4 min read · Updated October 2026
Fideuà was born here, and it is not the same as a paella.
Fideuà comes from here
It was first cooked on a boat in the port of Gandía. The story goes that the cook ran out of rice, or wanted the skipper to eat less, and reached for noodles instead. It worked, and it stayed.
It has fish and shellfish, fine noodles, and comes with all i oli. If it arrives without, ask for it: here it goes with it.
Arròs a banda and arròs del senyoret
Arròs a banda is made with the fish stock, which is served separately — hence the name. It is a dry rice, full of flavour and with nothing to peel.
The senyoret takes the same idea further: everything comes peeled, shellfish included, so you can eat without getting your hands dirty. Both are the safe bet if you would rather not work while you eat.
Worth knowing before you sit down
- Rice is cooked to order: count on twenty or twenty-five minutes from when you ask.
- It is nearly always a minimum of two people.
- It is eaten at lunchtime. In the evening many places do not even offer it.
- Book at weekends in summer, especially along the promenade in el Grau.
Where
This part we give you in person. We have been eating at the port for years and will tell you where to go depending on the day of the week and what you are after — a Sunday with the family is not the same as a Tuesday in September.
Write to us before you come and we will send you the current list.
