Let's be honest — Benidorm has a bit of a reputation when it comes to food. Full English breakfasts at every corner, Irish pubs serving chips with everything, karaoke bars with laminated menus. And yes, all of that exists. But after ten years living on the Costa Blanca, I can tell you with complete confidence: Benidorm has genuinely excellent food, if you know where to look.
September is actually one of the best months to eat well here. The summer crowds thin out slightly, restaurant terraces become properly enjoyable in the evening warmth, and the local catch — red mullet, sea bream, cuttlefish — is at its absolute peak. This guide skips the tourist traps and goes straight to the plates worth travelling for.
The Must-Try Local Dishes in Benidorm
Before you eat anywhere, know what to order. Benidorm sits in the Marina Baixa comarca, and the local food culture is distinctly Valencian with a strong fishing heritage. Here's what to look for:
JV Properties
Looking for accommodation in Benidorm?
Book direct with JV Properties and save up to 18% vs Airbnb. No commissions, personal service.
Find rentals →Arròs a banda — rice cooked in fish stock, served separately from the fish. This is the dish. Not paella. Arròs a banda. If a restaurant does this well, everything else will be good too.
Espencat — a roasted pepper and aubergine salad drizzled with olive oil, often topped with salted fish or tuna. It's the kind of thing you'll make at home and it will never taste as good.
Coca de dacsa — a local flatbread made from corn flour, typically served with sardines or anchovies. You'll find it at the better tapas spots.
Grilled fresh fish — ask what came in that morning. In September, look for salmonete (red mullet) and dorada (gilt-head bream) grilled whole with nothing but olive oil, garlic and lemon.
Best Restaurants in Benidorm by Neighbourhood
Old Town (Casco Antiguo)
La Cava Aragonesa on Carrer de la Martínez Oriola is my personal benchmark for tapas in Benidorm. It's been there forever, the staff are no-nonsense in the best possible way, and the montaditos (small open sandwiches) with jamón ibérico and manchego are worth the walk uphill alone. Order a cold Estrella Damm and find a spot on the terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. You've earned it.
El Pulpo Taberna — tucked into one of the Old Town's narrow streets near Plaza de la Constitución — does exactly what the name suggests. The pulpo a la gallega (Galician-style octopus with paprika and olive oil on a wooden board) is legitimately one of the best things I've eaten in this town. Small, often busy, cash preferred.
Restaurante Ulía on Avenida Martínez Alejos has been a local favourite for years. The set lunch menu (menú del día) runs to around €14-16 and typically includes a proper arròs a banda or fideuà as the main course option. Come for lunch, not dinner — this is where the Benidorm locals actually eat.
Rincon de Loix (The British Quarter, Done Properly)
Yes, Rincon de Loix is the tourist strip. But buried among the Full English signs are a few genuinely worthwhile stops.
Bar Restaurante Casa Toni is easy to miss — it looks like a neighbourhood bar, because it is one. The locals drinking at the bar at 1pm are a reliable indicator. Order the croquetas (jamón or bacalà) and whatever rice dish is on the board that day. Prices are refreshingly honest.
Playa de Levante Area
El Trebol right on the seafront near Levante beach is touristy, yes — but the paella and arròs a banda are cooked properly in big flat pans over wood fire, and the setting at sunset in September is hard to argue with. Book ahead on weekends.
Restaurante La Palmera — a short walk back from the beach on Avenida de Europa — does grilled fresh fish as simply and perfectly as anywhere in town. No frills, no gimmicks, just excellent product cooked correctly.
Poniente Area
Restaurante Mesón los Castellanos near Poniente beach has a devoted local following for its Castilian-style roasted meats alongside the expected fish dishes. The cordero asado (roasted lamb) sounds out of place on the Mediterranean coast, but it draws people from across the province. Worth a detour.
Tapas Bars Worth Knowing
La Taberna del Puerto — not technically in Benidorm but a 10-minute drive south toward Altea — has one of the best selections of vermouth-hour pintxos on the coast. If you have a car (or a hire bike), it's an easy afternoon trip.
Back in town, the streets around the Old Town between 7-9pm come alive with the vermut culture. Bar to bar, small glass of vermouth, one or two tapas, move on. It's the best free entertainment in Benidorm and it costs almost nothing.
Practical Tips for Eating Well in Benidorm
Timing matters enormously. Spanish lunch runs from 2pm to 4pm — this is when the set menus are served and when the kitchens are at their best. Turning up at noon expecting lunch is a tourist tell. Dinner before 9pm is equally conspicuous; locals rarely sit down before 9:30pm in September.
Look for handwritten daily specials on chalkboards — these reflect what came in fresh that morning and are almost always the best value on the menu.
Avoid anywhere with photographs of every dish on the menu and a tout standing outside. This is universal advice for all of Spain, not just Benidorm.
Book ahead for September weekends. The best local restaurants — especially those with terraces — fill up fast during the shoulder season when the weather is perfect and the summer madness has calmed slightly.
Budget guide: A proper menú del día with wine: €14-18. Tapas evening for two with drinks: €25-35. Fresh fish dinner for two at a good restaurant: €50-70.
The Breakfast Question
If you want a proper Spanish breakfast — and you should, at least once — find a local bar and order tostada con tomate y jamón: toasted bread rubbed with tomato, drizzled with olive oil, topped with jamón serrano, and a café con leche that will embarrass every coffee you've ever had in northern Europe. Café Bar Capi near the Old Town does this perfectly for under €4.
Staying Near the Best Food in Benidorm
The best approach to eating well in Benidorm is having a self-catering base — somewhere you can breakfast on the terrace, keep wine in the fridge, and cook the incredible produce from the local markets when you feel like a night in. Our holiday rentals in Benidorm are spread across all the best neighbourhoods, from the Old Town to the beachfront. Browse available apartments and villas and book direct with us — you'll save up to 18% compared to Airbnb or Booking.com, with no platform fees and direct contact with us throughout your stay.
September in Benidorm, warm evenings, a terrace, and an arròs a banda from El Trebol. That's not a bad way to spend a week.
