Cueva Alicante

Located in the city’s historic Benalúa district, Tábula Rasa boasts a well-maintained façade plus an interior with a tranquil and traditional ambience. Head Chef Rafael Molina is keen to offer honest cuisine that showcases Alicante’s culinary traditions, bringing a modern technical approach and a continual focus on fresh seasonal ingredients (they do not use freezers or vacuum packs). The menu, which changes almost daily, focuses on a single, tempting seasonal menu where rice dishes or 'fideuás', such as their tasty rice with pork ribs and vegetables, tend to take centre stage.

A striking modern property on the ascent up to the Castillo de Santa Bárbara, hence its superb views of the city. Here, Alicante-born chef Dani Frías offers two Mediterranean-based, contemporary menus (Ereta and Degus) that focus on seafood. This is demonstrated by one dish we particularly enjoyed: his delicious version of red shrimp stew (“caldereta de gamba roja”).

A life full of travel characterises Fernando and Olivia, a charming couple who have made their different culinary cultures (he is Mexican; she is Greek) the cornerstone of their joint gastronomic project. The name (Steki translates as a “meeting place”) of their simple restaurant, located in a pedestrian street in the city’s old quarter, also highlights this philosophy. Their cuisine is based around the cooking of the Mediterranean with understandable influences from Mexico and Greece. Although available à la carte, there is a minimum order of 5 dishes for two sharing.

A gastronomic restaurant offering innovative international- and French-inspired cuisine which is always based around seasonal market ingredients. Tasting menus are the only option here, one of which is inspired by the period the chef spent working in the kitchen of the Hotel Ritz in Paris. Booking essential.

This taverna could almost be described as a tapas museum! Huge choice of tapas on display, all prepared using high quality ingredients, as well as an extensive selection of wines.

As soon as you enter Nou Manolín, your gaze is immediately drawn to the superb array of shrimp, red prawn, crayfish, oysters etc in the seafood display. Whether you choose the bar on the ground floor or the dining room with a delightful designer-inspired ceiling upstairs, the market-inspired menu (featuring a few media-ración options and a small selection of rice dishes), is identical. To round off your meal in style, make sure you order the almond nougat soufflé with chocolate ice cream.

Koiné’s name refers to a variant of the Greek language once used in Ancient Greece. Here, the cuisine has returned to the origins and roots of Mediterranean cooking, working in tandem with the culinary traditions of Andalucia and with a style that has adapted to contemporary tastes. Chef Juanlu Parra has previously worked in the R&D department of the Dani García Group – a detail that is obvious on the menu. If you’re looking for a standout dish, try their award-winning aged picaña steak tartare, with creamy smoked eel on marrow and warm croissant.