Most of the cuisine you will find in Villajoyosa will feature the traditional dishes of the Alicante coast. The main ingredients are fish and seafood and a wide variety of different ways to prepare rice.
There are numerous local restaurants specialising in paella and arroz caldoso (rice bouillon) mostly made with seafood. You will find arròs amb llampuga (rice with mackerel), arròs amb ceba (rice with onion) and arròs amb espinacs (rice with spinach).
Other typical dishes include suquet de peix (fisherman's stew), polpets amd ceba i orenga (octopus in onion and oregano sauce) and pebrereta (salted tuna stew with peppers). But the outstanding culinary delight of the region is the caldero de peix (fish cauldron).
The fish dishes are second to none: tuna roe, tuna steaks, moixama (salted tuna), etc. You can buy seafood in the fish shops or markets in the vicinity or have seafood as a tapa in local bars and restaurants. Everything will be fresh, most having been landed at the local fishing port itself.
Among the traditional sweets and desserts you will enjoy els pastissets de moniato (sweet potato cakes) and les tortades d’ametlla, a delicious almond biscuit.
And be sure not to miss the famous chocolate, because Villajoyosa is home to four chocolate factories with a long tradition, including the world famous "Chocolates Valor". The local stone-ground turrón (nougat) is another traditional sweet well worth a mention. Its enveloping creaminess and lively touch of lemon will captivate you.
And the traditional summer drink, nardo vilero (coffee frappe with absinthe) is not to be missed.
Nationally, Villajoyosa’s gastronomic and tourist sectors have become benchmarks thanks to the La Vila Gastronómica trademark, created by the Town Council’s Tourism Department, which is mainly based on chocolate, fish and the hospitality sector.
