Bon Aire — Restaurant in Valencia

We went to the restaurant because it was written up in an English newspaper and we took the bus there. The arrival service was fabulous, the lady found us seats to wait and then showed us to our seats outside. Despite being there first for this service we got a table on the road with unimpressive views of the parked cars and a loved up couple next to us. There was a table next to us by the rice fields but perhaps others deserved it more. They knew we were English but at no point did anyone point out that the servings were large and we may want to share! I know they want to sell a meal but it spoiled our day as we couldn’t even finish our main course and never got to dessert. I ordered mullet and it took ages for me to eat it and before I had finished it, my main course arrived. We sent it away. Staff should be aware of what customers are eating and when they are ready for the next course - this isn’t fast food dining and we were celebrating our wedding anniversary. The mains arrived and we could have shared these - far too much food and I didnt finish - though the cats were happy. We really wanted a dessert and another glass of wine but at that point we decided to leave. At no point did anyone ask how was your meal? Seemed to be no interest in us at all.

Quite disappointed in the whole experience as we were really looking forward to it. I can’t fault the food that we ate but there needs to more thought in being involved with customers and their experience. Perhaps as we were obviously new to the place someone could have chatted to us about portion sizes and what to order? I’ve been in high end London restaurants where these sort of things are a natural introduction to a restaurant. The greeter who met us as we arrived seemed to be more interested in us than anyone else....

Total disappointment! Poor service and some of the worst paellas I’ve ever had: cold, dry, and burnt. They suggest, and in some cases even require, choosing the type of paella when making a reservation, claiming it reduces the waiting time (35 to 45 minutes), but in reality the preparation only starts when you arrive. The result: almost 1 hour of waiting! I ordered two different paellas (Valenciana and Langosta) for two people each, but they were cooked in a larger pan, leaving the rice super dry and with burnt edges. The Valenciana was still edible, though extremely dry and with overcooked ingredients. The Langosta, however, was a disaster: burnt rice, overcooked seafood, salty and dry, and it’s also the most expensive on the menu (€36 per person!). I expected to eat food with the same quality as the dishes they win competitions with.

The service was no better: my husband ordered a beer and a sparkling water, and the waiter brought a glass with beer mixed with water (!!!). He noticed the mistake, corrected it, but the error was still charged on the bill. After that, the waiter disappeared and the next one simply ignored us, even when we called several times.

To top off the terrible experience, the environment was chaotic, families with small children crying, screaming, and running around uncontrollably.

Honestly: I will never go back and I do not recommend this place to anyone! If you’re in Valencia, don’t waste your time or money coming here. There are far better options in the city itself, with paellas that are infinitely superior and truly...

This is a wonderful restaurant. The atmosphere is modern and tasteful, while maintaining a comfortable informality. The restaurant has a view of the surrounding rice fields, which really puts you in the moment and the mood for the experience. The hostess is affable and charming, the hard-working staff are capable and kind. Be warned that there are a couple of rice dishes that you have to pre-order before you get to the restaurant (you can find them on the restaurant website). That is to say, you can't just show up and order them when you arrive. Also, the naming convention for at least one of the paellas is unconventional; in most places a 'paella de marisco' is rice and seafood only, but at this restaurant, it also has Romano (flat) green beans and a local variety of large, white butter bean called a 'garrofón', both of which are usually found in the 'paella valenciana'. So, if you want the traditional 'paella de marisco', you have to order the 'Paella Marinera'. We ordered the one with the two beans, which I'd never had before. It was perfectly cooked and I found it to be heartier than the "regular" paella de marisco and it was delicious. We also had a starter of grilled red shrimp, enormous grilled scarlet prawns, and we tried one of the local eel and potato stews. Everything was great. For dessert, we ordered the house-made assortment of desserts, which were exquisite. The wine list is short, but well-selected, the menu is extensive. All the food that other diners were enjoying looked so good that it made us want to come back to try...