Restaurant in Daimús, Spain
Serious seafood, relaxed setting, fair price.
A Michelin Plate seafood restaurant on the Daimús seafront that began as a beach bar and has quietly become one of the Valencia coast's most consistently recognized casual dining addresses — ranked on Opinionated About Dining's Casual Europe list three years running. At €€ pricing, Manuel Alonso's technically grounded take on Valencian tradition is one of the better-value decisions on this stretch of coastline.
The misconception worth correcting first: Casa Manolo is not a casual beach bar you stumble into after a swim. Yes, it began life as a chiringuito on the Passeig Marítim in Daimús, but what Manuel Alonso has built over the years is a seriously considered seafood restaurant that holds a Michelin Plate and has ranked on Opinionated About Dining's Casual Europe list three consecutive years running, reaching #63 in 2023 before settling at #98 in 2025. At the €€ price point, it competes with restaurants charging considerably more. If you are in the Valencia region looking for a grounded, technically sound meal rooted in local tradition rather than spectacle, this is worth booking.
The setting does a lot of framing work here. Sitting on the seafront at Passeig Marítim, 5, the room carries the ambient ease of a coastal lunch spot — light off the water, a relaxed tempo, the kind of atmosphere that makes you order a second glass without thinking too hard about it. The noise level is comfortable rather than buzzing; conversations carry without effort. For a special occasion that does not require a formal dining room, this works well: it feels considered without being stiff, which is harder to pull off than it sounds. The energy leans toward long lunches over theatrical dinners, though the kitchen runs evening service too.
What separates Casa Manolo from the stretch of seafood restaurants along this coast is what the kitchen actually does with traditional Valencian material. Alonso is working with the region's defining ingredients and formats, but the execution is tighter than most. The à la carte is anchored around shrimp from Santa Pola, fideuá from Gandía using the thin-noodled version that is specific to this zone, and a tripe preparation that has become something of a signature. These are not reworked for novelty's sake — the point is precision within the tradition, not departure from it. That approach has earned consistent recognition: the OAD Casual Europe ranking climbed steadily before the list expanded, which means the relative recognition at #63 in 2023 is meaningful context.
The set menu structure gives you multiple entry points. The Calma, Miradas, and Escapadas menus offer different scope and price steps, which makes the restaurant usable for a range of occasions , a quick midweek lunch at a lower commitment level, or a longer tasting format if you want to cover more ground. For a date or a celebration, the set menu route makes sense: it paces the meal better than ordering piecemeal and lets the kitchen show range. For a solo lunch or a business meal where you need to keep things moving, the à la carte is the cleaner option.
The Google rating of 4.1 across 1,577 reviews reflects a broad audience that includes tourists passing through the Costa de Valencia as well as regulars who understand what this kitchen is doing. The floor is higher than that aggregate suggests for diners who arrive with accurate expectations. This is not a splashy destination meal , it is a well-executed, regionally grounded restaurant that happens to be accessible to book and priced to make the decision easy.
If the Valencia region's seafood tradition is the draw, Casa Manolo sits comfortably above the general standard of the Daimús coast without requiring the budget or planning lead of a full destination restaurant. Quique Dacosta in Dénia and Ricard Camarena in València represent the region's higher tier if you want to step up considerably in ambition and price. Casa Manolo is the answer when you want technical seriousness without that level of ceremony or cost. For the broader Spanish fine dining picture, restaurants like Arzak in San Sebastián, Azurmendi in Larrabetzu, and El Celler de Can Roca in Girona operate in a different category entirely , they are not the comparison you need to make here.
Booking is easy. The restaurant opens daily for lunch (12–4 pm Monday through Saturday, 12:30–4 pm Sunday) and dinner (9–11 pm daily). The split-service format is standard for this part of Spain, so plan around it: there is no continuous service through the afternoon.
Reservations: Easy , no significant lead time required for most dates; advance booking recommended for weekend lunch in peak season. Budget: €€ , mid-range pricing that makes this an accessible choice for the quality level on offer. Hours: Monday–Saturday 12–4 pm and 9–11 pm; Sunday 12:30–4 pm and 9–11 pm. Dress: No formal dress code indicated; smart-casual is appropriate for the setting. Address: Passeig Marítim, 5, 46710 Daimús, Valencia, Spain.
Planning a longer stay? See our full Daimús restaurants guide, our full Daimús hotels guide, our full Daimús bars guide, our full Daimús wineries guide, and our full Daimús experiences guide.
Casa Manolo is not competing with Spain's top-tier destination restaurants , and that is the point. Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa María, DiverXO in Madrid, and Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona are all €€€€ operations requiring weeks of advance planning and a very different budget commitment. If you want creative ambition and theatrical presentation, those are your options. Casa Manolo is the choice when you want technical confidence and regional authenticity at a price that does not require a special-occasion budget to justify.
Within the Valencia region specifically, Quique Dacosta is the obvious step-up , a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Dénia that represents the pinnacle of this coastline's dining offer. The gap in price and formality between the two is significant. Casa Manolo sits below that tier but well above the generic seafood restaurants that line the Costa de Valencia. For diners who want serious food without the full destination-restaurant experience, Casa Manolo fills that gap more reliably than most alternatives in this part of the coast.
On pure value grounds, Casa Manolo is the stronger bet than most Valencian seafront options at the €€ level. The OAD recognition , three consecutive years on the Casual Europe list , gives it a credential that most comparable-priced restaurants in the region lack. If you are choosing between a slightly cheaper, unrecognized beachfront option and Casa Manolo, book Casa Manolo.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casa Manolo | Seafood, Traditional Cuisine | A longstanding family-run restaurant with relaxing sea views that began life as a “chiringuito” (beach bar) and has been gradually evolving ever since. Owner-chef Manuel Alonso offers guests an updated take on traditional cuisine, the aim of which is create a range of sensations and a return to the region’s origins via the à la carte (don’t miss the shrimp from Santa Pola, the iconic tripe, or the thin-noodled “fideuá” from Gandía) and an array of set menus (Calma, Miradas, Escapadas etc).; Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #98 (2025); Michelin Plate (2025); Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #89 (2024); Michelin Plate (2024); Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #63 (2023) | Easy | — |
| Aponiente | Progressive - Seafood, Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Arzak | Modern Basque, Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Azurmendi | Progressive, Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Cocina Hermanos Torres | Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| DiverXO | Progressive - Asian, Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Nothing in the available venue data confirms a private dining room or a stated group maximum. Given that the restaurant operates two full services daily (lunch 12–4pm, dinner 9–11pm) across seven days, it has the operational capacity for tables of moderate size — but for groups of six or more, call ahead to confirm seating and whether the set menu format works for the whole table.
It works well for low-key celebrations where the food matters more than the theatre. The seafront setting on Passeig Marítim gives the meal a natural occasion feel, and the range of set menus (Calma, Miradas, Escapadas) means you can structure a longer, more considered meal without defaulting to a full fine-dining format. For a milestone that requires full ceremony, you would need to look elsewhere in the region — but for a birthday lunch or anniversary dinner where quality and comfort both count, Casa Manolo is a sound choice.
There are no direct like-for-like alternatives in Daimús itself — the town is small and Casa Manolo is its most credentialled restaurant. For comparable coastal seafood at a similar price point in the broader Valencia region, look at other OAD-tracked addresses along the Costa Blanca. If you want to step up in ambition and spend, Quique Dacosta in Dénia (roughly 60km south) operates at a different level entirely, but it is a different category of meal.
The venue data does not confirm bar-counter seating, so this cannot be verified. Given its origins as a chiringuito that has evolved into a full-service restaurant, informal seating options may exist — but check the venue's official channels before planning around it.
Yes, clearly. At €€, Casa Manolo is one of the more serious-value addresses on the Valencia coast — a Michelin Plate holder that has ranked inside OAD's Top 100 Casual Europe three years running, most recently at #98 in 2025. The à la carte includes shrimp from Santa Pola and fideuá from Gandía, dishes that reflect genuine regional sourcing rather than generic coastal cooking. For mid-range spend, the quality-to-price ratio is hard to fault.
It is a reasonable solo option, particularly for lunch. The à la carte format and mid-range (€€) pricing mean you are not locked into a long tasting menu, and the coastal setting on Passeig Marítim makes a solo lunch here feel purposeful rather than awkward. Weekday lunch slots are the most relaxed choice; weekend peak season will be busier and a reservation is advisable even solo.
The set menus — Calma, Miradas, and Escapadas among them — represent the most considered way to eat here, giving chef Manuel Alonso more room to build a sequence around regional ingredients. At €€ pricing they are not a financial stretch, and for a first visit they make more sense than picking off the à la carte blind. That said, the à la carte shrimp from Santa Pola and the fideuá are specifically flagged as highlights, so if those dishes are your priority, the set menu is not mandatory.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
