Alicante is getting ready to put flavour firmly back on the table. The launch of its 7th Lenten Gastronomic Festival, a celebration of traditional cuisine and creative cooking will run until 2 April.
This year’s event is the biggest yet, with 34 restaurants taking part. Two tempting formats are on offer:
- special Lenten Friday Menus
- daily Holy Week Tapas Route
Together, they turn the weeks leading up to Easter into a city-wide food trail inspired by classic meat-free dishes, seasonal produce and local culinary traditions.
Lenten Friday Menus
Eighteen restaurants are serving exclusive menus on Fridays throughout Lent:
20 and 27 February, and 6, 13, 20 and 27 March.
Each menu includes starter, main course and dessert, with prices ranging from €15 to €52. The menus follow traditional Lenten rules by excluding meat and cured meats.
Diners can expect dishes built around fish, vegetables and legumes, alongside traditional sweets. Highlights across the festival include:
• Monkfish and seafood rice dishes
• Cuttlefish and prawn rice
• Confit artichoke with parmesan and slow-cooked egg
• Vegetable and cod rice
• Alicante-style borreta stew with smoked cod
Classic flavours meet modern presentation, turning humble Lent ingredients into refined plates.
The restaurants taking part include:
- Racó del Pla San Juan
- Racó del Pla Alicante
- Insensato Vermú y Anchoas
- Sorell
- Casa Pepe
- Casa Riquelme
- Poniente
- Teselas
- Cervecería Carvi
- Gastrobar Jorge
- Taberna La Vendimia
- Casa Ibarra
- La Barra del Ibarra
- La Taverna del Racó del Pla
- Píllame Confesá
- Vinos y Risas La Gastroteca
- Delta 3
- 2&Tres Gastrobar
Holy Week Tapas Route
Alongside the menus, 15 venues are taking part in a daily tapas route running from 18 February to 2 April.
Each stop offers a specially created tapa paired with a beer or glass of wine for €5, making it easy to sample your way across the city, one small bite at a time.
Venues taking part include:
- Nou Pinet
- Pipirana Vermut
- Insensato
- Teselas
- Cervecería Carví
- Chapeau San Juan
- Gastrobar Jorge
- Cervecería Portabella
- Casa Ibarra
- La Barra del Ibarra
- Vinos y Risas
- La Vendimia
- Delta 3
- El Dragón Escamado
- El Merengue
For more information, head over to the website: jornadascuaresmaalicante.com
Vote and win prizes
Food lovers can also vote for their favourite tapa through the festival websites. Everyone who takes part is entered into a prize draw on 6 April, with rewards including:
- Three €20 gift cards for Alicante’s Municipal Markets
- A winery visit for two at Bodega Bocopa plus a bottle of wine
- A Carmencita product hamper
- An Economato Ibérico gourmet hamper
- An Anís Tenis product pack
The three most popular tapas will also receive official diplomas for first, second and third place.
Showcasing Alicante’s food culture
Tourism and hospitality councillor Lidia López said this year’s festival has broken participation records and is designed to highlight “our products, our cuisine and the strength of Alicante’s hospitality sector”.
She added that linking the Lenten calendar with gastronomy has proven a success, boosting restaurants during a key seasonal period while keeping traditional recipes alive.
