This week, several media outlets echoed the new restaurants selected by the Michelin Guide in the Bib Gourmand category, which includes those recognized for offering high-quality cooking at a great price. In the Utiel-Requena reguin, one of our favorite spots was chosen:a La Posada de Águeda.
This inland area of the Valencia province is the meeting point between Castilian-Manchegan and Mediterranean culinary traditions, centered on local farm products and livestock. Although some haven’t appeared (yet!) in the Michelin Guide, here is our selection of favorite restaurants just a few minutes from the village.
La Posada de Águeda
Carretera NIII, km 282 – Requena | (+34) 962 301 418 | Instagram | Tue-Sun 13:30 to 16:30. Mon closed
A Bib Gourmand restaurant located in a charming roadside cottage in Requena. The family in charge, with Julio in the kitchen while Águeda and their daughter manage the dining room, gocuses on traditional product-based cuisine. Their simple yet masterfully executed dishes are based on both Spanish and local traditional recipes.
Santolina
Plaza San Juan 14 – Utiel – (+34) 962 170 479 | Instagram | Wed-Sun 12:30 to 17:00. Fri & Sat 20:30 to 00:00
Located at the gates of Utiel’s historic center, this restaurant was opened in 2022 by Chef Diego Álvarez. Selected in 2020 as one of the best Spanish chefs under 30, Diego spent years developing his career alongside the world-renowed Valencian chef Quique Dacosta. In the dining room, Sara (an expert in local wines) is always ready to suggest the perfect pairings.
El Yantar – La Cocina de Pilar
Plaza de Albornoz 8 – Requena – (+34) 695 143 207 | Instagram | Wed-Sun 12:00 to 17:00. Thu, Fri and Sat 20:00 to 00:00
Descending narrow stairs leads you to a stunning cave-room carved into the rock beneath Requena’s Plaza de Albornoz. Here, Carlos and Pablo Cervera offer dishes rooted in traditional cuisine alongside bolder appetizers featuring fusion touches of Asian and American flavors.
Rabieta
Calle Antonio Maura 5 – Utiel – (+34) 962 704 234 | Instagram | Wed-Sun 13:00 to 17:00. Fri and Sat 20:30 to 00:00
Set in a lovingly restored traditional Utiel house, Rabieta is where Juanjo and Rosa combine their creativity to offer contemporary creations deeply rooted in the local gastronomic heritage.
Ca Dani
Calle Eduardo Dato 10 – Utiel – (+34) 686 940 106 | Instagram | Wed-Sun 13:00 to 17:00. Fri & Sat 20:30 to 00:00
Signature cuisine based on the roots of traditional cooking, led by Chef Dani Bachero, who is also in charge of the official MasterChef camps.
VILASIRA
CV475 km 2 – Venta del moro – (+34) 687 852 400 | Instagram | Fri & Sat 13:00 to 16:00, (check other times)
The restaurant at the VILASIRA hotel, just minutes from the village, offers a relaxed dining experience among vineyards. It’s the perfect place to discover local cuisine and typical products of the Utiel-Requena region. Throghout the year, they organize unique events like the Full Moon Experience.
Zariego
Calle Nueva 2 – Fuenterrobles – (+34) 613 304 628 | Instagram | Mon and Thu-Sun 9:00 to 17:00. Fri & Sat 20:00 to 1:00
Contemporary cuisine in a beautiful space created in 2023 by Joshua Solaz and Adrián Álvarez, an entrepeneur and the mayor of Fuenterrobles.
Raïmblanc
Calle Bolos 8 – Villargordo del Cabriel – (+34) 962 186 302 | Instagram | Fri 21:00 to 22:30
Located in the hotel of the same name in Villagordo del Cabriel, Raïmblanc offers traditional cuisine with Paz’s personal, creative, creative and modern touch.
Restaurante OBA
Calle T. Pérez Úbeda 6 – Casas Ibáñez – (+34) 663 237 445 | Instagram | Mon-Sun 13:00 to 17:00. Fri & Sat 20 to 23:30
We conclude our list with a restaurant that, despite being a bit further from the village, is well worth the trip. The increasingly famous OBA restaurant, where chefs Javier Sanz, Juan Sahuquillo, and their team have created one of the 150 best retaurants in Europe, offers a gastronomic experience worthy of its first Michelin Star, deeply rooted in local tradition.
Discover More
In addition to the above, you will find other options such as the pleasant literary café Café Salón Pérez in Utiel, or simpler spots like Casa Violeta in Venta del Moro, or the local Bar de Casas de Pradas, right here in the village. Share your favorite places with us in the comments!
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