Taberna del Puerto - Alicante

The Taberna del Puerto is a Spanish restaurant in Alicante which is located in the picturesque wharf of the city. This restaurant prides itself on producing high quality, traditional Mediterranean food which is both tasty and healthy too.

The Restaurant

Taberna del Puerto

The Taberna del Puerto is located in the old wharf building towards the South of the city of Alicante, on the East coast of Spain. This means that you get great views of the Mediterranean Sea as well as being surrounded by the maritime history of Alicante.

The restaurant opened in 1996 while the marina area of Alicante was being enlarged. The restaurant was completely remodelled in 2007 to incorporate a style based on a mix between Moorish and Castilian elements, without losing the nautical theme that surrounds the restaurant.

The interior is a mixture of nautical themes and traditional Spanish styles. The extensive use of dark stained wood and maritime items gives the Taberna del Puerto a rustic yet welcoming feel. The flashes of red cloth and flowers evoke the Southern Spanish traditions of Flamenco and bull fighting. Outside there is a large covered terrace which gives the best views of the countryside, the sea and the marina, full of expensive yachts and sailing boats.

This Spanish restaurant is run by Pepe Calatayud, and along with his expert team of chefs, has been working to promote the flavours and dishes of Spain and the Mediterranean over the past few decades. They have been rewarded for their hard work by many visits from members of the upper Spanish classes in Spain. Just some of the famous people that have visited the Taberna del Puerto include the singer, Miguel Rios, the actress, Concha Cuetos, the bull fighter, Jose Marí Manzanares hijo, and the famous writer, Arturo Perez-Reverte. All of their celebrity guests have been documented in the many photos that hang on the wall of the 'Rincón de Famosos' (Celebrity Corner) at the restaurant. You never know, you could be rubbing shoulders with Spanish celebrities if you dine at the Taberna del Puerto when you visit Alicante.

The Menu

rice

At the Taberna del Puerto, you can find a rich variety of Spanish and Mediterranean dishes which are cooked to a high standard. In particular, this Spanish restaurant specialises in Alicante style rice dishes as well as fish and seafood dishes using produce that has been freshly caught in the Mediterranean Sea and brought in at the nearby port in Alicante.

The menu is in constant evolution but contains some of the staple foods of the Alicante and Mediterranean diets such as fish, meat and rice. Fish and seafood have clearly been an important part of Mediterranean cooking as they are so readily available. The Taberna del Puerto are keen to promote the consumption of fish as they recognise the health benefits of the food such as the ample quantities of vitamin B12 and healthy oils. Rice too is another of the traditional ingredients used extensively at this Spanish restaurant in Alicante. The chefs at the Taberna del Puerto are particularly skilled at producing the traditional Alicante paella, maintaining the original flavour that was developed so many centuries ago.

Some of the recommended dishes at the Taberna del Puerto in Alicante include 'Chuletitas de Cabrito con Salsita Villena' (baby goat chops in Villena sauce), 'Rape a la Cazuela' (Monkfish casserole), and 'Arroz Alicantina' (Alicante rice) which includes chicken, squid, clams and prawns.

The Taberna del Puerto also have a great selection of wines and are very conscious of which wines should go with which dishes on their menu. Their wine is stored in a climate controlled wine cellar to ensure that the wine is preserved in the best possible way and is always served at the correction temperature. In particular, they have a large amount of bottles from local vineyards in the region of Alicante. In total there are over 50 different types of wine at this restaurant in Alicante.