LA CANTINA IS A SPANISH STYLE restaurant located in the centre of the city of Torrevieja, adjacent to the city’s port and alongside the promenade.
The seafront is exceptionally popular with tourists during the warmer months, attracted by the vibrant cafes, the urban culture, and the cooling breezes that lap the coastline during the height of the Mediterranean summer.
But with so many local eateries jostling for space (and keen diners), choosing which restaurant to eat in can be a daunting experience.
We chose to pay the La Cantina restaurant a visit a couple of weeks ago, for a spot of lunch on a typically sunny Friday afternoon.
You can find the restaurant beside the Mediterranean Sea as you leave the port area, and it’s one of the first establishments you’ll come to along the promenade.
It is the perfect place to stop for a drink, a quick lunch, dinner or a cocktail, as you enjoy a stroll along Torrevieja’s famous promenade.
La Cantina Restaurant, a totally Mediterranean experience
You can watch the numerous yachts and traditional sailing vessels go by, majestically weaving their way in and out of port as the marina conducts its business as usual.
The whole visiting experience is enhanced by your ability to enjoy the amazing unobstructed views of the harbour and the Mediterranean Sea waves lapping at the natural rock pools, free from any noise of passing road traffic.
On arrival, you’ll notice that this casual restaurant has an international theme to its menu, although there is an underlying Spanish influence at its heart.
The restaurant has a choice of seating options with a large gazebo providing an “inside” dining room, and beachside tables outside on a private part of the promenade itself, offering a totally al-fresco dining experience with the sea just a few metres away.
We found the premises immaculately clean, and the multilingual staff were friendly and helpful. We were escorted to an outside table just inside the gazebo, with a wonderful view of the harbour.
As expected the multilingual menu (Spanish, French and English) offers the normal prime cuts of meat and fresh fish dishes but the international flavour is enhanced with the addition of pizza and pasta to the menu.
One of the things that La Cantina is proud to point out to customers is that all the food is cooked fresh to order on the premises. The menu caters for all tastes, including a dedicated gluten-free section.
La Cantina Restaurant has an extensive menu for all tastes
The restaurant has a wonderful selection of starters including a homemade vegetable soup, a cheese selection, breaded Camembert, and grilled prawns. The starter prices are a little higher than we’re used to, starting at €6.50, although you can choose a bargain-priced breadbasket for just €2.00.
For those looking for a lighter option, the range of salads is not to be overlooked, with prices from €7.50. We chose the Mediterranean Salad which was delivered to the table beautifully (as pictured).
And this is no simple salad! The salad combined smoked salmon, lettuce hearts, avocado slices, fresh olives, and crisp Piquillo peppers, alongside the expected salad ingredients.
The salad was priced at €9.80, with a selection of four different salads available including a traditional Chicken Caesar salad, and a special “Ensalada Cantina” salad fusing the flavours of goats cheese, sunflower seeds, and raisins.
The menu offers 12 different pizzas to choose from, and we can report that the Pepperoni Pizza was delivered to the table well-topped, with a beautifully crispy base, and generously topped. A snip at €10.25.
Three of the pizzas are suited to vegetarian diets, and unusually, there is a choice to create your own pizza from the toppings available.
For meat lovers, La Cantina restaurant offers an Entrecote steak for €16.50 and a speciality Angus Sirloin steak for €24.50. Fresh fish dishes start at €12.50 for flame-grilled swordfish.
The extensive 16-page international menu has something to appeal to everyone’s taste, from meat lovers to vegetarians and vegans; and the owners are more than happy to cater for people with special dietary requirements.
Service was relaxed and suited to the idyllic setting, and each dish was wonderfully presented.
Alfresco Mediterranean dining with stunning vistas
La Cantina offers a daily special and a menú del día which are advertised on boards in front of the restaurant that changes in keeping with the season.
La Cantina restaurant truly offers something for everyone's taste buds to enjoy with its extensive international menu, and the owners and their team make you feel welcome, whether you are just stopping for a drink, or enjoying their menu of delicious fresh dishes.
If you plan to visit Torrevieja’s harbour and promenade then we would recommend you try La Cantina restaurant for yourself. That gorgeous view is hard to beat!
Need more information? You can find the La Cantina Restaurant TripAdvisor listing or visit the official Facebook page.
Looking for holiday ideas and inspiration? Find out more about our favourite recommended things to do on the Orihuela Costa this year, or join the La Zenia Community Facebook group and find out what's going on in the local area.
Photo credit: LaZenia.com
