Restaurante El Capricho de Raquel - Alicante

The Restaurante El Capricho de Raquel is a Spanish restaurant in Alicante that specialises in traditional, Mediterranean cuisine. The restaurant can be found in the South of the Spanish city, right next to the seafront of the East coast of Spain.

The Restaurant

The Restaurante El Capricho de Raquel is located at the South end of the city, not far from the airport of Alicante; this means that you don't have to travel far to find some decent food after your arrival at the airport when you visit Alicante! The restaurant is part of the small town of Urbanova which is very tranquil and is right next to the excellent 'Playa de Urbanova' or Urbanova beach.

The idea of setting up the Restaurante El Capricho de Raquel came to the owner, Raquel, at a young age as she had always been surrounded by the hospitality industry thanks to her family who had hotels in Aragón. In 1993, the wheels of this idea were set in motion, but like most first time business, Raquel encountered many problems along the way.

At first, Raquel could only manage to serve workmen who were building properties in the Urbanova area and the dishes on offer were limited to just tapas and a menu of the day. In these early days, the establishment was more like a local pub with a few dishes on the side. During this time, Raquel's husband also came to help out in the restaurant, splitting his time being working there at his main job at a local bank.

From the year 2000, the couple's three children began helping out as well, making the Restaurante El Capricho de Raquel into a true family business. The children quickly picked up the skills of waiting and customer service as they started at a young age. Today they are the members of staff who provide the highest quality of service.

Over the years, the restaurant's clientele has grown substantially and in 2004 Raquel decided to enlarge her restaurant to accommodate her numerous customers more easily. This marked the conversion of the Restaurante El Capricho de Raquel from a local pub into a fully-fledged restaurant.

Thanks to the additions back in the year of 2004, El Capricho de Raquel now composes of a main dining room, a private dining room and a large terrace. They have also invested in another building which houses a further private dining room as well as a climate controlled wine cellar.

The Menu

All of the dishes that you can sample at the Restaurante El Capricho de Raquel in Alicante are based on traditional Mediterranean recipes but they have been given a twist by the owner and chef, Raquel, as well as other members of the family. There are some dishes with hints of the food of Aragón as well due to Raquel's Aragonese heritage. Raquel and her restaurant are also conscious of the nutritional values of the food that they serve and are dedicated to making sure that the food is healthy.

Some of the highlights from the menu at El Capricho de Raquel include such dishes as 'albóndigas caseras' which are home made pork meatballs, 'ternasco asado' which is roast lamb which Raquel cooks in an Aragonese style, and 'Cecina de caballo' which is the horse equivalent of a cured ham, a delicacy from Castille-Leon. Raquel also makes an excellent range of home made desserts like home made custard with local biscuits and panna cotta.

As with every good Spanish restaurant in Spain, the Restaurante El Capricho de Raquel has an excellent selection of wine. The collection at the restaurant is extremely extensive, comprising of over 500 different types of wine, from clarets to cava. You don't need to study Spanish wine though to pick one, as Raquel and her family will be glad to suggest which wine should go with which dish.