Casa Durán 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.

Open boasts an eclectic look in keeping with its name. This similar liberal philosophy is also evident in its open-view kitchen and on the à la carte, with the option of creating your own half portion-style menu. The chefs here explain and serve their own contemporary dishes centred around market-fresh ingredients. One speciality that is definitely worth ordering is the Gilda Open, their interesting red tuna ‘catalana’ or the cuttlefish, guanciale and burrata gnocchi.

In the heart of Alicante, a short hop from the lively Central Market, there is a place with a great deal of character and personality. They themselves say that they are ‘an intimate restaurant, where cooking is done calmly and time is savoured’.Behind the name Plëgat, a small tribute to the now defunct business in the nearby town of San Juan where the chef Nanín Pérez felt the unbreakable bond with the world of gastronomy, you will find an elongated establishment with few tables (just 5 and a reserved area), with the kitchen half-open so we can watch him work. Here you can order á la carte or

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.

A restaurant with a modern decor and gastro-bar ambience run by two chefs originally from the Netherlands, Danny van Vliet and Joris Bruurs. Here, the contemporary à la carte and menu options (daily and seasonal) change every two months. Their cuisine, with specials such as the delicious Stroopwafel (a reinterpretation of a Dutch dessert), combines Central European, French and Spanish influences. Sauces are a prominent presence, while many dishes are given a finishing touch on the grill.

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.

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”).