Missing going out #1

I’m missing going out, aren’t you? It’s such an integral part of living in Spain. Hopefully it will soon be safe enough for things to begin to return to normal soon. In the meantime, here are some of my favourite places for coffee, drinks and eating out in my home town of Guardamar del Segura. If you have other favourites, please feel free to add them in the comments below.

Coffee

There are so many places to choose from in Guardamar for coffee.

Cafe Central on Calle Mayor 12 has been a firm favourite since we first moved here. It’s been a regular venue for meeting friends and intercambio sessions. Their coffee is fabulous, the ensaladilla rusa is wonderful and they even do wholemeal bread for your tostada.

It’s not uncommon to find us having coffee and some breakfast at Cafe Jaen on Av Pais Valenciano 48, now rebranded as Rooms 1980. The fresh juice and traditional tortilla are delicious. Vicente there is something of a local legend, particularly amongst the foreign residents, and is comfortable chatting away with guests in English, Spanish or French.

The Explanada has a lovely terrace overlooking the beach. Luis in there hails from Mar del Plata, Argentina. We love just sitting there under an umbrella and enjoying a cup of coffee and a biscuit, watching the world go by.

A more recent addition to our choice of cafes has been Cafe CremOso on Av dels Pins 70. They have a fine selection of tapas but we are normally only there for a coffee. We have been known to call in for a glass of wine in the evening too though!

A glass of something stronger

Sitting out for a cold beer, a glass of wine or a cocktail is one of life’s pleasures and Guardamar has many, many options to choose from.

La Brújula (the Compass) on Av Mediterráneo 13, became a regular starting point for our night out in town once we started taking the local hopper bus which drops us off outside Mercadona, directly opposite. We love sitting out in their courtyard and I think we must have worked our way through their entire wine list by the glass by now! Their meals are pretty special too.

Old Fashioned Bar & Cues on Calle Doctor Luis Rivera 115 is a recent addition to our evenings out. We often finish off there with a glass of Chilean wine and a game of pool. The clientele are generally a good mix of foreigners with Spanish and Brits not really having found it – yet! If Cecelia makes good on her promise of Chilean tapas too, she’ll be seeing a lot more of us!

El Patio de Mi Casa on Av dels Pins 42 has been something of a staple for us in the time we have been in Guardamar. Sitting under the enormous fig tree in the garden or by a patio heater inside during colder winter months, we have enjoyed many a glass of wine or a gin & tonic there. They also serve great tapas and empanadas Argentinian-style!

A fairly recent addition to our evening drinking has been Bodega – Bar El Moseno on Calle Lepanto 7. It’s nice to sit in a traditional bar with a cold beer and a complementary tapas. It’s also a great place to try local wines straight from the barrel.

Hotel Eden Mar on Av Mediterráneo 19 has a nice roadside terrace and a very comfortable bar area. They have a wide selection of wine accompanied by a free tapas. Despite being a hotel, it has a very relaxed feel to it, so be patient if it’s busy and service seems slow.

The Shamrock Bar on Plaza Porticada isn’t a regular haunt in the evenings for us. A pint of Guinness and a cooked breakfast are nice once in a while though, and this place is the only place to go if you want to watch live rugby. Being an England fan during the Six Nations can require a thick skin in an Irish pub run by a Scot though!!

Restaurants

Guardamar is a gastronomic delight if you know where to look. There are many different types of global cuisine on offer, and here are some of our favourites.

Papas Sur on the intersection of Pintor Antonio Lopez and Cartagena may be nominally a pizza restaurant but we go there for the Argentinian fixed menu. At €50 per couple it’s a bit pricey for us, but with empanadas to start, a huge parrillada mixed grill with the best chimichurri we have had in Spain, dulce de leche pancakes and a top notch bottle of Argentinian wine, we just keep going back!

Rodero on Av Europa 7 is our go-to place for a fish lunch close to the waters of the Med. We also pop in just for a coffee from time to time. More recently though, we have taken guests there to explore their tapas menu during the evening. Meat and fish lovers are well catered for, and vegetarians will find enough options to satisfy them too. Try the lightly fried aubergine drizzled with caña de miel. Be warned – the fried fish platter is massive and a portion for two is more than enough for four with a few more dishes!

On the same block is Svarog, a Russian restaurant. Their borscht is fabulous but the star of the show is actually their vegan set menu. It is colourful and delicious. There have been no complaints from any of our veggie guests.

Gurkha’s Tandoori, on Calle Mediterráneo on the corner with Puerta del Cairo, is a fairly recent addition to Guardamar’s nightlife scene. Their food never fails to hit the spot, and anyone who knows us, will know how much we like our curries!

Room for ice cream?

All three places listed here can be found along Av dels Pins. We do have personal references but it usually revolves around the availability of dulce de leche ice cream! Did you know that ice-cream tastes just as good at 2am on a balmy summer night as it does in the middle of the day?!

Heladeria Las Dunas is Guardamar’s franchise of the incredible Antiu Xixona ice-cream. Everything that comes from their scoops is a mouth-watering delight.

Heladeria Delnano serves amazing home made ice-cream. It’s definitely worth calling in to cool off.

La Jijonenca Guardamar is another option for amazing ice-cream from the Alicante region. It’s also open throughout the year, except for a short break in the spring.