type of food: Pinchos & tapas

Price level: €€

From hotels by car: ON 25 min • MS 13 min • SY 14 min • DI 30 min • VI 63 min

A tiny pincho bar right inside Dénia's covered market, seating barely twenty but rarely short on regulars. Simple, well-made small plates at fair prices — the kind of stop that works as well before dinner as instead of it.

From €30 per person

Type of food: Tapas

Price level: €€

From hotels by car: ON 19 min • MS 14 min • SY 7 min • DI 26 min • VI 59 min

A neighbourhood tapas bar in Pedreguer, spoken of locally as one of the best of its kind in town. Good product, no fuss, and the sort of place that earns its reputation one plate at a time rather than through marketing.

From €25 per person

Type of food: Mexican-fusion steakhouse

Price level: €€

From hotels by car: ON 20 min • MS 9 min • SY 4 min • DI 22 min • VI 48 min

A steakhouse with a Mexican-fusion streak, tucked into Pedreguer and popular enough with locals to fill up on ordinary weeknights. Good grilling, generous portions, and prices that stay reasonable even as the quality doesn't.

From €35 per person

Type of food: Indian street food

Price level: €

From hotels by car: ON 25 min • MS 14 min • SY 12 min • DI 24 min • VI 56 min

A small Indian street-food stall inside Dénia's Els Magazinos market, doing one thing — quick, flavourful Indian dishes — very well. Casual by design, and a welcome change of pace from the rice houses that dominate the rest of town.

From €20 per person

Type of food: Peruvian fusion

Price level: €€

From hotels by car: ON 30 min • MS 18 min • SY 19 min • DI 4 min • VI 58 min

A quiet, well-run Peruvian-fusion spot in Jávea, built around careful pacing rather than spectacle — dishes arrive at a measured tempo, neither rushed nor delayed. Good for guests who've had enough rice and want something genuinely different for an evening.

From €40 per person

Type of food: Mediterranean, rice & seafood

Price level: €€€

Set beside the central pool at Oliva Nova, El Olivo keeps things unhurried — Valencian paellas, creamy rice dishes, and fresh seafood like scallops and crystal shrimp. A relaxed, resort-style dinner rather than a destination restaurant, but a dependable one.

From €45 per person

Type of food: Casual American-Mediterranean

Price level: €€

The relaxed option at Oliva Nova — burgers (including a Wagyu Toscana burger), easy classics, and desserts worth saving room for. Good for a low-key lunch or an evening when nobody wants to dress up.

From €30 per person

Type of food: Mediterranean

Price level: €€

Set inside the wellness-focused Syncrosfera hotel near La Sella, with a quiet, almost secluded feel. The arroz a banda and octopus both come recommended, and reviewers consistently call the setting one of the loveliest in the area. A good option for guests staying nearby who want a calm dinner without leaving the resort bubble.

From €40 per person

Type of food: Asian fusion, tasting menu

Price level: €€€

A Thai-fusion restaurant inside the Marriott La Sella resort, with a romantic patio and summer terrace. Two tasting menus explore Southeast Asian flavours with a fair amount of creative license. A change of pace if the group has had its fill of rice and seafood for the week.

From €50 per person

Type of food: Mediterranean, casual lounge

Price level: €€

A sports-bar-style lounge at the Marriott La Sella, with burgers, sandwiches, and salads served on a terrace overlooking the pool. Easygoing rather than ambitious — the right call after a long day rather than a special one.

From €35 per person

Type of food: Contemporary Mediterranean

Price level: €€€

The restaurant at Vivood, a Michelin Key hotel built into the hillside above the Guadalest valley. Contemporary Mediterranean cooking with fresh, local ingredients, served with the valley itself as the view. As much about where you're sitting as what's on the plate — though the kitchen holds its own either way.

From €65 per person