One of the most fun things to do in Europe is to visit their traditional food markets. Many cities have a central market, and Valencia is no exception.
The Central Market in Valencia is huge and it's a joy just to walk from aisle to aisle as your eyes feast upon bountiful seafood, a dizzying array of cured meats, fresh produce and more. I highly recommend visiting!
Lunch at Central Bar by Ricard Camarena
While you're there, a great place to grab lunch is at Central Bar by Ricard Camarena (Hours: 9AM - 3PM), where you can sit at a counter and try grilled fresh seafood, Valencian classics, sandwiches, and more.
The lines can get long, but you can put your name down and wander around the market a bit while you wait.
They make a special agua de Valencia that's a tad fancier than the typical ones you see around Valencia. It's made with orange juice, cointreau, Absolut vodka, Malfy gin, and cava.
The food at Central Bar is simple but very, very fresh. Seafood is based on the fresh catch of the day. We tried some delicious gambas, which were just grilled lightly with some salt and lemon, but it was fantastic.
Deep fried oysters were fine, though a bit rich.
We were surprised to see grilled pig's ears on the menu, since we typically only eat it Asian style. This version was grilled and served with a spicy Mojo Picon sauce (9.50 EUROS). The pig ears were good, softer and "meatier" than the Asian versions I'm used to having. It was very tasty, yet quite filling!
The traditional Valencia salad includes tomato, fresh cheese, with a generous amount of olive oil.
The "Ricard Camarena" eponymous sandwich included pork loin, mustard, cheese, and onion.
Deep fried baby zucchini with zucchini flowers was lovely.
Grilled cuttlefish "a la plancha" was tasty, though just a tad bit tougher than the revelatory one I had at Casa Ripoll.
Spanish meatballs "Albóndigas" in red curry sauce was flavorful, hearty, and also quite filling!
We noticed almost every table was eating the above-pictured dish, so we asked the server about this dish, the Russian Salad. It was a creamy dipping sauce which we ate with some crackers.
Roasted miso eggplant was super soft and creamy. The sauce also had nice umami from the miso and soy sauce.
Coffee in Spain is delicious, and we love ending with a simple cortado.
Explore Central Market a bit more?
The market is fun, and it's easy to spend more than one day there. We actually ended up going there twice, and also eating at Central Bar by Ricard Camarena twice! (Haha, the above pictured dishes were eaten over two different lunches.)
You can pick up some fun food gifts to bring back home. I got some marcona almonds and cured jamon.
All in all, highly recommended!
Central Bar by Ricard Camarena
