La Murciana — Restaurant in Valencia

A Tale of Two Croquetas and the Quest for the Elusive Soccarat

Once upon a time, on the sun-drenched shores of Valencia, my partner and I decided to brave the culinary seas at the famed Restaurante La Murciana. Known for its ability to ensnare the hearts (and stomachs) of locals and the occasional lost tourist, this establishment promised an adventure.

Upon our valiant arrival, we were greeted not by dragons, but by the warmest of welcomes—clearly, they mistook us for local royalty, or perhaps frequent diners. They bestowed upon us our ‘throne’ by the window, offering views of the beach where sandcastles stood more robust than our patience, as we awaited the servers' royal decree to take our order.

Fifteen minutes ticked by, measured not by a clock but by our growing anticipation (and a mildly growling stomach), until our noble server embarked on his quest to our table. With the flourish of a seasoned knight, he took our order: a starter lineup featuring croquetas de bacalao, croquetas del chef (spoiler: more cheese than jamón, less exciting than last season's lobster feature), and calamares a la romana—each a potential hero in its own right.

But the star of the show was to be the paella de marisco, a dish rumored to contain the mythical soccarat—a crispy, toasted crust that legends say can make grown men weep and women sing. Alas, what arrived was a delightful but decidedly soccarat-less paella, leaving us questing for the crunch that never came.

To drown our sorrows, I turned to a copa de pacharán con hielo and a cremaet. The pacharán, smooth and balanced, whispered sweet nothings of sloe berries and anise, a reliable old friend. The cremaet, however, seemed to have forgotten its fiery rum roots in a sea of coffee—more a lullaby than the battle cry I’d hoped for.

As the sun set on our culinary conquest, the bill arrived like a scroll of fate—€90 to remind us of our journey. Was it worth it? For the stories of croquetas past and views of beachside lore, indeed. For a knightly quest for soccarat? The search continues.

As we left the shores of La Murciana, we vowed to return, perhaps to once again search for the elusive soccarat or simply to enjoy the familiar embrace of a favorite dining spot. After all, every good tale...

Murciana is one of the best seaside restaurants in Valencia — no doubt about it. We first strolled down the beach, caught an intense volleyball match, dipped our tired feet into the cold sea… and then started our true adventure: lunch at this fantastic spot.

We sat on the terrace with a sea view, ordered what was possibly the best sangria in the universe, and began a proper hedonistic journey. We went for the daily menu and slowly eased into the experience with some mouthwatering starters:

Sautéed baby squids with garlic

Crunchy shrimps

Steamed mussels Before that, they brought us warm mini breads, herbed butter, and a fun little tomato shooter to kick things off.

Then came the Lobster Paella. And oh boy — the lobster was delicious, the rice crispy and salty, packed with the taste of the sea, and little shrimp bits hidden like treasure.

Just as we were halfway through our feast, it started to rain and the terrace got a bit wet — including us! We moved inside, but even that felt like part of the charm.

The staff was super friendly, professional, and oddly enough, Real Madrid fans — which added some spice to the conversation.

For dessert, we had almond pudding and some ice cream — both seriously tasty.

Bottom line: if you're ever in Valencia, La Murciana is a must. Just come hungry and maybe bring a small umbrella,...

Terrible service! Took almost 2 hours and paella was not properly cooked! We arrived before the kitchen opened, which means that we were the first to arrived and order food for the dinner time… after 1.5h no paella has arrived, when we asked for it the waiter said 10 more minutes.. 10mins later we asked again and then 2 more minutes and time that they acknowledged there was mistake (which we believe the restaurant has not started the paella until we complaint the first time..).. we demanded the paella as it was as we were with 2 toddlers… the flavour was good but not ready… after 2 hours we were in a hurry.. and there were not enough waitresses…. Hence I had to go to the cashier and ask for the bill… again they took their time.. and was worse… full bill and no apologise whatsoever… very...