t’s literally impossible to avoid this delicious dish when you’re in Valencia. The Valencianos are very proud of it and have all the reasons to be.
They will invite you to come over for a homemade paella the minute you meet them. If you tell them you once ate a great paella in Ibiza, they will absolutely want to prove you wrong. “That’s not the real one!” is what they usually say with a passionate tone.
What is paella?
So, what is paella exactly? Paella is a Spanish rice dish. It includes different combinations of vegetables and meats, seasoned with saffron and other spices depending on the recipe and area in Spain it comes from. However, it originally comes from Valencia - hence the passionate discussions about ‘the real’ paella.
Many foreigners think you should eat it for dinner, but that’s not true. It’s a lunch meal. If a restaurant serves it at night, you know it’s just for tourists. No problem if you don’t want to eat a good and authentic paella, but if you do … run as fast as you can.
70-year old’s advice
One day, the 70-year old neighbor of my friend came up with the idea to order a big pan of paella and have lunch all together. He told us that he knew the best place to get some takeaway in Valencia, which has been there for over 100 years: Paellas Velarte. You should always trust a 70-year old Valenciano when he tells you that. And so we did. We had to make an order a few days before, to pick it up on that Sunday.
My friends came home with a huge pan. This was an interesting experience in itself!
When we started to attack the paella with our spoons (if you want to eat it like a real Spaniard, you eat it from the pan) and took the first bite, we all looked at each other and said: “Oooooh yeah!” The neighbor was right, this was one of the best paella takeaways in Valencia we had tried so far.
Several dishes
You can find many different kinds of paellas on the menu. That’s great news, isn’t it? But, hold on, there’s more! Paellas Velarte offers other dishes such as Arroz al Horno (oven-baked rice with cold cuts and pork cuts) too. Another piece of Valencian pride. It comes from Xativa, which is a town in the Valencian province. You should absolutely try this dish too!
From small portions to big pans
You can go for small portions or you can order a big pan. They offer takeaway, delivery, and catering services. For small portions, you can order through Ubereats as well. There are lots of different options, so check out their website to find all the additional information you need.
Free advice:
- Order the Paella Valenciana for the real Valencian experience. If you love garlic, definitely order some aioli so you can mix it. Valencianos might want to kill you, but hey - you do you! ;-)
- Lots of Spaniards spend their Sundays together with their friends and families, eating paella for lunch. Spaniards like to really enjoy their food and spend some quality time together, so don’t expect this to last for just an hour.
- Make sure to order in time, Velarte is really popular and you don’t wanna miss out on a good old rice dish, do you?
- If you’re looking for a low-budget lunch option, definitely order a big pan of paella with a bunch of friends and share the costs.
Location & opening hours
Adress: Avinguda de Peris i Valero 178
Click here to view the opening hours
Contact details
Website: https://paellasvelarte.com/
Instagram: @paellasvelarte
Facebook: Paellas Velarte
Paellas Velarte, your take-away takes my breath away.
Un abrazo,
Stephanie
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