A coffee and cake crawl through Valencia

Valencia is not the first Spanish city that comes to mind when people plan a specialty coffee trip. Barcelona and Madrid tend to get the credit. But Valencia has been quietly building something worth travelling for, and the scene that has emerged in Ruzafa and across L'Eixample now easily holds its own. This crawl runs from the historic Mercado Central south through the grid of L'Eixample, lingers in Ruzafa, and finishes at the beach in the Cabanyal neighbourhood. Allow four to five hours, or spread it across two mornings.

1. Retrogusto Coffeemates, Mercado Central

Start where the market traders start: Retrogusto Coffeemates is a standing espresso bar at Palcos 169-170 inside the Mercado Central, the city's spectacular Art Nouveau iron-and-glass market hall built in 1928. Baristas Martina and Paula pour Nomad Coffee and Right Side Coffee Roasters from a compact two-unit stall, and the place opens at seven in the morning to catch the market crowd.

There is no seating -- this is a market bar in the fullest sense -- but the espresso is serious and the setting is one of the finest in Valencia. Go before the tourist wave builds and the light through the tiled dome is extraordinary.

2. Fika Specialty Coffee, L'Eixample

From the market, walk south for fifteen minutes to Carrer del Duc de Calabria and look for the bicycle wheels in the window. Fika occupies the front of a working bike repair workshop and it is, deliberately, a small operation: a single counter, a short menu of espresso and filter, and a rotation of single-origin beans that changes with what is good.

The combination of cycling culture and specialty coffee is unusual and it works. If the mechanic is in, the background noise of a workshop adds something rather than taking anything away. Good cortados.

3. Bluebell Coffee Roasters, Ruzafa

Continue south-east into Ruzafa and Carrer de Buenos Aires, where Bluebell Coffee Roasters has been operating since September 2014. Bluebell was Valencia's first specialty coffee shop, founded by sisters Marian and Yolanda with a sourcing focus on female-led farms and cooperatives. They roast their own coffee, the La Marzocco GB5 at the bar is properly set up, and the rear garden courtyard is one of the best places in the city to sit with a second coffee.

The approach here has always been thoughtful rather than showy: the sourcing story is on the wall, the retail bags are worth taking home, and the waffles are made fresh. If you buy one bag of beans from this crawl, buy it here.

4. Blackbird, Ruzafa

Three minutes' walk through Ruzafa brings you to Carrer de la Reina Na Maria and Blackbird, which is the closest this crawl gets to a destination cake stop. The bakery operates behind a glass wall at the rear and the cinnamon rolls are made fresh each morning; they are gone by early afternoon on most days. The bar pours Right Side Coffee from Barcelona.

The room is well designed -- light wood, plenty of natural light, the open bakery view -- and the cake-to-coffee balance is right. This is where you take a proper sit and order something from the kitchen.

5. Ikore Kofi, Mercado de Ruzafa

The Mercado de Ruzafa is a covered neighbourhood market a short walk from Blackbird on Placa del Baro de Cortes, and inside at Casetas 91-92 is Ikore Kofi. Founder Alfredo Bes roasts his own coffee in a machine visible from the stall, making this one of the few places in Valencia where you can watch the roasting and drink the result in the same moment.

Like Retrogusto at the Mercado Central, this is a market bar rather than a cafe -- standing room, direct conversation with the person making your coffee, retail bags to take home. The single-origin espresso is precise.

6. Tallat Coffee Roasters, Cabanyal

The final stop requires a bus or a twenty-minute cycle east to the Cabanyal neighbourhood, the beach district that was partly demolished and is now steadily regenerating. Tallat Coffee Roasters is on Carrer de la Barraca, named for the Valencian word for a cortado, and the project began as a mobile cart before settling here.

The team roasts in small batches and uses reverse osmosis water for clean extraction -- an unusual detail that reflects the serious intent behind what is ostensibly a small neighbourhood roastery. From here, the beach is a five-minute walk. It is a good place to end a crawl.

Valencia's specialty coffee scene is still younger than Madrid's or Barcelona's, but the independents listed above are genuinely good and not yet overrun with tourists. The Ruzafa cluster around Bluebell, Blackbird and Ikore Kofi can be done in a long morning with time to sit at each. Add the Mercado Central start and the Cabanyal finish and you have a full day that doubles as a proper walk through the city.

Common questions

Which Valencia cafe was the city's first specialty coffee shop?

Bluebell Coffee Roasters on Carrer de Buenos Aires in Ruzafa opened in September 2014, making it Valencia's first specialty coffee shop. Founded by sisters Marian and Yolanda, it remains one of the best: they roast their own coffee with a focus on female-led farms, the La Marzocco GB5 is properly set up, and the garden courtyard is exceptional.

Is there a good specialty coffee bar inside Valencia's Mercado Central?

Yes. Retrogusto Coffeemates operates from Palcos 169-170 inside the Mercado Central, open Monday to Friday from 7am. Baristas Martina and Paula pour Nomad Coffee and Right Side Coffee Roasters from a standing bar inside the Art Nouveau market hall. It opens early and the setting is one of the best in Valencia.

Where can I find specialty coffee in Valencia near the beach?

Tallat Coffee Roasters is on Carrer de la Barraca in the Cabanyal neighbourhood, a five-minute walk from the beach. They roast their own coffee in small batches using a reverse osmosis water system. The project began as a mobile cart and has grown into one of the more interesting independents on the Valencia specialty coffee scene.

Which Valencia cafes roast their own coffee?

Several do. Bluebell Coffee Roasters in Ruzafa roasts its own beans with a focus on female-led farms. Ikore Kofi at the Mercado de Ruzafa roasts in a machine visible from the market stall. Tallat Coffee Roasters in Cabanyal roasts in small batches. Boscon Coffee Roasters in El Pla del Real roasts on site with a large terrace beside the Turia gardens. Clem Cafe in Extramurs also roasts its own coffee.