Casa Carmela

Absolutely wonderful wood-fire paella! It is right by the water and has a great atmosphere. My group had some questions and the staff was very helpful when we were deciding what to get. I ended up doing the tasting menu and seafood paella. All of which was extremely fresh and full of flavor. The cheesecake was my favorite between the French toast and that. It was a vanilla bean flavor and had a great crust. The highlights were the oysters and paella of course!

Casa Carmela is one of the oldest and, according to many, the best paella restaurants in Valencia. They cook their paella over a live wood fire, not gas—and you can taste the difference. The result is simply delicious. We also tried some seafood, which was just as impressive, and the wine selection is outstanding—clearly, the owner has a deep appreciation for good wine (if I remember correctly, he’s the 4th generation running the place!). One important tip: reserve well in advance—not just a day or two, but weeks ahead if you want to secure a table. Absolutely worth it!

This was truly the most amazing Paella experience I ever had. They offered superior service throughout our lunch. There were seven of us and we had three appetizers and the main course. They paced the delivery of each appetizer accordingly while we waited for the Paella to be cooked from scratch.

Whenever I visit touristy spots, it feels like a roulette spin - it’s either a big hit or a big miss. This time, I was pleasantly surprised. We started with pan con tomate and a Valencian salad, both fresh and flavorful. But the real highlight was the paella - we had it with lobster, and it was the best I’ve ever had. The rice was perfectly cooked, slightly crispy, and the seafood was incredibly fresh. Great ambience, kind staff - overall, a top experience.

Was recommend by the taxi driver ! The tasting menu is really nice , only the size of paella really huge , need to take away afterwards! All the dish except the paella was really great , we preordered the Valencia paella but pity didn’t match our taste ! Maybe we should order seafood one instead of Valencian style ! But all in all was a nice experience!

Enjoy a stroll on the beach, and arrive at Casa Carmela for lunch if you want to tatse Valencia's famous paella. I would recommend making reservations because the wait for a table as a walk-in, even for two people, could be a long while. My party of two got lucky getting a table with no reservations. We had drinks at the bar while we waited about 20 minutes to be seated. The ambiance and service alone are enough to visit and enjoy the experience. We ordered the tasting menu for about 58€ per person. You must let the hostess know you want paella before being seated. I was glad I got a chance to taste the many different seafoods prepared here. It definitely challenged my palette, but I was up for the challenge. The flavors and textures were all interesting. The paella had snails in it. If you don't like snails, eat around them. The chicken was tender and well seasoned. The dessert options were French toast with vanilla ice cream and flan with vanilla ice cream. We got one of each! The orange juice was absolutely fantastic. If you are a real food adventurer and enjoy complex or non traditionally made foods, visit Casa Carmela!

Wonderful restaurant recommended by a tour guide in Valencia. We went on a Monday lunchtime and the queue was out the door just to get in. Bookings are essential. When we left just under 2 hours later there was another queue there to get in for the last sitting of the day, which shows how popular this placed is and for very good reason. We did splash out a little bit for a Mon lunchtime but even so the price wasn't really unreasonable. The food was excellent and the wine very reasonable in price. The staff are helpful, efficient and friendly, even when the restaurant was very busy. Paella is the speciality and this is definitely the place to order it. Although if you want some versions you'll need to pre-order the day before, you can do this when you book online. We had a seafood salad, prawn and turbot paella, plus a dessert each, with a cheeky dessert wine! We didn't need to eat much that evening I can tell you. It was a really enjoyable couple of hours and I would highly recommend it. We will definitely go again next time we're in Valencia.

Best paella valenciana! Might seem touristy, even with “touristy” service but the food makes up for it. As you get served, the waiters seem to warm up to you a bit. There was a longer than usual wait for our paella because of some problem in the kitchen so our server brought us some croquettes on the house. Only thing is, I wish we could just order the paella and make that the main star of the show otherwise you get full eating everything else. The steak goes well with the paella. Must make a reservation and order the paella in advance.

Paella is only for lunch so make a reservation here to have true authentic exquisite paella!! Get the Valèncian paella to share. It's absolutely amazing! We also got the dry octopus which was cute table-side. It was an incredible experience overall. This spot was recommended by a native Valencian! If you have room for dessert the flan was great. Overall a must try if you're visiting Valencia!

Finally, we decided to make the hike (literally we walked from city center to burn some calories) to eat at this famous paella restaurant. 5 minutes till opening, there were already about 60 people waiting. Seems that they focus on one main seating from 1-4pm. We have a favorite in the city center but this was really something special with the smokey taste from the wood-fire ovens which you can see being made from a glass window. The service was excellent and attentive and they all spoke English. We had the octopus and the waiter recommended the red prawns which were equally delicious. The paella Valencia (which we had to order via WhatsApp) was the star and seemed like a bigger portion than what we are used to seeing. The charred rice was crusty and just oozing with flavor. The artichokes and beans just melted in your mouth as did the meats. This establishment should be a must on everyone's list if you have some extra days in Valencia.

Let's just say that the anticipation outweighed the reality. Reservations were made 2 months in advance. We ordered a squid ink pallella main, and tomato with tuna and grilled octopus appetizers. The pallella was very salty but still had a good squid ink flavor , but don't expect much seafood, or rice, for that matter. Pallellas look huge, but in reality, it's a mirage. What you have here is basicallly 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup uncooked rice per person spread out in a thin layer on a large pallella dish prepared to just the point of the rice "burning" onto the dish. The grilled octopus app was very good, but only a few euros less expensive than a complete pallella for 2. My advice; while the pallella is flavorful, it left me wanting more. The apps did nothing but run up the bill. A jar of tuna and a few fresh tomatoes from El Mercado Central in Valencia is a much better, and less expensive, choice, albeit not exactly with your dinner. Ambiance and service were outstanding and truly what makes Casa Carmela's so worthy of a visit. Just stay away from the apps & maybe order an extra pallella instead.

We made a reservation on line (which is the only way you can) and their system didn't send the confirmation email we tried calling them 3 times. They would simply pick up the phone and set it down. When we arrived for our reservation they were rude and cold hearted and didn't care and simply said they were full and turned us away.

Casa Carmela is said to be one of the best paella restaurants in Valencia, and after eating there I can say it's really as good as the hype! Tip: This place is only open for lunch and it's VERY popular with the locals, so reservations are a must! The ambiance is a really nice blend of modern and authentic Spanish, service is attentive and efficient. Our visit here was my first "real" paella experience.  We started the meal off with some local starters - they were excellent!  The starters were paired with a really nice Verdejo wine.  Next, my friend and I shared the seafood paella; it looked and smelled amazing, and the taste was even better! Between the fabulous food, the delightful atmosphere and the great service, our dining experience was totally first-tier!  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place, and look forward to returning on a future trip to Valencia.

Casa Carmela is a must when in Valencia!! We visited here in January 2018. It was excellent then. Now we know it continues to be excellent. Never expecting to live in Valencia but we have since fall 2018 and it took us this long to come back. Oh my. Do not wait this long! I suggest making a reservation which is easy on their website. Also for us, we pre-ordered a vegetarian paella. This is a must if you want this dish. We were greeted by the sweetest hostess who also checked out EU Covid digital certificate. Easy and fast. We had a lovely table and it was fun to watch the 'performance' of a well trained staff! This place is poetry in motion. Our server Patxi was the most incredible man. Prompt, friendly, fun, attentive, simply PERFECTO!! Our Valencian salad and my husband had calamari rings. Both very good. But the highlight was the vegetable paella which was perfection. I can't believe we ate the entire paella but we just couldn't stop. Of course we saved a little room for a Chufa nut (horchata) flan as a dessert. Oh my. So good. I feel price was very fair for the quality and quantity. The veggie paella was 16€ per person. We definitely will not wait four years to return to Casa Carmela!

I'm being generous with a three star, however it is such a highly rated resto I feel like they should have another opportunity or opportunity to reply. 1. This place is not cheap. 2. You must book in advance 3. IF you want true Valencian paella (rabbit/chicken) you MUST advance order. What I don't understand is why when so many people come in and get disappointed by not being able to get this dish 4. Finally, our paella was inedible. We were told it's naturally salty because it's. Seafood. Hmmmmm Any other place we've had seafood has been delicious. None of the four of us could eat the food because it was so salty. And I like salty food, but not when it feels like my tongue is coated. So with this review, I tell: you- be cautious. You may want to find less expensive options or tell the server you cannot eat salt.

The worst and most expensive meal we have ever had in Spain. The paella was so salty my tongue was swollen. The rice was mushy. The quality was non existent. What a huge disappointment. 40€ a person!!. Dreadful experience. They didn't even offer us napkins to clean our hands after the seafood. There was a dirty mop in the dining room.

Be aware of 40 euros per person charge. Paella was good but nothing special. The service was horrendous. We had to ask for anybody to pay attention to us after we had finished our main entree. Waited forever to be able to order dessert and to get our bill! I will not return! Restaurant location is good.

Please. Don't walk. Run here. How does this place only have 38 reviews. The staff ... literally incredible. The food ... world class. I've traveled all over the world, every dish ... perfect. I will be back. I'd stay here for a month just to eat this food everyday.

My Valencian friend said Casa Carmela was supposed to be the best paella in town, so we joined his friends when they invited us on a stormy Wednesday afternoon during Las Fallas. I will admit the paella was great, but I don't have much to compare to. I liked everything we ate here, my only complaint is that it seemed pretty expensive. Our bill was 240 euro for 4 people after a bunch of drinks. Oh well, YOLO.

This restaurant is on almost every paella list online. Tried many times unsuccessfully to make reservations but the website didn't work. Finally called from our hotel a few days before and was able to get a table. We were told pre ordering wasn't required. The spiny lobster paella was absolutely amazing. My friend was almost crying the whole time she was eating because she was sad she will never be able to eat it again. I have no idea how they made the seafood so tender and flavorful. This meal was worth the trip to Valencia. By the time we left the whole huge restaurant was packed so make reservations if you can. It's absolutely worth it. I thought the price was really reasonable too. I would happily pay 3x more to get paella this good here at home.

Zoom zoomed my way from Madrid to Valencia just to have some bougie paella. Cute spot by the beautiful beach. Food was almost perfect, except for the large pinch of salt. What We Ordered: + Seafood Paella, 4/5 (a bit too salty) + Baby Squid, 4/5 (a bit too salty) Pro-Tip: + Make your life easy; make reservations. We walked in at 3PM and snagged bar seats. Not a big deal since we like bar seats and the food was good. But if you want a table, make a reservation.

Great experience , good food and excellent service Located close to Beautiful beach See you next time

Won't seat a table for one. Had me wait and then told me they had no tables available for the day but could sit at the bar with a limited menu. They then proceeded to seat the table for 2 that was waiting behind me. I traveled over an hour to get there and really wanted to try their Paella but they are clearly greedy. Little did they know that I eat more than 2 people could.

The best meal we had in Valencia is in Casa Carmela. Hands down! We were here on a Sunday afternoon around 2 pm. The place was jumping, but we were seated right away. The crowd seems to be mainly locals, mixed with some tourists. Lots of big parties and looked like families enjoying Sunday lunch together. The restaurant is bright and clean. There are traditional Valencia tiles all over. Personally, I find it super cute! We ordered grill cuttlefish and paella for two. We ordered what locals recommend. The kind that every ingredients were shelled and you don't have to get your hands dirty. We waited at least 45 mins for the paella, and we was not even mad. Given the place was so busy, and the taste of their paella, it was absolutely worth it! We ordered a Valencia red wine. It was organic and delicious especially pairing with food. The paella filled us up, but we could not resist ordering a desert to share. We chose a similar to flan dish, and the direct translation for it is "bacon in heaven", and it really is! This place is truly special and I feel so lucky to have found it during a too short of a visit in Valencia.

This location was nicely set right on the beach. You have to call ahead to order the paella and reserve table but it still takes awhile to come out. The presentation was spectacular but the price is high in my opinion. It was cool but I felt I spent a lot for basically seafood rice. Maybe that's my ignorance. After visiting 15 countries Id like to think I appreciate cultures but yeah $80 for that paella was kind of ridiculous. The sangria was $18 a carafe and was not as good as the sangria I had at the beach bar across the street from the resturant. Overall I could take or leave this place The presentation and location is what keeps people coming back. It was recommended by locals we asked. Although it was a bartender, hotel reception and oue tour guide so maybe they get a cut from recommendation I dont know.

I read about this restaurant and can't wait when I will visit this restaurant and booked table for my wife's birthday. Appetizers we ordered were good and no complaints. Paella was bad. I owned Spanish restaurant El Plato and I am know taste of paella. This time I ate the most terrible paella in my life. And was upset about service and how they foolish customers. I ordered 1 paella and they brought me 4 portions in one pan. They never told me how they serve, never asked me how many portions I would like to order. They count people seating by the table and include my daughter who has disabilities and can't eat herself and served 4 portions. Which I found out when they brought me check. This is absolutely not professional and this is looks like trick. If they are respect customers and their reputation they should explain about price for paella and at least they can ask how many portions we would like to order. Waiter wasn't friendly, when she changed forks and spoons he throw them on a table. I never saw this kind of service. P.S. this is touristic restaurant where they don't care about quality of the service and food. You can find much better paella in other places. They ruin my wife's birthday and foolish me as an idiots. Beleive me, this is not only money I spent for nothing, this is really bad restaurant. I can tell as food expert and restaurant owner.

Food: 4.5/5.0 Service: 2.5/5.0 Value: 3.0/5.0 Decor: 3.5/5.0 Overall: 4.0/5.0 In my opinion, the best of the three paella spots I tried on my quick stop in Valencia. The valenciana was excellent and included what I believe were the liver, gizzard, and heart of the rabbit (in addition to standard muscle) as well as artichoke. The marisco pelado (peeled seafood) paella was also fantastic. It struck me there there were far fewer 'straight up' tourists at the restaurant, based on my not having noticed any non-Spanish speaking tables (out of many on the terrace and many more indoors. I think a stop here is a must if you're in town, but take note that they're far-ish north from the popular part of the beach and are only open for lunch six days a week.

We came to taste the signature dish of the house and real disappointment, the rice without flavor, the hard meats and without flavor, more relaxed of the correct time and reality this review is just this dish, all the other was good and very good service

I found this restaurant on google when searching for paella in Valencia. I couldn't get a table reservation, so I showed up and took a seat at the bar. The paella takes 30min to cook as they make it fresh. The service was first rate, they had a great selection of wine, and the paella was to die for! Absolutely the best paella I have ever had! This in itself was worth the trip from Canada!!! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone that wants an authentic Spanish meal, in a fantastic restaurant! 5 stars all the way!!!

Amazing paella!!! The BEST we've ever had. My bro in law wanted a different dish and the waiter took him to the back where they made the paella and basically said "you need to get the paella" lol. We got a huge serving with seafood to share in our group and some small plates. It was so good I scraped off every little bit of it. My mom got drunk from the sangria- she doesn't drink but she thought it was delicious. GREAT FOOD ATTENTIVE & WONSERDUL SERVICE I'd definitely be back when in Spain.

My friends and I daringly walked in without a reservation at lunch and happened to find 3 open seats at the bar. First of all, the service was incredible from start to finish. Secondly, all previous reviews of the food are accurate-- the paella is AMAZING! Keep in mind, they only serve paella until 4pm, so make sure you get there early enough. The server recommended a 24€ bottle of cava that was incredible. Overall, the best lunch we had in Spain. Highly recommend making a reservation ahead of time, though.

What an amazing treat! Our Airbnb host (Javi) recommended this spot, it was literally 12 min walk from where we stayed. We waited until Valencia to try paella since it's suppose to be the best place to have it. We stayed a week in Madrid and every place we walked by people were eating a pan full of rice, thankfully we waited as this is TRUE & TRADITIONAL PAELLA! From the minute we walked in we were greeted and taken care of, the host sat us in the Patio, the best spot in the place then our server suggested just 2 appetizers so we didn't spoil our appetite. We tried a beautiful tomato salad and calamari then Lobster & seafood paella Bugavante, (dry vs. soupy) a style know in Valencia. It was truly a memorable experience, had a couple bottles of SB along with our paella then finished w/a bread pudding w coffee ice cream. It was perfect, just enough food for 3 and nothing left over! A MUST try if you're ever here in the Patacon beach of Valencia.

Best Paela EVER! Found out about this place through a blog about visiting Valencia on Pinterest. WOW it's a must to try it says to make reservation and if you can read Spanish on their website to call an reserve please do. My family and I took a day trip to visit Valencia from Barcelona we rented a car (awesome drive great views). We got to Valencia around 3PM because we made a stop in Peniscola, went to Casa Carmela to make a reservation and good thing we did the restaurant closes at 4PM They are only open from 1PM-4PM everyday! When we arrived, the restaurant was full and when we asked for a table of 6 with no reservation we were lucky we only waited for about 20-30min. The main restaurant was full, they found an empty table in the covered patio area they converted to more seating. The smell of the food was intoxicating, and while we were waiting by the hostess table they have Tv's by the bar area that has a live feed of the kitchen with the open fire cooking of the Paela, it was really cool so if you sat by the bar you can see how they prepare your food. One of our waiters spoke some English the rest of them that helped clear and check on the table we got by, by making gestures and hand signals. Menu was relatively small and they mainly serve variety of Paellas, a few tapas, few seafood dishes, desserts, drinks, and wine. Two kinds of Paella on the menu a traditional cooked over an open fire or a soup kind. When you order the paella it's a per person cost usually minimum of 2. We all wanted to try traditional cooked over the open fire however, my husband wanted to try the soup. Since it was for 2, we decided to get a traditional for 4 and a soup for 2, a few appetizers, and sangria. Our waiter was so funny when we ordered the soup paella, he was like have you tried our traditional paella we are the only restaurant that still make it this way, if it's your first time here you must try it. My husband still wanted to try to soup (he wasn't feeling that well, wanted liquid). The waiter was like you two come with me, I'm going to show you how we make our paella - he brought us in to the kitchen! WOW very impressive and hot with the open fire pit area. All the paella's have the same ingredients however the open fire cooking infuses extra flavor. My husband still wanted soup after the kitchen tour and I wanted the traditional way, so he was like okay we'll cook a seafood soup paella for 1 and traditional seafood for 5. They gave us these table snacks of pickled veggies and olives, we ordered appetizer of Galician Snails, grilled octopus on Polenta, and this surprise app he recommended which he called jewel of the sea and we also got a pitcher of Sangria The Octopus was tender and delicious, the Galician Snails was served cold with the lemon had a good clean fresh taste, the surprise appetizer ended being sea cucumber that was fried with this sauce on top and it was good too. The sangria didn't taste like there was wine tasted more like sparkling watermelon juice which was different, still yummy though. The wait time for the paela wasn't bad, when we finished out appetizers about another 5-10 min this giant paella pan was coming our way and a cast iron pot for the paella soup. The waiter showed us the proper way to get the paella from the pan especially to get the crispy parts a spoonful at a time. No need to use a plate each person had a section of the pan that was arranged so each of us had a serving of langostines and shrimps. I can't gush enough how this paella was good, i was cooked perfectly and had sections bottom of the pan that was crispy "burnt" part, which you used your spoon to scrape up. The soup had the same ingredients yet the flavor was different, it didn't have the smoke wood flavor infused in it. It was still good but the open fire paella was better. Now if you've ever ordered paella in Spain the prices are per person, so this paella wasn't cheap but it was worth it, if you made a reservation ahead of time, you can pre-order this special paella they have that is more traditional with rabbit and other proteins. The table next to us had it, and it looked good. We were enjoying our meal so much that we one of the tables that was still there pass closing time. They were still friendly about it, the waiter offered aperitif shot while eating our traditional flan. When we mentioned my sister was pregnant he was really happy got her a nonalcoholic drink and another traditional dessert that supposedly given to mothers for the baby. When we were walking out, our waiter and manager maybe owner was by the hallway by the door thanked us for dining with them, asked if everything was perfect for us and wished us a wonderful time in Valencia. Really awesome service! Sorry with the long review but if you are ever in Valencia and wanting to try authentic paella this is a must place to go!

Had a wonderful brunch on Friday. I enjoyed the atmosphere, food & service. I had the chilaquiles verde a bit different with pork (generally I've had eggs) but I enjoyed it plus the beans were wonderful. The staff was very friendly and let us sit and visit which is always a plus to be able to actually enjoy having a meal out with friends. I wish they had a location in the San Fernando valley I would definitely take my family.

SPOILER: this will be the best paella you will ever have. Hands down. We found this place on wikipaella.org -- go check it out. We got the Paella Rojo (it had prawns, monkfish, and squid)? It was so incredible flavorful and rich and buttery. Best part -- they scrape the pan for you to get all of that amazing rice crust (soccarat -- yes it has a name) and put it on a separate plate for you. One of the best things I've ever put in my mouth. DO IT. Also, you can go see them cook the paella over wood fire if you ask. Great service and accommodating to English! Make a reservation for a big party -- we were just 2 and sat at the bar/counter no problem.

A must try restaurant in Valencia! Paella cooked the traditional way. Everything we tried was awesome. A bit pricey compared to other restaurants but worth the visit. Ask for permission to go into the kitchen and they will gladly bring you inside to see how the paella is cooked. Kudos to the chef inside as it was hot. Please make sure you have reservations before showing up or you will likely get turn away as this place is always packed.

https://youtu.be/fSmVr4krsdU : Video Walkthrough! What a cool restaurant! Was reccomended to me by my AirBnb host. Definitely a local gem. Beautiful interior, excellent staff, and of course amazing Paella! Their hours are limited so be sure to plan your visit accordingly. Also you must arrange ahead of time with them if you want to have the rabbit paella! I will have to try that next I'm in Spain. Insider tip- Ask them to see the kitchen! How Cool! www.everythingjoes.com

Don't doubt eating at this place, it's worth the walk from the ocean (1 block) instead of the touristic restaurants in the beach, you'll know what I'm talking about when you try the paella!

Absolutely authentic paella from this family-run restaurant, established in 1922. We sampled both the Paella Valenciana (duck, rabbit & snails) and the Paella de Mariscos (shrimp, calamari & snails). Both were incredible and with generous amounts of socarrat - the crusty Bomba rice at the bottom of the pan...! Order a bottle of the Rose on the menu - it is a local varietal and pairs well with either paella. They are only open from 1:30 to 4ish PM. Make a reservation as this place is popular with the locals.

fire appetizers! we ordered the camarones al ajillo (shrimp sautéed in garlic) and they were explosive.. had the mussels steamed in what could have been one of the more delicious broths ive had so make sure to have extra bread ready and dont be shy to dump half of your shrimp right in with the mussels they do an excellent dance together. the 4 stars came because we didnt get to try the signature paella valenciana since you have to reserve that in advance! but the paella rojos was still pretty darn good. def a place to hit up and you cant beat the beach right across the street.

Wow. What an amazing restaurant. The seafood paella was the best. The service was superb. Ana was fantastic. Terrific wine. We enjoyed every minute. One of our favorite meals in Valencia. Highly recommend.

I have been to Valencia many times and I am a huge fan of paellas so I have tried them in many restaurants. Casa Carmela's is the best I have had so far. The rice is perfectly cooked in a flavorful sofrito, the seafood and fish as fresh as it can be. I strongly recommend it if you want to try the authentic rice of Valencia. I will definitely go back.