Horchatería Daniel

Horchatería Daniel is a pilgrimage for horchata lovers. The family has been making horchata and fartons since 1949, and its main horchatería is in Alboraya, the small town just north of Valencia where most of the region's chufas, or tiger nuts, are grown. The family's first shop opened in 1960 on the ground floor of Daniel's house, and in 1979 he opened the horchatería on the road that later became the Avenida de la Horchata, now lined with similar establishments.

The reason to come here rather than drinking horchata in the city centre is the sense of place. You are on the edge of the huerta, the market gardens where the tiger nuts are grown, and the horchata is made locally. Daniel describes its horchata as completely natural and artisan, and serves it with its own fartons, the soft glazed buns that Valencians dip into the glass. Famous customers over the years have included the painter Salvador Dalí and the poet Rafael Alberti.

According to the official tourism listing, the Alboraya horchatería is open every day: from 10:00 to 22:00 from Monday to Thursday, until 22:30 on Fridays and Sundays and until midnight on Saturdays. Summer evenings are the liveliest time, when families from Valencia drive out for a glass of horchata in the cool of the evening. It is a casual, inexpensive outing that suits families, couples and anyone curious about Valencian food traditions.

If you cannot make it out to Alboraya, Daniel also has a branch in the Mercado de Colón in the centre of Valencia, where the Modernista market hall makes an attractive setting. The original, though, is worth the short trip if you want to combine horchata with a look at the huerta landscape.

Alboraya is easy to reach by public transport. Metro lines 3 and 5 serve the area, and a taxi from the centre takes around 15 minutes. Cycling out along the city's bike lanes is another pleasant option. Combine a visit with a walk among the market gardens that surround the town, where the tiger nuts are grown, and you will understand why horchata is so closely tied to this landscape. In summer, go in the early evening, when the heat eases and the terraces fill with local families.