Eating and Drinking
NEW!! MONTHLY RESTAURANT REVIEWS – CLICK HEREWhilst adding another “discovery” to one of our local info pages it occurred to me there are so many great places outside the areas we are specialising in property-wise. So for holiday-ers who like to explore, for anyone just arrived or even if you are living here and want some inspiration, we´ve added this page just for you.
Everyone you meet will tell you about their favourite bar or restaurant so every time we tick one off the list we add another two….Believe me its hard work!!! The information below is solely based on our own personal experiences and preferences. Enjoy….or en español – Aprovecho!
First let me say there are basically 3 kinds of establishment here:
CAFE BARS - Typically Spanish-owned and open all day for tapas or larger portions (raciones), sandwiches or baguettes (bocadillos), and most do simple meals too (platos combinados). It has to be said the tapas in most bars here aren´t too inspiring compared to other areas in Spain, although there are some who make an effort such as Meson La Huertica in Torrevieja. Menu del Dia is very popular in these bars, 3 courses for around 7€ or 8€ including a glass of wine or beer. Don´t expect a gourmet meal though as Spanish cooking is very simple, typically salad, meat/fish and chips with everything! The craic is the atmosphere, particularly at lunchtimes (between 2pm and 4pm) and the smaller bars are the most fun, often there´s no menu, you get whatever is in the pot that day or if you speak the lingo you can ask for what you want, if they have it they´ll do it for you. Some good examples of cafe/bars appear in our information pages on San Miguel and Los Montesinos. Due to the current recession you can find Menu del Dia, renamed Menu del Crisis, for 5€ or even less, causing much excitement among the British ex-pats who take great delight in searching out the cheapest menus, it seems to be some kind of competition…hmmm
BARS WITH FOOD - Spanish cooking may be simple but at least its fresh and usually made on the premises, unlike the fare served up at the numerous English bars where all you need is a large freezer and a decent microwave. There are usually 5 or 6 such bars in every commercial complex and its really personal choice as to which one you choose; the menus don´t vary much, typically including breakfast, burgers, baguettes, ribs, jackets and lasagne, all with chips of course…Pub grub is quick and easy though, if you´re hungry it gets the job done, and its relatively cheap especially if you have kids in tow as most have a kiddies menu.
INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANTS - As you would expect in a cosmopolitan area like this, there is a huge choice from small bistros to up-market gourmet restaurants. Whether you fancy Spanish, Indian, Italian, French, English, American, Scandinavian, Thai, Chinese, or anything in between, its here…
And so to our recommended list….let´s do it by location
- Beach and Waterfront
- Towns and Villages
- Countryside
- Urbanisations
