Valencia Trader

al Pomodoro

Where to go for a relaxing lunch on a Sunday in the centre of Valencia with no booking and a party of guests in tow...

al Pomodoro of course!

Their marketing strapline appears to be "Vicios Italianos" (Italian vices) and it's not a surprise after indulging heartily recently. The place itself is both spacious and intimate - appearing to span the top level of several adjoining houses.

One of our guests asked the waiter for "something authentically Spanish" - to which the waiter looked shocked and replied that they only have authentic Italian food on offer. Which is true. The staff appear to be entirely Italian (which adds to the atmosphere) and the service was quite good.

The food was very good for the price and includes Italian favourites such as Pizza, Calzone, Lasagne (best I've ever tasted actually) and a variety of salads with the latest spray-on Balsamic vinegar imported from Italy (we saw this useful device recently in Venice).

The oven cooked "chips" looked great on a nearby table but we had already ordered quite sufficient for our party of 8. The kids enjoyed their main courses and the puddings - oh the puddings!

Highly recommended and close(ish) to the Cathedral located in a quiet backstreet with interesting shops.

al Pomodoro

Calle del Mar, 22 bajo

46001 Valencia

Tel: 96 391 48 00

They have a website - but that's pretty much useless other than to tell you that they have 2 other restaurants - so to save you the trouble, here they are:

La Pappardella

Bordadores, 5

Valencia

Tel: 96 391 89 15

al Peperone

Pl. de San Cristobal, 2

Alicante

Tel: 96 514 65 21