Known to date for its spacious terrace for drinks, the Valencian establishment is expanding its offerings with lunches and dinners based on Mediterranean tapas and quality products. The restaurant is open all day with a non-stop kitchen to cater to the local and tourist public alike. ‘Pantalán 5’ presents its new menu and its non-stop kitchen.

Located on the upper floor of the Mercado de Colón, one of the most emblematic enclaves in the centre of Valencia, Pantalán 5 has been a meeting point before lunches and dinners for years. A reliable place to kick off your plans. However, for the past few months, it has not only expanded its terrace and kitchen facilities, but is also willing to become a destination in itself, with a varied menu of breakfasts, lunches and dinners, available at any time of day. Without renouncing its essence as a meeting place, it is now possible to meet at Pantalán for much more than snacking in the center, and end up indulging in local tapas.

José Ortiz, one of the partners in the project, explains: “For many years we have been a place of passage, of encounter, a place to have a drink at any time, and that has worked very well for us. But there comes a time when you feel you can – and want to – go one step further.” That is why they have opted for the kind of hospitality they like best: that of good Mediterranean products. The restaurant’s philosophy focuses on well-treated ingredients, recognizable recipes -from an excellent ajoarriero and a good Russian salad, to grilled prawns or a grilled entrecote- and closeness both in the kitchen and in the service, so that everyone feels comfortable.

After more than a decade in the Mercado de Colón, the initial project started in 2013 as a place of transit for local and visiting public, the establishment is committed to an evolution that reinforces its identity as an urban refuge and meeting point of the Ensanche district, and breaks with the idea that the upper floor of the Mercado de Colón is reserved only for coffees and drinks. Now we have a space where atmosphere, terrace and cuisine coexist, and where the plan is no longer just to start, but to stay, at any time of day and time of year. In this sense, it is worth noting that Pantalán 5 boasts extensive opening hours, and also of its kitchen. The establishment opens its doors from Monday to Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.

What to eat at Pantalán 5?

In reality, we are facing a tribute to that simple and uncomplicated gastronomy that so identifies  Mediterranean culture. The menu combines classic tapas – with dishes such as croquettes, patatas bravas, Russian salad, gildas, boquerones, anchovies or eggs with potatoes – with traditional recipes full of flavour – such as pisto with egg, meatballs in sauce or ajoarriero – , together with a careful selection of sea and land products. There are also grilled and fried options, recognizable meats and fish, burgers and homemade desserts, making up a wide and accessible offer, designed to accompany the customer from an aperitif to a late lunch, an informal dinner or a long after-dinner conversation.

In this commitment to quality and authenticity, the role of suppliers is key. Pantalán 5 works with fresh, local products, from the Mercado de Colón itself, its main supplier. The fruit and vegetables from Fina, the meats from Varea, the charcuterie from Manglano and the fish from Martín and Mary arrive to the kitchen, raw materials that shape the menu and guarantee freshness, traceability and a direct link with the market and its producers.

Being a reference in the Mercado de Colón since 2013

Pantalán 5 is one of the longest-standing businesses in the Mercado de Colón. It was born with the last major transformation of the building into a gastronomic centre, when this space was created on the upper floor of the market, consolidating itself since then as one of the most recognizable proposals in the precinct. At that time, several gastronomic projects also began to be launched on the lower floor, which already housed the market area with first-class suppliers. Thus, the upper part was relegated to cafés and drinks venues, while the lower part was identified with gastronomy itself.

Pantalán 5 wants to distance itself from this perception by opting for a proposal in which the atmosphere, the terrace and the aforementioned non-stop kitchen coexist. In this way, the Valencian establishment wants to offer a table to neighbourhood residents and workers in the area, in an enclave clearly marked by offices and companies with a high socioeconomic level. Without forgetting, of course, anyone who drops by the center of Valencia and wants to enjoy Mediterranean dishes and local products at a more than reasonable price.

The restaurant wants to pay tribute to its name at all times. A pantalán is a dock; a mooring. The restaurant’s objective is for its tables and chairs to be the mooring of the Mercado de Colón to enjoy and disconnect from the ever-high adrenaline that characterizes the centre of the city. The mooring to hold on to any day and at any time. In this way, the restaurant never fails to offer an agile, but safe and quality cuisine, in a privileged enclave, becoming the essence of the Market and providing it with a high-level proposal. This is Pantalán 5.

Report by ’24/7 Valencia’ team

Article copyright ’24/7 Valencia’

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