Restaurante La Pepica

Spain is the birthplace of Paella, but it was Valencia that introduced the dish to the peninsula. A good paella should be mostly rice and real saffron, and La Pepica does not disappoint in this regard. Its Paella Valenciana was delicious, cooked with chicken instead of seafood in a cast iron pan that comes straight from the kitchen to your table. The 2 of us could have ordered this alone and been very well fed that evening.

The beachfront restaurant attracts locals and visitors in equal numbers and counts Ernest Hemingway as one of its regulars in the nearly 100 years they’ve been open. The first impression you get of the place is deceptive; the blindingly bright fluourescent lights certainly don’t make for an inviting ambiance, but the courteous service and excellent food more than make up for it.