After ten years living here, I can say this with confidence: eating in Jávea is one of the genuine pleasures of the Costa Blanca. This isn't a resort town where every restaurant serves the same watery paella for tourists. Jávea has a real food scene — rice dishes that locals actually queue for, beachside chiringuitos with fresh-grilled fish, tapas bars tucked into the old town where the menu is scrawled on a chalkboard and nobody speaks English. That's the good stuff.
This guide covers the best restaurants in Jávea by area and type, with honest opinions, average prices, and a few places I'd rather keep secret but probably shouldn't.
Jávea's Food Scene: What to Expect
The town is split into three zones — the Old Town (Pueblo), the Port (El Puerto), and the beach area (El Arenal) — and each has a completely different eating atmosphere. Prices are reasonable by Spanish coastal standards: a full menú del día (starter, main, dessert, bread and wine) runs €12–€16 at lunch Monday to Friday. Dinner is where things get more serious and more expensive.
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Find rentals →The local speciality you absolutely must try is arroz a banda — rice cooked in fish stock, served with alioli, eaten in two courses. It's the dish that separates Jávea restaurants from the also-rans. If a place doesn't do it well, move on.
Best Restaurants at the Port
The Port area (El Puerto) is where Jávea's restaurant scene is most concentrated. Walk along Avenida del Puerto on a warm September evening and half the town seems to be out eating.
La Hacienda (Calle Príncep d'Astúries) has been here for decades and earned every one of its loyal regulars. The rice dishes are exceptional — order the arroz a banda for two and don't skip the starters. Budget around €35–€45 per person with wine.
El Gaucho is the place for meat lovers. Argentinian-owned, with cuts of beef that would make a Valencian pescatarian reconsider their choices. It's not cheap (€40+ per person) but the quality justifies it.
Restaurante Xamarri sits right on the water with views of the fishing boats and does excellent fresh fish at slightly more accessible prices. Their grilled seabream is simple and perfect.
For something more casual, the tapas bars along the port strip — particularly around Plaza Almirante Bastarreche — are great for an early evening beer and a few plates of jamón, croquetas and boquerones. You'll spend €15–€20 per person and feel very pleased with yourself.
Best Chiringuitos & Beach Restaurants
September is actually the best month for chiringuitos in Jávea. The August crowds have thinned, the sea is at its warmest, and you can actually get a table without a reservation made three weeks in advance.
La Siesta at Playa El Arenal is the most famous chiringuito in town. It's been there longer than most people can remember, serves cold beer faster than anywhere else, and the grilled sardines (sardinas a la brasa) are the real deal — smoky, salty, eaten with your hands while watching the waves. Cash only, no frills, absolutely worth it.
El Arenal Beach Club is newer and more polished — sunbeds, cocktails, a proper kitchen. Good if you want to spend a long lazy afternoon without moving. The food is decent rather than exceptional, but the setting is hard to beat.
At Cala Blanca (a small cove around the headland from Arenal), there's a tiny chiringuito-style spot that does fresh pescaito frito — battered mixed fried fish — for around €10. It's the kind of place that has no website, no Instagram, and no sign, but locals know it.
Best Restaurants in the Old Town
Eating in Jávea's Old Town (the Pueblo) is a different experience — narrower streets, older buildings, a slower pace. It's best for lunch or early dinner.
La Bohème (Calle Major) is my personal favourite for a long lunch. French-Spanish fusion, excellent wine list, a garden terrace that feels genuinely romantic. Around €35 per person.
El Rincón del Cura is a tiny spot near the church of San Bartolomé that does traditional Valencian cooking — proper cocido, roasted vegetables, hearty home-style food. It fills up fast at lunchtime; get there by 1:30pm.
For the cheapest good food in the entire town, the market hall on Avenida de la Llibertat has a few counter bars where locals eat standing up — a coffee, a pastry, a bocadillo. No tourist prices here.
Vegetarian, Vegan & Dietary Needs
Jávea has caught up considerably. La Naturaleza near the port does excellent plant-based dishes and is one of the few places where vegetarians aren't just handed a plate of chips and an apologetic look. Café Bonsai in the Old Town caters well to different dietary needs and also does great breakfasts.
Practical Tips for Eating in Jávea
- Lunch is the main meal: Spaniards eat lunch between 2pm and 4pm. Go then, get the menú del día, save money, eat better.
- Reservations: Essential at weekends and for the better places even in September. WhatsApp reservations are widely accepted.
- Tipping: Not obligatory but €2–€5 per table for good service is appreciated.
- Credit cards: Widely accepted but smaller chiringuitos often prefer cash.
Stay Close to the Best Food
The best way to enjoy Jávea's food scene properly is to stay here — not in a hotel where you're herded into a buffet, but in your own apartment or villa where you can shop at the market, cook when you feel like it, and eat out when you don't. Booking direct through JV Properties holiday rentals in Jávea saves you up to 18% compared to Airbnb prices — that's several very good dinners.
Browse available apartments and villas in Jávea and find somewhere with a proper kitchen, a terrace for evening drinks, and easy walking distance to everything in this guide.
September is genuinely the best month to do this. The town is quieter, the restaurants are still fully open, the sea is warm, and the evenings are perfect for sitting outside with a glass of local Moscatel wine and nowhere particular to be. Come and eat well.
