Restaurante Navarro

Legendary rice restaurant in Valencia

Lobster rice with swordfish and shrimps

If you research top restaurants in Valencia, no matter if it is on travel websites, blog sites or TripAdvisor, the chance is, Restaurante Navarro would be high on the list. The restaurant gathered legendary status with its modern Valencian cuisine and traditional local rice dishes. A family business, the restaurant has been around for 70 years now and is still going strong. On the day I visited, it was packed till 5pm and that is on a Wednesday. This shows just how popular Navarro is. To stick with the local tradition, this rice specialist restaurant doesn't open in the evening. As it turned out Valencian only eats paella rice at lunchtime, and not in the evening. You will also need to pre-order rice dishes 1 day in advance as they required a long preparation time when done it the traditional manner.

Warm salad with monkfish & squid brochette, king prawn and cucumber ice cream

Aubergine and parmesan millefeuille

For my first starter, I had somewhat of a modern dish: Aubergine and parmesan millefeuille, it was layers of cheese and aubergines heaven. The aubergine absorbed all the wonderful umami taste of the parmesan it worked so well with the mild sweetness of the pumpkin sauce. Next was the grilled prawns, cooked with garlic and pinenuts. It was done to the perfect level, it was really moist and the garlic profile uplifted the sweetness of the prawn, it was excellent. The main event of lobster paella was a seafood umami bomb, the seafood aroma was so intense, maybe it could be a touch salty for some but it was extremely enjoyable for me. The rice loaded up all the lovely seafood flavours, what amazed me was that none of the squids and small shrimps was overcooked, the timing was done expertly.

King prawns grilled in young garlic and pine nuts

Vegetables paella

It was easy to understand why Navarro is such a popular restaurant, it has managed to contain the best of both worlds. Classic rice and other Spanish dishes, with some modern and creative dishes mixed in. I managed to take a paella rice class a few days after my meal at Navarro, and have learned all the hard work and time needed to prepare the classic paella, which makes me appreciate the lobster rice dish even more. Like many restaurants in Spain, some of the waiters don't speak English, but that shouldn't be a problem as there is an English menu both online and on-site. Booking is highly recommended as this place is extremely popular.




Food 3.5/5


Average cost without drinks and services:
£35

Carrer de l'Arquebisbe Mayoral, 5, 46002 València, Valencia, Spain

restaurantenavarro.com