Eating Our Way Through Valencia
We enjoyed quite the range of international flavors
If you’re expecting me to show off a bunch of traditional Spanish food in this post, you may be disappointed, LOL. We did eat paella at least once and we definitely drank sangria but, otherwise, we indulged in quite a range of international foods simply because we could! Again, when we leave Albania, we gravitate towards things we can’t readily find there.
So here’s a smattering of what we indulged in while we were in Valencia:
Fresh, Whole Foods at Honest Greens
We discovered this restaurant specializing in fresh, whole foods when we visited Lisbon in June 2023 and have since visited the Madrid and Valencia locations. (Our hands-down favorite is the Lisbon location in the Park of Nations; the vibe there is awesome and it’s near the water. It’s the place we made a beeline for when we began our international tour and had a one-night stay in Lisbon on our way to Madrid.) Anyway, we had to check out the Valencia location. The vibe wasn’t as good there, but the food was as delicious as we remembered.
Gelato at Lucciano’s
We were walking through the central part of town one day when I looked across the way and saw a sign on a beautiful building that said: Lucciano’s. I did a double take. That was the name of one of our favorite gelaterias in Buenos Aires. Could it be that they had a location in Valencia?! We walked inside and it looked much like their Buenos Aires locations, so I did a quick search online and it’s true! I was so excited; I messaged my friend, Estefi, immediately. Even she didn’t know there was a Valencia location. The only slight disappointment was that they were out of tiramisu, which was my absolute favorite flavor in Buenos Aires, so I settled for something else, but it was still delicious. If you ever get the chance to visit one of their locations, definitely do!
Spanish Food at an Unknown Restaurant
N was hungry for real food after Lucciano’s, so we popped into a random restaurant that had space and plopped ourselves down. I didn’t even think to pay attention to the name. (I’ve tried to figure it out, with no luck.) We ordered a couple of small paellas (who knew that was possible?) to share, plus a charcuterie board and a pitcher of sangria. The girls tried the sangria and S especially deemed it delicious, perhaps her favorite alcoholic drink so far. (Oh dear!) I mean, she’s not wrong; it’s basically fruit punch for grownups. This was the restaurant where the server was astounded at my Mexican accent despite being a gringa, LOL. (Study abroad skills for life!)
Sushi at Shibuya Urban Sushi Bar
One day I took the girls out shopping (another “when not in Albania” activity) and we needed sustenance. They were in the mood for Asian, so we popped into this sushi place mid-afternoon when it wasn’t busy. In addition to various dishes, S and I split a pitcher of peach sangria which ended up being so good. Give it a try if you go! They also had this one sushi dish that was served in a foil wrapper and lit on fire. It was quite the presentation. I didn’t care for the taste, but N liked it.
Korean BBQ at Haiso
Since Valencia had several Korean BBQ options, we decided to try one in honor of S and her belated birthday. It wasn’t our favorite Korean BBQ restaurant, but we had a good time. It had an all-you-can-eat concept (drinks not included), though ordering was a bit tricky. You used their website and all portions were individual, so if you wanted enough of something to share, you needed to order various portions. It took us a bit to figure this out. We had to keep ordering food to feel like we had gotten a full meal and service was slow. The meats were fine—nothing outstanding and the vegetables took an age to cook; the grills didn’t seem to get exceptionally hot, even when turned up. We ordered two pitchers of sangria; the first was pretty good but the second was mediocre. In the end, I’m not sure I’d recommend this particular place; I left feeling unsatiated, despite enjoying sharing the meal together.
Mexican-ish at Burritos
One day before heading home we stopped to get burrito bowls at a Mexican place we had seen while walking around. The concept was very much like Chipotle, something we hadn’t eaten in well over a year. It really hit the spot! I so wish there was a place like this in Tirana. (I’m sure I could make my own, so maybe I’ll try that at some point, but I love the convenience of just being able to buy one on demand.)
Acai Bowls at Oakberry and Pura Vida
These are pretty hard to find in Tirana, so we search them out when we travel. We discovered Oakberry last summer in Copenhagen and have now gone in Vienna and Valencia. We discovered a local place that we also tried and it was just as good. I even got one delivered on our last day in town.
We ate most of the rest of our meals at “home” in the AirBNB since we had a full-sized kitchen and access to several fantastic grocery stores and produce stands nearby. As much as we love eating out when we travel, we also enjoy eating in and will almost always make sure we stay somewhere we have the ability to cook for ourselves. It gives us flexibility we value.
What are your eating patterns when you travel? Do you prefer to eat in? Out? Do you eat a lot of the local cuisine or do you seek more of a mix?