Named after the legendary Fellini film, ‘La Strada’ has deep roots in Valencia. Back in 1978, the Sicillian Angelo started one of the first authentic Italian pizzerias in this fair city. His extrovert son Calogero was born in Sicily but brought up here in Spain from the age of two and is the long-term owner of La Strada restaurante. His mother is Spanish and father is Italian, so you are getting the best of both worlds in terms of culinary knowledge, experience and a warm welcome too!

We last popped by on a fairly busy Thursday night in the old town. Just a stone’s throw from Torres de Quart in the historic centre, ‘La Strada’ has been serving customers since 2001 and the ‘24/7 Valencia’ team have seen it evolve over the years. Renowned for their Anitpasti and tapas Italiane, we asked our kindly & helpful head waiter Jesus to choose typical dishes for us. We started off by savouring an eye-catching ‘Involtini de Melanzane e Zucchine,’ which was rolls of eggplant with ham, cheese and courgette whose fresh ingredients combined lovingly. It was a wonderful starter and a good sign of things to come…

To accompany our dinner for two, we were recommended the ‘Montepluciano D’Abruzzo’ which was quite earthy and somewhat hearty and proved to be a good choice for our supper. They have Italian wines from many regions of the country, including Toscana, Romagna, Veneto, Piamonte and Lazio with a helpful ‘map wine menu’ of the country to help guide you…

Our pizza dish was a bit different from the norm. Owner Calogero reminded us that, from a purist’s point of view, classic pizzas should never have fruit in them but progress is progress so we were presented with a ‘Bianca con Pera,’ which was an absolutely delicious and very generous pizza with pear, gorgonzola and mozzarella cheese. It was a joy to eat and very tasty with the fruit giving a wonderfully light touch and contrast to the filling cheeses and light & crunchy pastry base. This dish was really made with a lot of love. Very memorable! It was this writer’s favourite dish of the night…

We were next presented with ‘Mediaglinoi in Salsa Di Pignoli’ which were ‘Medallions’ with funghiporcini, mascarpone cheese, a cream salsa with a touch of tomato and pine nuts. It was incredibly filling and a very rich dish, and perhaps one for veritable connoisseurs of Italian cuisine. This writer’s partner is partly of Italian descent and she found the dish to be “exquisite.”

For a dessert, rather than go for their well-known and fondly popular Tiramisu or Pannacota we were recommended the Cannoli Siciliano, which was a distinctive puff pastry with a delicate combination of sugary ricotta and candied fruit. It was a tasty yet light way to end the evening…

LA STRADA
C/ Quart, 17 (near Torres de Quart)
Tel: 96 3924177
Zona Carmen
https://www.facebook.com/La-Strada-Ristorante-137371199758297/
Monday to Sunday
13h -16.30h / 19.45h -01.30h
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Pastas 7.50€-8.50€
Pizzas 7.50€-9.50€
Desserts 4€ -4.50€
Lasagne 7.50€
Ravioli 8€-8.50€
Meat dishes 11.50€ -14€
Italian Wines 11.50€ -60€