NOT A CHALLENGE

It’s no secret that we’re foodies! We’re having such a great time discovering the food scene in Valencia.

EXPAT LIFE DAY #75

Previously, I’ve shared some of the challenges of expat life in Valencia – buying peanut butter, opening a bank account, acquiring a Spanish phone number, buying bed sheets, and (of course!) communicating in Spanish. This time, I’d like to share one aspect of expat life in Valencia that has not been the least bit challenging. Let’s talk about food, specifically eating out. I’ve read that there are 6000 restaurants in Valencia. Let’s say a quarter of them meet our standard of “good to really good food.” If we eat out 10 times a week (I know that sounds like a lot, but to be clear, this includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner), we’d be able to try all 1500 or so eateries in about 6 months. To do so, we’d need to remain in Valencia that entire time and have no repeats. I’ll admit, that might be a bit of a challenge, even for us. But don’t worry, we’re off to a good start!

ETHNIC FOOD!

In addition to lots of Spanish food (more on that next time), we’ve sampled a few of the many ethnic restaurants in Valencia. So far, we’ve had wonderful meals at couple of French bistros, a great Thai restaurant, a Moroccan café, a Chinese restaurant, a tiny Sushi bar, and a Mexican street taco joint, to name a few. And the Italian food here is amazing! (it seems there a lot of Italians living in Spain.) Oh yeah, and we have found two places that serve the best hamburgers ever. Our current list of places to try includes Peruvian, Ukrainian, Persian, and Indian restaurants…all within walking distance!

See what I mean? The biggest dining challenge we face is deciding where to eat next. 

WHEN TO EAT?

One other relatively minor dining challenge is timing. Here’s the deal – lunch is normally served from 1:30PM to 4PM and dinner from 9PM to 11:30PM. There are a few restaurants that are open all day, but those are typically in tourist areas and let’s just say they’re not always serving the best food. Reservations are a must, even at lunch because Valencians LOVE to eat out. We’re adjusting just fine…lunch at 2, siesta around 3:30, Ed starts work about 5 and finishes around 9-10, just in time for dinner.

If our timing is a bit off, there’s always the tapas bars to save the day. We can quench our hunger while waiting for the restaurants to open with a snack of tapas since many of the tapas bars are open from 11AM to Midnight without the siesta break. At least we don’t have to worry about starving.

NOT SO EXPENSIVE

You might be wondering if we’re going to spend our life savings on eating and drinking. I suppose that could happen, but it will take a while here in Valencia. A glass of wine is €2-4 (at the current exchange rate that comes to about $2.50-4.50), and a nice bottle of wine is €5-7. Beer and café con leche are €1-2, street tacos are €3 each, and one of those awesome burgers is a bit pricy at €10-12.

MENU DEL DIA

One of the best deals around is menú del día which is offered at midday (typically the largest meal of the day in Spain). Siesta, as I’ve mentioned once or twice, is the traditional work break from 1:30 to 4:30PM. Basically, just imagine that the restaurants work when no one else does (during siesta and after the working hours) and they rest (as in close their doors) when everyone else is at work. It’s a nice arrangement for everyone. All this to say, menú del día is a wonderful midday repast. These menus often include a starter, main course, dessert, wine, bread, and coffee and sometimes you even get a “chupito” to finish off (that’s a shot of some tasty digestivo type liquor). To get the best deal, it’s important to pay attention to small details. For example, the difference between “o” and “y” as in Postre y Café or Postre o Café. The “y” is better of course because then it means dessert AND coffee. Prices for the menú del día range from 8 Euros to around 15 Euros. Of course, some of the high-end restaurants charge more, but there are plenty of good options in the €8-15 range. So, we’re not too worried about breaking the bank!

 ¡Que Aproveche la Comida!  (Spanish version of Bon Appétit).