Restaurante Navarro

Restaurante Navarro has been serving Mediterranean food since 1951 and is one of the most reliable places in the city centre for a traditional rice lunch. It is run by the third generation of the family, the Bayarri sisters and their cousin, who have kept its standards steady while many places around the Plaza del Ayuntamiento cater mainly to passing tourists.

Rice is the reason to come. The menu covers a range of Valencian rice dishes, with paella valenciana at the centre, along with starters, fish and meat. As in most serious Valencian rice restaurants, paellas are cooked to order for the table, so expect to wait a little and share some starters first. The full menu, with current dishes, is published on the restaurant's website.

Navarro serves lunch only. The kitchen is open from 13:00 to 16:00 from Monday to Saturday, and the restaurant is closed on Sundays to give the staff a rest. It may also close on some public holidays, so check before you go if your visit falls on one. Booking is recommended, through the website's contact page or by phone, particularly on Saturdays when local families come for lunch.

The dining room is comfortable and traditional rather than fashionable, and the service is professional. It suits couples, families and business lunches, and it is a good option for visitors who want a proper paella without travelling to the beach or the Albufera. Prices are moderate for the quality. If anyone in your group does not eat rice, there are meat and fish dishes to choose from.

Valencians traditionally eat paella at lunchtime rather than in the evening, which is why Navarro, like many rice specialists, concentrates on the midday service. A good plan is to book for around 14:00, the usual local lunch hour, and leave the afternoon free for a slow walk through the centre.

The restaurant is on a pedestrian street just off the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, about five minutes' walk from the Estació del Nord railway station and the Xàtiva metro stop. It is a convenient lunch stop between the Central Market, the Museo Nacional de Cerámica and the shops of the centre. After lunch, the Plaza del Ayuntamiento and its flower stalls are around the corner, and the cathedral is about ten minutes' walk away.