Much has been said about Ernest Hemingway ‘s relationship with the city of Pamplona because of the Sanfermines, but his idyll with Valencia has gone unnoticed. The American writer visited the capital of the Túria on multiple occasions to the point of developing such admiration that Valencia appears in up to seven of his books.
And, like anyone who frequents a city regularly, he chose his favorite places, those where he liked to spend time and enjoy a paella. The restaurant La Pepica in Valencia is one of those places that captivated the author of Por quien doblan las campanas. But what exactly is it about this place that makes it stay open since 1898? That is to say, more than 125 years already.
The restaurant La Pepica ( Passeig de Neptú, 6) is located on the seafront of Valencia, in front of the beach of El Cabanyal. It can accommodate up to 500 people in its main hall, which has changed little since its inauguration at the end of the 19th century, and has direct access to the beach.
It is the home of rice and Valencian gastronomy, one of those places with tradition that more than a restaurant are already a museum of the city (like Casa Carmela, in Malvarrosa).
La Pepica has been synonymous with good gastronomy since the time of King Alfonso XIII, with a menu specializing in local rice dishes and seafood. The restaurant has always been run by the Balaguer family, whose management is now in the hands of the grandchildren of the founders of La Pepica.
Hemingway was perhaps the person who made this restaurant fashionable among the foreign public, but because well-known faces from the cinema, theater, music, politics or sports, such as Orson Wells or Ava Gardner, have always passed through here. Because of its history, a must visit if you are in Valencia.