This was a terrible restaurant - the whole experience. We were immediately asked what we wanted to drink, just as we were opening the menu. After giving the wide-eyed shrug you'd give to any unknowable answer, our waiter disappeared ... for a long time. We finally got his attention and ordered our drinks. There followed a long wait to order our food, which was apparently to prepare us for the rest. Long story short, we waited an hour and 45 minutes to receive an extremely salty, merely warm and not at all satisfying paella. I started feeling angry toward the waiter, but then started feeling sorry for him. He was constantly racing back and forth between the tables and the kitchen, which was far across this massive restaurant. I often saw him speaking intently to someone who seemed to be a manager. The couple next to us sent their food back after a tense conversation with the two of them. It just seemed like maybe the whole place was in crisis. The best moment was when we managed to get out the door. Ugh. read more

We knew we had to go here when our friend, who is a native Valencian, recommended this spot and even called it "the best Paella in Valencia". The biggest snafu that we ran into was that we assumed that this place did not require reservations. We quickly learned that we were not the only ones who knew about this jem and we had not made reservations. We tested our luck and got to the restaurant early so that we would be there right when it opened. There was a small line of people who had the same idea, but to our delight, they had a handful of tables that were not reserved and we got one of them. We were seated inside which had a slightly dated style but was clean and upscale. We were dressed nicely - a casual cotton dress and my husband wore khaki shorts and a button down shirt. They did let people in who were dressed more for the beach but those people did stick out quite a bit and the servers did not seem happy about it. The menu has an English section which made ordering easy. We went with a traditional Valencian tapa of esgarret and we were also given slices of garlic bread. We really liked the house red wine, Sericis and ordered a bottle. We chose the mixta paella rather then the traditional Valencian paella since I am not a fan of rabbit. All of the food was absolutely delicious and there was more than enough of it. Our friend was right, best paella we had in Valencia! read more

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Este restaurant esta celebrando 125 años. La comida y el servicio fueron excelentes. Aunque no hay menu para niños, lo que les ofrecieron les gusto lucho. Tanto las entradas como la paella con cigalas estuvieron de lo mejor. Es un sitio que hay que visitar si se encuentra en Valencia. read more

Stopped in for lunch during day two in Valencia. This was the second time that I've eaten here. It's fun to watch them prepare paella as you enter. I started with Pulpo. It was delicious and tender. We added Sangria which was OK but not as good as we had in Barcelona. I had the cod for my main dish which was delicious. The menu must change seasonally as I was hoping for Chipperones. A bit tourist with the whole "Hemminway ate here" but very good nonetheless. read more

The Paella was burnt and dry, definitely did not live up to all the Hype... while the service was good, definitely would not recommend coming here read more

Epic restaurant by the Malvarosa beach. Starters and paella were OK, I don't think I'll come back though. Is the price worthy? Judge by yourself. It might be more the location and atmosphere than the food itself. read more

La Pepica - Arroz negro - Spanish Near Me - Valencia, V

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So my vacation crew were in search of the best paella in Valencia. This place was recommended by the host of our apartment. Location of this restaurant is probably what made everyone rave about it but I thought their paella definitely was not the best. So it seems that most of the restaurants along the beach are very well lit at night. We walked in and the whole room was lit with bright white lights. As we walked along the strip of restaurants, they all looks about the same. We ordered 2 plates of paella which was fairly large, we had a group of 6 people. The food came out rather fast which is likely the first red flag. Paella should take at least 50 minutes if they're not serving you frozen pre-prepped paella. We had seafood and chicken. The rice was under cooked. Flavor was ok. My friends didn't like that the chickens have bone but I enjoyed it. Would I come back for their paella? Likely not. read more

La Pepica - Kitchen - Spanish Near Me - Valencia, V

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Very stuffy place. Been twice. Been disappointed twice despite the reputation. The food is just okay and the atmosphere is horrific. In a city that does paella so we'll, I would not not recommend. read more

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! read more

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Excellent paella! Most definitely worth the price! The ambiance in the outdoor area was phenomenal, and the waiters were very attentive. read more

La Pepica - Mussels are delicious! - Spanish Near Me - Valencia, V

So. I am on the fence with this one. The pros: the ambiance was wonderful. We had good paella, def. not "the best" but pretty good. I did wish it had the bottom crust on it and that would have put it in a much better place on my list. The bread was good and I enjoyed The aioli and tomatoe. The bravas, meh. I have definitely had much better. The sauce was a little sweet, rather than the typical Spicy (not my preference because it reminds me of ketchup) The calamari was thick and a bit cold like it may have sat out for a bit, as it was not crunchy. I think it would have been great if it was super hot from being prepared right then. The waiter was fine, and no, they don't speak Spanish, but he was pleasant when he took our order. (There is also an English menu so really look at that) There was another waiter that seemed happy to want to talk and pleasant, but he was busy like everyone else. All in all, I'd say make a reservation and you have can have a pleasant meal and just enjoy the laid back non rush of the service. Was it the very best paella or food of Valencia? No. But it is a nice place to visit. read more

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La Pepica is just OK. We searched online for a good paella place in Valencia and decided on this one among many choices. In part, because it's in a nice location on the beach. It does have that "been-there-forever" legendary feel. But, it mostly comes down to the food, right? We went there with the kids and mother-in-law (who used to live near Valencia). We were seated quickly and service was OK...no real complaints. For starters, we were served mediocre garlic bread and mediocre sangria. We had much better sangria at the Westin back in Madrid. The garlic bread really just tasted like that frozen garlic bread you buy back in the states to serve with spaghetti. I got the Valencia salad (lettuce, olives, capers, boiled egg, tuna, tomatoes). It tasted OK but nothing special. It was decidedly downscale from what I was expecting. We also got the calamari and I do have to say it was really good. For the main courses, we ordered some mariner paella (all seafood) and the chicken and vegetable paella (can't remember name). Both were pretty dry and salty and unremarkable. I may not be able to make authentic paella at home (yet) but I could make a better seafood and rice dish than the one I had at La Pepica without too much effort. Overall, not a bad experience at all but I would definitely try one of the other paella restaurants before going to La Pepica again. read more

Good fish and seafood. Nice service. Too many people are in the restaurant.paella with seafood is good. read more

La Pepica - Spanish Near Me - Valencia, V

Best swordfish I have ever had in my life. Waitstaff could have been friendlier. Strongly recommend them getting a Hostess stand! I stood there for 20 mins, able to speak only English, until someone finally approached me. read more

La Pepica - Spanish Near Me - Valencia, V

A step into history and a great meal at the same time. With Hemingway and Orson Welles on the wall, it's obvious Pepica has stood the test of time. And considering the service and the meal, it's clear why. We had a delicious salad, a cheese plate and Paella Pepica. Bottle of rosé. Of course my companion was the best part, but that's the way it should be. We opened and closed the restaurant. Viva la Pepica! read more

Do not come with high expectation if you really want a good paella. Too salty, and the seafood was not fresh at all. Not recommended! read more

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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. read more

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

We decided to come here for a lunch after driving from Barcelona to Valencia. It is right on the beach and seating arrangements are in a way where you can see the ocean from where you have a meal. We ordered a couple of appetizers, of which the Fried calamari was the best. They also had very good croquettes and octopus. For our entrée, we shared a paella that was very good and plenty for the three of us that we're having lunch. Service was quick for everything they had to do. We asked for the payout to be clean so all the seafood was out of the shell. read more

Second time here and either my memory is failing or La Pepica is. Probably the former but two years ago the paella had that great socarrat and was not so salty. It was good, but sadly I do better at home. Still a great space and a fun time. Oh well. We'll try again next year read more

Our cab driver recommended this place for paella when we arrived by train. We were looking for a spot on the beach and were able to snag a table right as they opened for lunch at 1pm. The restaurant was completely packed on the patio by 1:30, however there was a lot of room inside. I would recommend getting a RSVP a couple days in advance. We had the patatas bravas, paella pepica (traditional seafood), bread and a bottle of vino blanco. Overall, I would rate the overall experience a 4.5*, food 4.5*, the service was 5* and the ambiance was 5*. I would agree with some other reviews that the paella was a little salty, but we didn't mind it. Also, it took at least 30 minutes for the paella to come out, so I believe that the paella is cooked fresh and not frozen. The weather was amazing in October and a patio in Valencia is a must. All in all, the history of this restaurant and food were worth the price of admission. While it was the most expensive meal we had during our trip to Spain ($62 Euro - traveled to Barcelona & Valencia), we did not feel like it was overrated or overpriced. read more

The taste is not as good as the price, to be honest. paella was toooo salty! Lobster was over cooked not that soft then read more

La Pepica - tooooo salty...... I don't like it - Spanish Near Me - Valencia, V

Paella is decent, service not very friendly Upon arrival we were told that we could only order 2 different paella for the whole table (7 of us) where the menu only mentions 2 person per paella. Quite strange! Fish and seafood were fresh and well cooked though. read more

Horrible! The worst service ever. Even for Spain. We waited 45 minutes for a paella for two and then at the end of the meal the owner asked us to leave so they could have our table for a larger party! Not only that but we gave them 50 euro for a 45 euro bill and they didn't ask us if we wanted change. They just took the 50 and ran. I don't care how legendary this place is. They are just a bunch of crooks in a tourist trap. The food wasn't even that great. read more

Fantastic fresh healthy food and great service. Made me feel welcome and at home on a solo business trip to Valencia. read more

La Pepica - Grilled shrimp with a half portion of vegetables. - Spanish Near Me - Valencia, V

Restaurant shows as is closed on Feb 22nd but it is not .The information on Yelp is wrong . Will give my rating after dinner.

We were recommended this restaurant for seafood. Although I has lots of good reviews, both my bf and I were really disappointed. We ordered seafood paella, a salad and patatas bravas. We asked for it to come altogether so it wasn't all paella at once. The patatas bravas came with salad as starters. The potatoes were barely cooked through with cold red sauce and a giant dollop of jelly type mayo. Zero flavour. The salad was iceberg lettuce, unripe tomatoes and grated carrot with canned tuna tossed on top. No flavour or dressing. After 35mins paella arrived. Two langoustines and two large prawns. When opened out of shell they tastes of dirty water like they had been sitting in a bucket of water in the sun for few days. My boyfriend rarely leaves food behind but even he didn't want it. There was v minimal other seafood. There was no crust and very little flavour. Sorely disappointed as the paella was €30. We didn't have dessert. The service was v slow but they were friendly. The venue is nice and good view of beach. The wine that cost us €25 was €2.50 in shop two streets away lol read more

The worst restaurant I have ever been to in Spain and I have been traveling to Spain over 10 years !! It took 15 minutes and 5 servers to communicate in English for ordering... I had the grilled sole which was dried out completely - it was horrible! My husband had worse - he had red mullet. It's gut was not cleaned properly and it was so disgusting we sent it back! It was a regretful evening!! read more

My lunch was ok, overall very over rated! My lobster Paella was ok, not that great! Service was very slow and lost. My experience with other restaurant was much better then this restaurant, won't come back! Thanks read more

This restaurant is recommended by hotel reception. We went this restaurant after swimming for lunch, i was still wearing swimming pants, but they let us in. Food was excellent, grilled vegetables and Paella we have tried. Reservation recommended. read more

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We had the paella marisco and love, love, loved it. Not sure why reviews are spotty. We had a great waiter who we asked for recommendations. This was the best pan con tomate we'd had this week (small points I know) but we also had great pulpo (octopus) and really enjoyed the paella. We're trying to see if we can come back tomorrow! read more

Me and my wife are on a business trip where we have been told by Hotel and Taxi driver that this place is one of the best two places to eat. Assuming locals would know better than us, we decided to go with the referral. First of all, if you are not from Spain and you do not speak Spanish, you are at an uncharted waters. No one, literally no waiters or service people speak English. You have to fight through your way to understand which wine is better, whether Red Mullet actually a Salmon or not. Finally when we ordered our food, we expected sth nice comparing with their prices. The result is: Sole is too dry to enjoy, Red Mullet was grilled with the intestines and the ingredients of the intestines which made it taste like sh.t . When I showed the fish and the feces it is served with, even one of the waiters showed a gesture of disgust. I Sent back the Red Mullet and did not want to order anything as I lost my appetite. The Red et was not at the bill, but it should have never served anyways. Long story short, if you want to struggle with what you would like to eat and what you will be served and ready to eat sh.t, eat at La Pepica. Otherwise stay away. Try Panorama instead. A little more expensive but at least the food and view is definitely more satisfactory. read more