Where to eat in Dénia — the best local restaurants and tables worth booking, filtered by cuisine and picked for tourists, expats and families.
Dénia is a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, and it eats like one. At the top sits Quique Dacosta, one of Spain's few three-Michelin-star restaurants, with Peix & Brases holding a star down on the port. But the town's real signature is the gamba roja de Dénia — the prized red prawn, best at classic fishing-quarter tables like El Pegolí and El Faralló out at Les Rotes.
For everyday Marina Alta cooking, the port and Baix la Mar are lined with arrocerías — El Raset for arroz a banda served in two passes, Deniarros overlooking the harbour, Casa Federico for a proper paella — with Tasca Eulalia for traditional tapas. It's a food-lover's town at every price, but book ahead for the starred names.
A dependable local table for traditional Marina Alta rices and fresh seafood — a safe bet for a proper paella or arroz a banda.
A relaxed rice-and-seafood spot at Plaza Raset overlooking the port — every kind of arroz, attentive service and a casual harbourside setting.
A well-loved seafood restaurant out at Les Rotes — Dénia red prawns, fresh fish and rices with panoramic views over the marine reserve.
A one-Michelin-star restaurant on the port — fish and seafood over the coals downstairs, a creative fine-dining room above, both showcasing the day's catch. Booking recommended.
Carrer Rascassa 1, Les Marines, Dénia
Dénia's three-Michelin-star temple of avant-garde cuisine — chef Quique Dacosta's boundary-pushing tasting menus rooted in the Marina Alta. One of Spain's great restaurants; book well ahead.
A classic family seafood restaurant above Les Rotes, famous for Dénia red prawns landed that morning and served barely-cooked, plus rices with a sea view. An institution.
A Baix la Mar favourite by the port — traditional maritime cooking with a modern touch, its arroz a banda served in two passes, and a 150-strong wine cellar.
A family-run beachfront restaurant on Les Marines since 1974 — authentic Mediterranean flavours, fish and rices in a classic seaside setting.
A cosy, long-standing tavern near the port for traditional tapas and Marina Alta home cooking — warm, unpretentious and reliably good.
Yes — Quique Dacosta holds three Michelin stars, one of only a handful in Spain, and Peix & Brases holds one on the port. Fittingly, Dénia is a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.
The gamba roja de Dénia — the local red prawn, considered one of the finest in the world — plus the Marina Alta's rices, especially arroz a banda (rice in fish stock) and arroz del senyoret (with the seafood peeled).
The classic Les Rotes seafood houses — El Pegolí and El Faralló — are the places for Dénia red prawns with a sea view, while Peix & Brases grills the day's catch down on the port.
El Raset in Baix la Mar is known for its arroz a banda served in two passes; Deniarros at Plaza Raset and Casa Federico are dependable for every kind of arroz and a proper paella.