València Cuina Oberta returns with a record 81 restaurants

València Cuina Oberta returns from 5 to 15 November with 81 restaurants, the largest line-up in the festival's history, and set menus from €28 at lunch.

The autumn edition is organised by the Fundació Visit València and Valencia City Council, with support from Turisme Comunitat Valenciana and the provincial council. It grows from the 75 restaurants of the spring edition, held from 9 to 19 April, and adds 32 food experiences run by 23 establishments. For a first visit, it pairs well with our guide to what to eat in Valencia and our list of the best restaurants in Valencia.

Eight Michelin-starred tables at €80 and €100

The record is in volume, not in stars: 81 restaurants and a price list that has not moved.

The main draw is the starred group: Arrels, La Salita, Riff, Lienzo, Fierro, Fraula, Flores Raras and Simposio, each with a festival menu at €80 for lunch and €100 for dinner. Eight starred restaurants also took part in April, so the record is in volume, not in stars.

Eleven gourmet restaurants, recognised by guides such as Repsol, Michelin or We're Smart Green Guide, charge €48 at lunch and €56 at dinner. The general menus cost €28 and €36. Every menu includes a starter, a main course and a dessert; drinks are extra. According to the organisers, prices are unchanged from previous editions.

Eleven restaurants take part for the first time: Amancaes, Arrocería L'Estibador, Clem Café, Colmado de la Lola, Félix Chaqués Restaurant, La Ferrera, Las Tenerías, Linaje, No Bar, Pago de Tharsys and Pasqual & Sheila on Avenida de Francia.

How to book València Cuina Oberta

Bookings opened on 26 October on the festival's official website, where each restaurant lists its menu and any experience it offers. The site states that reservations are managed solely by the participating restaurants, so changes and cancellations go directly to them.

The experiences reach beyond the dining room: paella workshops, visits to the farms around the city that grow tiger nuts for horchata, chef-led tastings, tours of organic vineyards and wineries, and coffee tastings. The organisers frame the edition within València, Despensa del Mediterráneo, the city's programme built around local and seasonal produce.

At the presentation, Paula Llobet, the city's councillor for tourism and president of the Fundació Visit València, tied the festival to that programme. José Manuel Camarero, the regional secretary for tourism, said visitors no longer want only to eat well but to live the gastronomy and learn where products come from.

Ten days, 81 restaurants and a price list that has not moved since earlier editions: the fixed price, more than the star count, is the festival's real argument.