Welcome to Truly® jávea. This page is intended to give our visitors a little information about the local foods and drinks they can expect to encounter when staying at our Villas and Apartments in Jávea>. We have also provided a basic dictionary of food names (Spanish into English) so that the local menu is not too daunting.

Local Dishes and ingredients in Jávea...

Jávea has many restaurants where one can try international cuisine as well as local dishes. The town has a rich culinary tradition which has been entirely preserved and which can be sampled, in the form of "Tapas", in most bars of the town.

Since it is a coastal town, fish and shellfish dishes prevail. A visit to Jávea is not complete without trying the delicious fish stews "cruet de peix" and "suc roig", or fried dishes such as "peix fregit". Also typical are fresh salted anchovies, tuna and the tasty "borreta de melva" as well as Jávea´s delicacy "bogamarins" (sea urchins).

Rice is a main ingredient for many dishes, such as "arròs al forn" (oven-baked rice), "arròs amb costra" (covered with a crust of omelette), "arròs amb fesols i naps" (rice with beans and turnips), "arròs a la marinera" (literally, fixherman´s rice), or "arròs a banda" (rice with fish stock), "arròs amb bledes" (rice with beet) and, of course, the traditional Paella. Also typical of Jávea are "cocas", small pizza-like pastries with pepper and tomato, or oil and anchovies, and "empanadillas", pasties filled with vegetables such as peas or spinach, or with pepper, tomato, tuna and boiled egg, "putxero", a hearty stew with local vegetables and meat balls, snails, salted fish and sausages.

Two basic elements of any dish are garlic and olive oil, essential ingredients of a healthy Mediterranean diet. United they form "All i oli", garlic mayonnaise which brings its intense flavour to a multitude of dishes.

As for desserts, local fruit is predominant (oranges, apples, pears, grapes, watermelon, melon, strawberries, pomegranates and figs) as well as almonds, raisins and dried figs. Pastries include "Pastissets de moniato", pumpkin fritters, Easter cake, and almond tarts to name but a few.

Restaurants in Jávea...

The choice is large and varied and we have listed below a selection of restaurants in the town offering different types of cuisine. The list is not exhaustive, but it is based upon personal experience, and is intended as a 'place to start' when planning your cuisine for your holiday.

The Old Town is home to some of the very best restaurants in Jávea and these include El Mirador (Address: Cabo La Nao - right at the very end of the road tel: 96 577 0811) This is certainly one of the best Spanish restaurants with just fabulous views. Sunday lunch is recommended, but make sure to book. Restaurant Bacchus is on the back road from the Arenal to Benitachell (Address: Treavesia de Cansalades 87  tel: 96 647 30 96) - about 5 minutes from beach and as you head our to Jesus Pobre you will find Los Almendros (Address: Ctra Jesus Pobre  about 5 minutes out of Javea on left about 1 minute after Las Brisas and almost opposite Montgo restaurant tel: 96 579 0104). This offers a “Menu Del Dia” with a good choice and at a very reasonable price. Unfortunately it closes for most of the winter months, so check in advance.

In The Port area you will find Azorin (Address: Just opposite Quicksave supermarket in the road behind the promenade tel: 965794495) It offers a basic menu del dia restaurant where you will find local foods cooked well. Best described as 'cheap and cheerful', and nearly always packed, so it is best to book. In the same area is Calima (Address: On the main promenade before the road to the Arenal tel: 965794821). This restaurant is famous locally for its good food and pleasant staff. It cannot be described as cheap but does represent excellent value for money. Also in The Port area is the wonderful El Portet (Address:  C/Cristo del Mar 8 between the cinema and the Port up the steps tel.: 96 646 15 22). This is a good Spanish restaurant with excellent Menu del Dia. It sometimes looks empty but there is a large open Courtyard, covered with vines, at the back.

In The Arenal district you have Chez Angel (Address: Ctra. Cabo La Nao, 2-3, Jávea Park on the left and midway in the main cluster of shops tel: 96 579 27 23) This has an excellent gourmet menu and the food is presented in pleasant surroundings. Again, it would not be described as 'cheap', but it is one of our favourite restaurants in Jávea and will not disappoint. Close by is the La Perla de Jávea (Address: paseo Amanecr B10 local 4 at far end of The Arenal just past Los Remos tel: 96 647 07 72) Rice dishes are the speciality and they are offered at reasonable prices. Los Remos is also worth visiting (Address: Paseo del Amanecer Bloque 10, Local 9 at the far end of  The Arenal front where it bends left tel: 96 647 07 76). The speciality is fish dishes in this very smart restaurant - you are well advised to always book!

If you are happy to travel a little further a field then we would also recommend a visit to Punta Menimaquia (Address: about 40 minute drive through Orba, Fontilles and Campbell tel: 96 642 00 14). The last part of the journey is quite a drive but the stunning views are reward enough - never mind the menu at the end. This is a very Spanish restaurant and it does not have an English menu but part of the fun is in muddling through the ordering, and enjoying the results - expected or not!

Although commonly thought of as a staple of the Spanish diet, and as originating in 'Spain', this luxurious rice dish originated specifically from Valencia, which is approximately 105km from Jávea. But why Valencia? The answer to this question lies in the privileged location of the City, and it was this location that led it to create the most famous of  Jávea cuisine. The coastal location provided an abundance of shellfish and seafood - large prawns and mussels are common to the food - and the countryside around the City produced - and still does - as abundance of fresh vegetables and healthy small animals such as rabbits and chickens - and it is this combination of seafood, succulent meat, and rice which makes the dish such a favourite throughout the world. Add to this combination the rich local soil which has always been home to extensive rice fields and paella was waiting to be created.

The traditional recipe has been added and subtracted to, but essentially remains fairly constant, and although you will find many variations of the dish in the restaurants and tapas bars of Jávea, they all more or less follow the procedure outlined below, and with variations on the ingredients indicated.

First, the oil must be heated to a high temperature, and when it is almost smoking, add the rabbit and lightly salted chicken pieces, frying them until they are slightly brown. Now the white and green beans must be added, and cooked together with the meat. While this delicious mixture is cooking, push it away from the centre of the pan and fry the chopped tomatoes until they mash slightly and take on a paste like quality. Add some paprika, stirring quickly, and immediately add hot water or broth until it covers the mixture and is almost at the top edge of the pan.

Cooking time is approximately 20 minutes over a high fire, seasoning all the time to taste with sea salt and fresh pepper. After about 20 minutes add the rice - making sure that the rice is covered with the liquid. Bring the pan back to the boil and let the paella cook for another 20 minutes until the rice is cooked. As with most rice dishes, it should not be stirred, but move the pan around on the heat so that the heat is evenly distributed during the cooking process. Once the liquid has been absorbed take the paella off the heat and leave it to stand for about 10 minutes covering the top with paper (not a lid). If the rice has been cooked correctly, the grains will be loose, not mushy - this is important, and is the essential guide to a 'good' or 'bad' paella.

And finally, before you embark on your first foray into Jávea cuisine - you will need the following ingredients:

Ingredients for 4 persons

• 1 medium chicken
• 1 medium rabbit
• 2 medium ripe chopped tomatoes
• 165 grms. green bean
• 130 grms. large white lima beans
• 1 level teaspoon of saffron
• 3 cups of rice
• 8 cups of hot water or chicken stock
• olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of the paella pan)
• salt & ground black pepper (to taste)
• 1 level teaspoon of paprika

Other local dishes you should expect to find in Jávea are Gazpacho, Tortilla de Patatas, and Pan de Orno - the authentic curved Spanish bread:

Gazpacho is essentially a tomatoe soup, and because it is traditionally a summer dish, it is almost always served cold (with some restaurants even putting ice cubes in the bowl for an added chill!).

If you like French fries, then Tortilla de Patatas is a local cuisine to try:

When made correctly, the Spanish tortilla is a delicious half-inch thick "cake" of fried potatoes mixed with fried eggs and onions. After cooking, the tortilla can be cut into pizza-like triangles to serve 4-6 people, or cut into squares to give a whole group a bite-sized toothpick sample.

1 cup olive oil
four large potatoes (peel and cut into small pieces about 2mm thick)
salt to taste
one large onion, thinly sliced
four large eggs.

Some people add thin slices of red pepper together with the onion.

Heat the oil in a 9-inch skillet, add potato pieces, one slice at a time so that they don't stick. Alternate layers of potato and onion. COOK slowly, medium flame. DO NOT FRY!! Turn occasionally until potatoes are tender, but NOT brown. They must be loose, not "in a cake".

Beat eggs in a large bowl with a fork. Salt to taste. Drain potatoes. Add potatoes to beaten eggs, pressing them so that eggs cover them completely. Let sit for 15 minutes. Heat 2 tbsps of the oil in large skillet. Add potato-egg mixture, spreading quickly. Lower the heat to medium-high. Shake pan to prevent sticking (crucial step!!) When potatoes start to brown, put a plate on top skillet and flip to cook other side, adding another tbsp of oil. Brown on the other side. Can flip three or four times for better cooking. (Recipe courtesy of Dean Derhak of 'Real Spanish Food Recipes').

Pan de Orno is hard to replicate outside of Jávea and it's surrounding environs, but here is an excellent recipe to try if you cannot wait until you visit the local restaurants:

First, you need 1&1/2 TBS of bread yeast, 3 cups warm water, 7 cups of white flour, two teaspoons of salt, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil.

Mix the yeast in the warm water let sit in a warm place for 10 minutes. Mix the salt with the flour and run through a fine mesh, allowing it to fall into a large bowl. Using your fingers, mix in the oil or butter. Slowly pour in the raised yeast while working the dough with your hands so as to produce a firm dough. Place the dough on a flat surface with some flour sprinkled on it. Knead the dough until it becomes firm and elastic.

Grease the bowl and place the dough in it. Cover the bowl with a moist sheet and set in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume.

Once again, remove the dough and knead it again over a floured tabletop, to remove air pockets and until the dough feels smooth. Return the dough to a covered bowl and let it rest. 15 minutes should be sufficient.

Cut the dough as desired to form bars, loafs or balls and place on greased pans. Cut slits in top of bread as desired.

Let bread raise on pans 30 more minutes or until the tops of the bars begin to flatten.

Place in a very hot oven (450 degrees F) for 30 o 50 minutes, or until the tops of the bars become toasted and they sound hollow when knocked on the bottom. Remove the bread from the pans and let cool.

This recipe comes from a panadero. It may not come out exactly right the first time, but with practices the results are incredible. I've made a few mistakes, but now it comes out perfect and has that panadería flavor. (Recipe courtesy of Dean Derhak of 'Real Spanish Food Recipes').

Far from comprehensive this brief dictionary should help clients to at least recognise the foods and drinks on the local menus in restaurants and bars. Inhabitants of Jávea are used to the inability of the English to speak their language, and if you at least make an effort to order in Spainish, you will be rewarded with courtesy and assistance.