La Pepica

Had a fantastic meal here for lunch on American Thanksgiving Day. Paella Pepica, sangria, jamon y queso, calamari, cappuccino, bailey's tarte and tiramisu - todo maravilloso! We especially loved the paella, the fish flaked perfectly and the seasoning was perfection. The cappuccino was creamy and needed no sweetener. We recommend!

Items Selected: Toasted Bread with Tomatoes and Garlic Butter Jamon de Iberico Croquettas Paella Pepica with Shrimp, Mussels, Squid, Octopus and Cod Apple Pudding Cake with Sherry and Raisins Turron with Espresso Sauce, Whipped Cream and Raisin Known as the birthplace of Paella, every local or tourist in the region seemingly with an opinion regarding which Restaurant serves the best pan of Rice in town, it seemed only appropriate that even as a solo diner the dish should be sought out during a brief stay in Valencia, the hotel's concierge well-utilized in making a reservation nearly a month in advance for a sought after table on the outdoor patio of La Pepicia. Favored by the likes of royals, writers and artists for both the location as well as the history, a sprawling space of more than 400 seats looking onto Playa Malvarrosa since 1898, La Pepica serves diners from 13h00 until 17h00 seven days a week with dinner service added on Fridays and Saturdays, parking near Paseo Neptuno limited thanks to beach access and nearby competition, though an underground garage about two-hundred meters inland is available for just under €3.50/hr. Sprawling in its layout with servers buzzing about, patrons arriving from the beach frequently walk-ins and thus relegated to an indoor seat beneath sky-blue walls, old photographs and tile murals, those with the foresight to book in advance will typically approach La Pepica from the opposite side where doors are flanked by a bar adjacent the enormous open kitchen, more than a dozen cooks maneuvering pans of various sizes filled with no less than a dozen combinations of Saffron, Starch, Protein and Produce. No doubt a tourist-friendly sort of place, at least a quarter of the diners plainly heard speaking English to bow-tied waiters who are fluent, it is after seating that guests are invited to peruse a sizable carte of Starters, Entrees and Desserts in addition to the restaurant's signature, the €28.50 per person Tasting Menu a perfect choice with Bread, one Appetizer, one Dessert plus a pan of Rice typically meant for two easily accommodated for even single diners. Said to have adapted much of its menu based on the likes and dislikes of famous guests of the past, the eponymous Paella of peeled Seafood originally created as an alternative to tradition in order to prevent the rice from becoming "dirty," it was with a basket of toasted Bread paired to crushed Tomatoes and Garlic Aioli that the meal began, a follow-up of eight Croquettas filled with Bechamel and Iberico initially raising eyebrows as relates to portion sizes, though the crispy exterior and creamy insides quickly saw them made short work of as sounds of the tide rumbled in the distance. Arriving shortly after the restaurant's opening, the space subsequently filling to capacity over the course of perhaps 45-mintues, it was just past 13h35 that the first Paella emerged from the kitchen followed by a second, the third landing on a two top and nearly filling it to capacity with steam still rising and edges still sizzling, the first spoonful going from center to edge collecting Shrimp, Fish and Squid plus a generous bit of the crisp and salty Socarrat. No doubt a lot of food, the minimum portion for two still offered as a matter of feasibility despite only being charged for one tasting, it was with good speed that nearly all of the tender rice was enjoyed with a focus on the edges and fresh chunks of Seafood, a few spoonfuls sent back in order to preserve stomach capacity for later, though the two-sided Dessert card immediately rendered that idea moot, the more expensive Turron Sundae with Espresso Sauce, Whipped Cream and Raisin texturally wonderful and counted as part of the tasting with a €4.95 wedge of Apple Bread Pudding added on proving equally compelling beneath a warm sauce of Butter and reduced Sherry.

Food: 4.0/5.0 Service: 2.0/5.0 Value: 3.0/5.0 Decor: 3.0/5.0 Overall: 3.5/5.0 I am kind of shocked that Pepica's average rating as of June 2016 is only 3.5 stars. Glancing at past bad reviews, my [admittedly arbitrary] guess is that those reviewers either caught the restaurants on really bad days, showed up completely uneducated about what to order/expect, or are literally talking about a different restaurant/making sh*t up as some other reviewers accused. First, there are usually 1-2 waiters who speak some amount of English, so yes you'll have trouble getting access to them if the restaurant is really busy (which unfortunately it constantly is outside of perhaps opening time). You're in Spain - you need to some serious inner reflection time if you think staff members' fluency of a non-local language should be key to your assessment of a restaurant. Second, the menu literally comes in 10 different languages. Order a starter or two and the paella marinera (seafood paella)... which is technically seafood rice and not a paella per se for you nit pickers. The stuff is also supposed to be a bit salty - get over it. The paella was quite good, but the quantity left a bit to be desired. We were a hungry group of four and felt like a pan for four contained a bit less than two pans for two -- we could have just tried two different paellas instead. Pepica feels like it could totally be tourist trappy, as it sits right on the beach and passersby will stop to glance at an open menu on the boardwalk. But a tourist trap this is not. A reservation is going to be important especially during peak times. The website asks you to book two days ahead, though I was able to book the day before by calling.

Excellent Paella! Probabbly the best one I out here. The garlic bread with butter and tomato / olive oil is also delicious.

After enjoying a delicous paella meal and reading the yelp reviews for La Pepica I can't help but wonder if they ate at the wrong place or I did. I guess I didn't because the plates are stamped as you can see in these pictures so clearly these other reviews are for a different place or maybe just fake reviews from competitors. Believe the travel guides and locals alike when they tell you if you that if you want the best paella come here. Excellent service and delicious food at prices worthy of a fine dining world famous institution. Believe the hype.

Fuimos un festivo a tope y esto puede marcar un poco el resto de la reseña. Fuimos con reserva y aún así nos tocó esperar como media hora en la puerta a pie de horno, pero bueno una vez dentro, en la terraza, una gran experiencia Pedimos la paella vegetariana, que buen detalle para los no carnívoros :) y bastante rica, no pudimos con todo! Al haber visto tanta cola pensamos q nos llegaría tarde y pedimos entrantes y al final fue todo rápido Las patatas alioli no nos encantaron, pero correctas El personal muy amable

En primer lugar, agradecer el buen servicio que nos ha dado Juanvi. Atento, servicial, y rápido en atender nuestras peticiones. A nivel general, el restaurante es sin duda de los mejores lugares para disfrutar de un buen arroz. Quizás los precios son un poco altos, pero no desmerece la calidad y el sabor de los platos. Para los de aquí, un lugar tradicional al que acudir, para los de fuera, un acierto si quieren probar nuestros platos por excelencia.

La atención de JuanVi ha sido espectacular. Cabe destacar que el hecho de tener que hacer cola teniendo reserva no es un punto a favor y estuvimos esperando media hora y además pedimos entrantes y paella y nos llegaron antes las paellas y mucho más tarde los entrantes. Las paellas que pedimos estaban buenísimas eso si, la pepita y valenciana.

Restaurante grande de toda la vida y con buen ambiente. El servicio bastante rápido para toda la gente que había. Pedimos la ensaladilla, anchoas y paella La Pepica. Muy rico todo. Servicio muy atento y agradable.

En nuestro paso por Valencia no podíamos obviar a este mítico restaurante junto a la playa de la arenas, en verano hace falta reservar con antelación. Me gusto el cuidado que tuvo el camarero Fernando a la hora de preguntar por los alergenos, muy simpático por cierto. Servicio muy bueno, comida también, recomiendo a todos ir a la pepica a por una rica paella.