Restaurant in Alacant, Spain
Book it when the setting matters too.
La Ereta is Alicante's most complete special-occasion restaurant at the €€€ tier — a Michelin Plate-recognised kitchen (2024, 2025) with panoramic city views and a focused seafood menu built around Alicante red shrimp. The combination of setting and cooking is hard to match locally. Book it when the room needs to perform as much as the plate.
Yes — if the combination of a view dining experience, contemporary Mediterranean cooking, and a setting that genuinely earns its occasion-restaurant status matters to you. La Ereta sits on the ascent to the Castillo de Santa Bárbara inside Parque de la Ereta, which means the outlook over Alicante's rooftops and coast is not incidental to the meal: it is central to why you'd choose this over any other €€€ table in the city. Add two dedicated tasting menus built around Alicante's most celebrated raw ingredient — red shrimp , and the Michelin Plate recognition it has held for consecutive years (2024 and 2025), and La Ereta makes a strong case for the region's most complete special-occasion restaurant.
The restaurant's location in a striking modern building on the park hillside is the first thing that frames your decision. Dinner here unfolds with a panoramic city view that changes as the light fades , something no basement wine room or city-centre dining room can replicate. For a celebration meal, an anniversary, or a business dinner where the room needs to do some of the work, this is one of the few venues in Alicante where the physical context adds real value to the price of admission. You are paying for that view as much as for the plate, and it is a fair trade at €€€ pricing.
The food program runs two menus: the Ereta and the Degus (tasting format). Both are rooted in contemporary Mediterranean cooking with a clear seafood focus. The dish Michelin's inspectors specifically called out is the caldereta de gamba roja , a red shrimp stew that positions itself in a long Alicante coastal tradition while executing with modern precision. Red shrimp from the waters near Denia are among the most prized in Spain, and a restaurant anchoring its identity to this ingredient is making a confident regional statement. Whether the execution justifies the tasting menu spend is the practical question, and the honest answer is: yes, for the occasion format. If you want a lighter, lower-commitment meal around the same ingredient, there are cheaper options nearby (see the comparison section below).
Venue database does not detail the wine list, so specifics cannot be confirmed here. What can be said with confidence is that a Michelin-recognised contemporary Mediterranean restaurant at €€€ pricing in a region with significant winemaking heritage , Alicante DO produces both the Monastrell-driven reds and the rare, amber-coloured Fondillón , should be paired with wine that reflects that local identity. When you book, ask directly whether the list includes Alicante DO producers and whether the tasting menu offers a regional wine pairing. A well-briefed sommelier at this price point should be able to walk you through the intersection of the region's viticultural character and the seafood-forward menu. If you want deeper exploration of the area's wine scene, our full Alacant wineries guide covers the producers worth knowing before you sit down.
For context on how Alicante's wine culture sits within Spain's broader fine dining moment, restaurants like Quique Dacosta in Dénia , just up the coast and operating at three-Michelin-star level , have set a benchmark for marrying Valencian terroir wines to technically demanding menus. La Ereta is not operating at that scale or price point, but the regional frame is the same: Mediterranean ingredients, local wine culture, and a commitment to the ingredient rather than imported luxury.
See the full comparison below, but the short version: La Ereta is the right call when the room and the occasion matter as much as the food. For those who want to spend more and push harder into modern technique, Baeza & Rufete operates at €€€€ and is the city's most ambitious kitchen. For a lighter spend around similar seafood and rice dishes, Monastrell and Open are worth knowing. La Ereta's consistent Michelin recognition across two consecutive years keeps it on the correct side of the value argument at its price tier.
Price: €€€ (mid-to-upper range for Alicante; tasting menu format). Reservations: Bookable without excessive lead time , 1 to 2 weeks ahead is typically sufficient, though weekend evenings and summer dates may tighten. Setting: Modern building in Parque de la Ereta, on the hillside approach to Castillo de Santa Bárbara; panoramic city views. Format: Two menus , Ereta and Degus (tasting). Leading for: Celebrations, anniversaries, date dinners, and business meals where the room is part of the brief. Booking: Easy relative to Alicante's most sought-after tables; contact via the restaurant directly or standard reservation platforms. Awards: Michelin Plate 2024 and 2025. Google rating: 4.6 from 1,864 reviews , a volume of feedback that makes this one of the more reliably rated restaurants in the city.
La Ereta earns its place on any special-occasion shortlist in Alicante. The view does what a view should do at this price , it becomes part of the meal, not just a backdrop. The food program is confident and regionally grounded, anchored to red shrimp and contemporary Mediterranean technique. At €€€, it sits in the right tier for the experience it delivers: more ambitious than a casual seafood meal, more accessible than the city's top-end tasting counter. Book it for the occasion when you need both the food and the room to perform. For a broader picture of where to eat across the city, our full Alacant restaurants guide covers the full range.
If you are planning a wider trip and want to understand how La Ereta fits into Spain's modern cuisine trajectory, benchmarks worth knowing include Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona, El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, and Arzak in San Sebastián , all operating at a higher technical level and price point, but sharing the same commitment to Spanish regional identity that makes La Ereta's positioning coherent rather than derivative.
Yes, at €€€ pricing in Alicante, La Ereta delivers on two fronts: a genuinely distinctive setting with panoramic city views, and a focused seafood menu with Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025. It is not the city's most technically ambitious kitchen , Baeza & Rufete at €€€€ holds that position , but for what you pay, the combination of room, view, and cooking is hard to match in Alicante.
The Degus tasting menu is the right format if you want the full La Ereta experience , it gives the kitchen room to show its seafood-forward range beyond a single dish. If you want red shrimp in Alicante without the full tasting commitment, there are shorter-format and lower-cost options nearby. But for a special occasion where you want the meal to run properly, the tasting menu earns its place.
It is one of the better-suited venues in Alicante for exactly this. The hilltop setting, panoramic views, and two-menu format all point toward occasion dining rather than casual meals. The 4.6 Google rating across nearly 1,900 reviews backs this up. For celebrations and anniversaries specifically, the combination of view and food quality is more reliably delivered here than at most comparably priced alternatives in the city.
La Ereta is rated Easy for booking difficulty. One to two weeks ahead is typically sufficient for most dates. Summer evenings and weekend nights may require more lead time given the outdoor terrace demand , if your date is fixed, book two to three weeks out to be safe. Walk-ins are less reliable here given the setting's appeal to pre-booked occasion diners.
Seating configuration details are not confirmed in the available data, so a definitive answer on bar seating cannot be given. Contact the restaurant directly before arriving with the expectation of an informal counter experience. If bar dining flexibility matters more than the full menu experience, El Portal Alicante and Celeste y Don Carlos are worth exploring as alternatives.
The tasting menu format and occasion-focused setting mean La Ereta skews toward pairs and small groups rather than solo diners. It is not a bar-counter solo experience in the way that some Spanish restaurants are built. If you are travelling alone and want quality seafood in a more comfortable solo format, a shorter-menu venue like Monastrell may be a better fit. La Ereta is worth considering solo if the views and tasting format genuinely appeal , just confirm seating options when booking.
The right alternative depends on what you are optimising for. For higher technical ambition and a bigger budget, Baeza & Rufete at €€€€ is the city's most serious modern kitchen. For seafood and rice dishes at €€€ without the occasion framing, Monastrell and Piripi are solid alternatives. For a lower spend with quality seafood in a tapas format, La Taberna del Gourmet at € is the practical pick. See our full Alacant restaurants guide for the complete picture.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Ereta | Modern Cuisine | €€€ | A striking modern property on the ascent up to the Castillo de Santa Bárbara, hence its superb views of the city. Here, Alicante-born chef Dani Frías offers two Mediterranean-based, contemporary menus (Ereta and Degus) that focus on seafood. This is demonstrated by one dish we particularly enjoyed: his delicious version of red shrimp stew (“caldereta de gamba roja”).; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Baeza & Rufete | Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| La Taberna del Gourmet | Gastrobar-Seafood, Regional Cuisine | € | Unknown | — | |
| Nou Manolín | Spanish, Farm to table | €€€ | Unknown | — | |
| El Portal Taberna & Wines | Tapas Bar | €€ | Unknown | — | |
| Piripi | Rice Dishes | €€€ | Unknown | — |
How La Ereta stacks up against the competition.
The venue database does not confirm bar seating at La Ereta. Given the tasting menu format and the setting in a purpose-built modern property in Parque de la Ereta, this is a sit-down, reservation-led experience rather than a drop-in bar. check the venue's official channels to clarify seating options before arriving without a booking.
One to two weeks ahead is typically enough for La Ereta, which makes it more accessible than Alicante's hardest-to-book tables. For weekend evenings or dates tied to a specific occasion, lean toward two weeks to be safe. The €€€ price point and tasting menu format mean most guests are booking with purpose, so prime slots do fill.
Yes — it is one of the stronger occasion-restaurant cases in Alicante. The setting in a modern building climbing toward the Castillo de Santa Bárbara delivers city views that become part of the meal, and the two contemporary Mediterranean menus (Ereta and Degus) give you a structured, celebratory format. Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025 adds independent backing at the €€€ price point.
For ingredient-led tapas at a lower price, La Taberna del Gourmet is the stronger call. Nou Manolín delivers reliable traditional Alicante cooking without the tasting menu commitment. Baeza & Rufete is worth considering if you want comparable contemporary ambition. El Portal Taberna & Wines suits wine-forward dinners, and Piripi is the right choice when you want a classic local experience over a designed occasion.
It depends on your comfort with tasting menu dining alone. The format and setting at La Ereta are geared toward couples and small groups marking an occasion, so solo diners may find the experience slightly formal. That said, a Michelin-recognised tasting menu at €€€ is a reasonable solo treat if the view and chef Dani Frías's seafood-focused cooking are the draw. Confirm seating arrangements when booking.
For Alicante, yes — the combination of a Michelin Plate (2024, 2025), a seafood-forward menu focused on local ingredients like red shrimp, and panoramic city views makes the €€€ spend coherent. The two menu options (Ereta and Degus) give you a choice of length and commitment. If you want à la carte flexibility rather than a set progression, La Taberna del Gourmet is the more practical alternative.
At €€€, La Ereta delivers a complete package: Michelin Plate-recognised cooking from Alicante-born chef Dani Frías, a contemporary Mediterranean seafood focus, and a setting with genuine city views. It is priced at the upper end for Alicante, but not overpriced for what it offers. If you are coming for food alone and the view is irrelevant to you, Baeza & Rufete gives you comparable culinary ambition — but La Ereta earns its price when occasion and setting are part of the brief.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
