Best restaurants in Javea: where to eat in the port, Arenal and old town

Javea has no single centre, and that is the first thing to understand about eating here. The old town sits two kilometres inland, the port has the fishing fleet, and the Arenal has the beach boulevard. Each one eats differently. I live on this coast and this is where I would send a friend on their first visit.

How eating out works in Javea

Lunch is the main meal and it runs late: kitchens fill up between two and four. Many restaurants serve a menú del día on weekdays, a set lunch of three courses with a drink. In Javea you pay somewhere between 14 and 20 euro for it. Dinner starts from half past eight; turn up at six and you will eat alone or not at all.

One warning that saves money and disappointment: skip any place with food photos on a board outside and a waiter working the pavement. The good kitchens do not need either.

The old town: slow dinners between tosca stone walls

The historic centre is the place for a long evening. Streets around the Plaza de la Iglesia hold small dining rooms where the menu fits on one page.

• Volta i Volta: a small team cooking modern Spanish food near the church. Short menu that changes with the season.
• Restaurante Giulia: Italian, run with the kind of care that shows in the pasta. Book ahead in summer.
• Restaurante Portitxol: traditional dishes with a modern touch, hidden in the back streets.

Around the church square a handful of bars serve tapas until late. Order the local red prawns if they are on the board and do not mind the price: they come from the fish auction in nearby Denia.

The port: fish straight from the boats

The port is where Javea still works for a living. The fishing boats come in during the afternoon, and the restaurants along the Grava boulevard buy short and cook simple: grilled fish, arroz a banda, salads with local tomatoes. This is where you eat the freshest seafood in town, usually at a fairer price than at the beach. Where exactly that fish comes from and how to buy it yourself is in our guide to the lonja of Jávea.

Walk to the red lighthouse before dinner. The whole bay opens up, and you will pass the fishermen mending nets by the harbour wall.

The Arenal: dinner with your feet almost in the sand

The Arenal boulevard is the busiest strip in town: one long row of terraces facing the only sandy beach. Quality varies more here than anywhere else in Javea, but several kitchens rise well above the boulevard average.

• La Fontana: Mediterranean cooking and cocktails on the seafront.
• Terra Jávea: a terrace for slow evenings, strong on rice dishes and fish.
• Tula: seafood with a fusion touch just off the boulevard. Small, so reserve.
• Carnaval: Mexican and Asian plates, including sushi and a vegan menu, for the nights you want something other than Spanish food.

Where the paella actually is

Order rice at lunch, never at night: that is how the region does it. In Javea, look for restaurants that call themselves arrocería or list at least six rice dishes. Arroz a banda is the local order, cooked in fish stock from this coast. A proper pan takes twenty minutes minimum, and good kitchens tell you so on the menu.

We wrote a full guide on the best paella restaurants in the region, including how to spot the tourist trap before you sit down.

Three practical tips

Book everything in July and August, even the Tuesday table. Many kitchens close one day a week outside the season, often Monday. And for a cheap, good lunch: buy at the market in the morning like half the town does, and picnic at the Grava with the best view in Javea for a few euro.

About the authorMilo Schuijt

Milo Schuijt is an entrepreneur and DJ on the Costa Blanca. He writes about the places where he lives, works and plays: from beach bars to the housing market.