Benidorm Joins the 'Menjars del Nostre Poble' Table for its 700th Anniversary

Benidorm is celebrating its culinary roots in a historic year for the city. To mark the '700th Anniversary' of its establishment as a municipality with its own legal entity, a total of 22 bars, restaurants, and cafes are participating in the 'Menjars del Nostre Poble' gastronomic days. This initiative seeks to revive flavours, recipes, and dishes that have been cherished by generations of Benidorm residents.

The presentation event took place this Tuesday at the Centre Municipal El Torrejó, highlighting the significance of this initiative organised by the hospitality association Abreca and the Department of Tourism.

For four days, from November 27 to 30, the public will be able to enjoy a journey through the most authentic and representative cuisine of Benidorm. Participating establishments will offer tapas, traditional dishes, complete menus, and desserts created especially for this celebration, featuring iconic recipes such as 'bollos a la paleta', rice with anchovy and spinach, rice with dolphinfish, 'coca a la calda', anise rolls, 'all i pebre', or octopus stew. A selection that, according to the sector itself, "represents our culinary history in its purest form".

The Mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, highlighted the value of the proposal during the presentation, stating that "diners will be able to experience those timeless flavours that have been part of many generations of Benidorm residents' homes, and to which we now pay a well-deserved tribute".

Pérez thanked Abreca for its involvement from the outset in the commemorative events of the 700th Anniversary, as well as the collaboration of Barbara Alemany and Juan Fuster, key figures in shaping these days which, although outside the usual 'Benidorm Gastronomic' calendar, share the same goal: "to highlight our gastronomy and our dining offerings to the world".

The mayor also emphasised the contribution that such initiatives make to the local sector, especially during a mid-season period aimed at boosting hospitality activity. "I applaud the twenty-two participating establishments and Abreca for their commitment and for helping us maintain the strength of a key sector in our economy, by reviving and bringing us closer to those timeless dishes and flavours," he noted.

Meanwhile, the president of Abreca, Javier del Castillo, expressed particular emotion about the historical significance of these days: "We are very proud of our local history and to be able to present this initiative, blending the cuisine of yesteryear with the most current and recovering the gastronomic essence of Benidorm".

Del Castillo added that this participation is, for the association, a way to join the city's tribute to its past in such a symbolic year as 2025. "And what better way to do it," he pointed out, "than by offering these 'Menjars del Nostre Poble', with extraordinary tapas, dishes, complete menus, or desserts that could rival any Michelin star".

The gastronomic offerings of these days will reach almost every corner of the city, thanks to the involvement of a wide and diverse list of venues. Participants include: Alameda Gourmet, Círculo Barra Bar, Club Náutico, El Beato, El Bodegón Aurrerá, El Linaje de Castilla, El Mesón, Esturión, Jardín Mediterráneo, L'Abadia, La Cava Aragonesa, La Fava, La Señoría, La Tapería Aurrerá, La Tortillería y Tapas Benidorm, Mal Pas, Malaspina, Marisquería El Puerto, Shija Sabores de los Balcanes, Pinocchio Playa, Aroma Café, and La Creu.

With these days, Benidorm not only celebrates its gastronomic past but also projects it into the future as a distinctive, identity-defining, and highly attractive tourist element. An event that will undoubtedly become one of the most special of the commemorative year of the 700th Anniversary.