We don’t like entering the month of September and feeling like summer is slipping away. Continuing to visit some of the best Valencian rice restaurants is a guarantee of stretching out this season of ours. Furthermore, this makes even more sense considering that next Sunday, September 20, World Paella Day will be celebrated. Below, we share seven rice-based dining proposals to taste in the Comunitat Valenciana on the occasion of ‘World Paella Day’.
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Forja: wood-fired rice in an elegant and welcoming atmosphere
Located in Manises, just a 10-minute drive from Valencia, Forja presents itself as an ideal space for lovers of embers and wood-fired rice dishes. At Forja, head chef Óscar Palma, with culinary advisory from Grupo Montoro, offers various types of rice on the menu, such as wood-fired dry rice with Mediterranean prawns and squid, or creamy oxtail rice with seasonal mushrooms. Or, also, prawn and squid rice.
Beyond its cuisine based on local and nearby products, Forja offers a complete experience thanks to its well-kept spaces. Its offering is complemented by a program of live music and shows designed to turn every visit into a unique gastronomic evening.
Carrer de Catarroja, 13 (Sky Business Center), Manises, Valencia
WEB: https://forjarestaurante.com/
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Tabalet, a place that sets the beat
Tabalet recovers the essence of traditional Valencian rice restaurants. And it does so in a very special setting: on a large terrace right on the beachfront of Pinedo. Local products come first, and its rice dishes stand out: the *senyoret* style—with large prawns, squid, mussels, cuttlefish, and monkfish—is one of the creations you won’t be able to forget. You won’t easily forget its duck rice with seasonal mushrooms either.
Its most traditional but no less important options are the Valencian paella and the seafood paella. These proposals, along with the black rice, the carabinero prawn rice, and its lobster rice, round off a menu designed for long, lingering meals. The kind where you don’t look at the clock.
Playa Pinedo (Cami de Muntanyars, S/N)
WEB: https://tabaletpinedo.com/
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Puerta del Mar, a guarantee of success in the heart of Valencia
Puerta del Mar is one of the quintessential rice restaurants in the city center. The restaurant offers an exclusive gastronomic experience in a very elegant, striking space that was renovated just a year and a half ago. Its menu is varied, although its Valencian rice dishes and the market produce they work with especially stand out.
Notable paellas include the seafood one with prawns, scampi, king prawns, mussels, and scallops; the lobster paella, the vegetable paella, and the classic Valencian. *Fideuà* also carries great weight: seafood Gandia-style; black with striped prawn; and duck and mushroom.
Carrer dels Transits, 4, Valencia
WEB: https://www.restaurantepuertadelmar.com/
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Greenwich, a gastronomic coordinate facing the sea
Greenwich—which originated in the Luis Campomanes Marina in Altea—features a menu where rice, embers, and fresh produce take center stage under the hand of chef Miguel Rivas.
The white prawn and *puntillas* (baby squid) rice, the baby squid eel rice, the red mullet with artichoke and Iberian pork jowl rice, or the creamy oxtail with Iberian prawn highlight the restaurant’s proposal, which bets on Mediterranean cuisine and seasonal products. Additionally, all of this is accompanied by unique views that cannot be found anywhere else in the port.
C. Currica (Puerto deportivo Luis Campomanes), Pueblo Mascarat, Alicante
WEB: https://greenwich-restaurante.com/greenwich/#carta-greenwich
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Escama: the infinite summer of La Marina
Escama is one of those places where it is summer all year round. In Valencia, it has two locations (Conde Altea, 22 and Cortes Valencianas, 26) where you can go with friends and family to enjoy cuisine linked to the sea, sourced from local products brought from La Marina. Also, in Jávea, it has another location, the first one it opened, located at Avenida Llibertat, 34.
Its menu combines tapas, Mediterranean dishes, and rice prepared to be enjoyed in a relaxed atmosphere, closely tied to summer and Jávea. Among them, the *senyoret* rice with *alistada* prawn stands out, a dish that concentrates the flavor of the sea in a recipe designed to be shared facing the Arenal. Furthermore, proposals such as the *cocas* of Jávea, the pink tomato of Altea, or the *huevos rotos* with tuna and fried potatoes leave no one indifferent.
Carrer del Comte d’Altea, 22, Valencia
WEB: https://escamajavea.es/es/inicio/
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Al Grano, modern rice dishes in La Canyada
Al Grano has consolidated itself as one of the reference Valencian addresses for rice lovers. The restaurant by chef Carles López works with a cuisine that starts from the traditional recipe book and updates it with technique, product, and a contemporary perspective.
The Valencian paella holds a special place in its proposal. It is a recipe that earned Al Grano the recognition of “best paella in the Comunitat Valenciana 2022” at the 61st edition of the International Valencian Paella Contest in Sueca. Recently, Al Grano also won at the IX Festa de la Carxofa in Alaquàs and was recognized as one of the top 33 restaurants in the province by Guía Hedonista.
Alongside this more traditional preparation, its menu also includes proposals such as the black rice with Andalusian-style baby squid and *all i oli* Mery sauce. A sample of that present-day cuisine that defines Al Grano: respect for Valencian roots, local products, and a modern look at the rice recipe repertoire.
Calle 29, nº 27, La Canyada, Paterna, Valencia
WEB: https://restaurantealgrano.com/
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Los Gómez: the quintessential Valencian tavern
At Los Gómez, rice occupies a central place within a Valencian cuisine proposal that ranges from the most traditional recipes to preparations with a more contemporary touch. Their rice offerings include classics such as paella valenciana, with chicken, rabbit, bajoqueta, snails, and artichoke, alongside seafood paella, arroz del senyoret with rockfish, black rice with dogfish and prawns, or creamy seafood rice.
The menu is completed with options such as baked rice and various fideuàs, including seafood, black with striped prawn, or a more unique version with duck, mushrooms, spring garlic, and truffle. A selection designed to champion Valencian rice recipes through a broad and accessible lens.
Correos, 10 Valencia
San Vicente, 3 Valencia
Paseo Colón, 34 Pobla de Farnals
WEB: https://www.losgomeztaberna.com/