Hola! I am Suzie, half Dutch and half Spanish and I live in the beautiful city of Valencia. I would like to tell you more about “desayuno”, also known as breakfast! How exactly is that going in Spain? And what are nice breakfast spots? Read all about breakfast in Valencia here!
Breakfast in Valencia – Desayuno
Desayuno
Breakfast in Spain is very light, café con leche with something sweet or some toasted bread. Usually, we have eaten before going to bed, so we are not really hungry. Important is the café con leche, usually not made at home but bought in a bar on the way to work.
A lot of bakeries and bars offer a desayuno. You can get a cup of coffee with a small piece of roasted bread topped with tomatoes and olive oil or a small croissant or Valenciana
Cake for breakfast!
A Valenciana is a type of muffin / magdalena cake. You can soak this in your hot drink. You can also buy them in the supermarket Mercadona. If there is coca on the menu, it usually means cake, but be careful, there are some savory coca’s, which taste more like pizza breads.
Cola Cao
In Valencia, children have a Valenciana and Cola Cao for breakfast. Cola Cao is the Spanish version of Nesquick. I used to be very fond of it when I was a child, and I still am today. The Spanish will all know this chorus:
“Es el cola cao un desayuna y merienda, es el cola cao un desayuna y merienda ideal, cola cao cola cao”
Tea or herb tea
If you prefer to drink herbal tea instead of chocolate milk or coffee, do not ask which types of tea they have, but which infusiones. Tea is black, green or red (rooibos) and infusiones are chamomile (manzanilla), mint (menta), rooibos etc. And beware, a Manzanilla (chamomile) is also the name of a kind of sherry. Perhaps it is still a little too early for that 😉
Pan con tomate & tostadas
My favorite breakfast is the tostada or pan con tomate, a toasted baguette with tomato and olive oil. In most places you get a small bowl of grated tomato served with your bread. You can put this onto the bread yourself combined with a generous dash of olive oil and some salt. Sometimes you just get a ripe tomato, which you can rub directly over the bread yourself. The variant where we also rub garlic over the bread is also delicious but no matter how much we love garlic, it is still a bit early to eat this for breakfast!
A tostada with marmalade is also widely available. In some of the newer places, you can get tostadas with avocado, ham, poached eggs etc.
Extensive breakfast & Brunch
If you rather have a more extensive breakfast, please feel free to do so, you can also find this in Valencia!
Brunch has become very popular. There are all kinds of trendy places now where you can order an extensive breakfast or brunch. Some of my tips for breakfast and brunch can be found here. Also keep a close eye on my social media. You will see a lot of nice places coming by as I love to eat a nice breakfast outside every week. Nice and Spanish!
Top 3 hotspots for your desayuno in Valencia!
Everywhere you will see the famous restaurants Dulche de Leche and La Mas Bonita as delicious coffee shops, and these are certainly hotspots where you can have a delicious breakfast! But where do you enjoy your Spanish breakfast with locals?
- Savoiardi Cakes & Coffee
“Breakfast in the old Capitol cinema”This cafe is located in the old cinema Capitol, which is very evident from the interior. In this coffee shop in the center you can get good breakfast deals until noon and you can enjoy your breakfast there.
Carrer de Ribera,
16 46002 València, Spain
+34 964 72 22 58
Open every day from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm
- Bluebell Coffee
“Quality coffees and the most delicious vegan chocolate cake”
This is a nice cozy cafe. The courtyard is small, but if you get a place there, you really sit! You can order many different types of coffee because “bluebell” is its own type of bean brand.
Carrer de Buenos Aires, 3
46006 València, Spain
+34 678361615
Open every day from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm
- Cocoa
“Typical beach tent for your ultimate holiday feeling”
This super cute little cafe on the beach is very similar to La Mas Bonita but less touristy because it has only just opened! Despite that, it is already one of my favourites.
Paseo Marítimo de la Patacona, 3 & Av. Mare Nostrum, 4
46120, Alboraya, Valencia, Spain
960 033 518
Monday to Thursday from 12:00 pm to 12:00 am
Friday 12:00 pm – 12:30 am
Saturday 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Sunday 11am – 9pm
Do you want to know all my favourite breakfast spots? Sign up for the newsletter and receive the foodie e-book for FREE! Here you will find all my tips from breakfast to dinner from a local foodie … Hopefully see you soon in Valencia 😀
