As alicantinos in love with our city, we share with you our favorite areas of Alicante city center, along with the restaurants you can’t miss and some historical facts to make your visit as authentic and interesting as possible.
Let’s start with the Plaza de Luceros: as we mentioned before, the Plaza de Luceros is an emblem of the city and the meeting point of all Alicante locals. Here you will find numerous terraces where you can have a beer or a tapas. From this square we have two essential walks to do: the first one, from Luceros to the Central Market of Alicante, along Alfonso el Sabio Avenue. The Central Market of Alicante is a historical monument of modernist inspiration built on the 18th century wall that surrounded the city, there you will not only find typical Spanish food stalls where you can drink a good vermouth, but you can also buy different types of international gastronomic products.
The second route goes down from the Plaza de Luceros along the Avenida Federico Soto to the Paseo del Puerto. Along this palm-lined avenue you will find: on the right, Avenida Maisonnave, a street full of shops and businesses ideal for strolling and shopping. And on the left, the charming Plaza Calvo Sotelo, where you can take a break from shopping and have a coffee in the Bar Sotelo 10 under the shade of the trees.
We continue along Calle de las Setas: one of Alicante’s favorite streets, it links Plaza Calvo Sotelo with Portal de Elche. The Calle de las Setas is a very unique pedestrian street because of its
decoration, this is due to the fact that in 2013 the mayoress of Alicante decided to theme it with large funny faces mushrooms figures, accompanied by the floor painted with coloured stripes. This distinction brought with it a great gastronomic offer, which together make this street the perfect place to go for dinner.
An essential restaurant to try: Chico Calla, with a wide variety of tapas (all delicious), a good wine list, good atmosphere and excellent service. And if you fancy a dessert, be sure to try Salt in Cake, Alicante’s only natural cake shop, with exquisite desserts and very good coffee.
One street down from Calle de las Setas, you will find the Plaza Gabriel Miró, popularly known as Plaza de Correos, a magnificent building of the headquarters of the Post Office with an old and picturesque archithecture, recently renovated. This beautiful square enchants us with its vegetation, full of leafy centenary ficus trees and a fountain in the middle, creating a fairytale atmosphere where it is impossible not to want to stop for a moment and relax. In the surrounding area there are numerous bars and restaurants, full of lifelong alicantinos, such as El Garaje Bar de tapas, which all alicantinos have visited at least once. Another gastronomic bet for lovers of quality sushi is Enso, the prices can be a little scary, but every euro is worth it, they offer an unbeatable menu with a top quality product.
Calle Castaños: There is nothing more alicantino than going to Castaños street, full of bars, music and good vibes. Having a cocktail or a beer on one of its terraces is a must after dinner in one
of its many restaurants. If you want to go out partying and discover Alicante’s nightlife, there is no better place to start the night, as in the surrounding area, as well as restaurants, you will also find pubs and discotheques.
In addition, in this street you will also find another historical monument where you can enjoy a different and cultural plan, this is the Principal Theatre of Alicante. It was inaugurated in 1847, hence its neoclassical façade. To find out more about the entertainment on offer and to buy tickets, we recommend you visit their website http://www.teatroprincipaldealicante.com/.