We enter the heart of Valencia, where the streets wind happily, where, nowadays, foreign accent can be heard, especially Italian. Nothing surprising if we take into account that its continuation leads to the beautiful Lonja de la Seda on one side and the other end connects with the stately Cavallers street. Pure history of a Kingdom of Valencia that had its own Mint, where the money that fueled the trade of the Crown of Aragon in the Mediterranean was made. It was called La Seca and did not have a permanent headquarters over the years, but it is known, according to Gumersindo Fernández and Enrique Ibáñez (The Valencia that was. shipyard, 2019), that in 1476 It was located on our Calatrava street. This road in the capital has seen many chronicles of events and has been adapting to the times, to the years when El Carmen was a dirty place, degraded, dangerous and junkie, in which not everyone dared to go through it and in current times, in which it looks clean, touristy and full of life. Today we are going to have a homemade vermouth, to have a scandalously custom-designed shirt rocker, to buy material for our scrapbook, and eat delicious flamenco-tinged croquettes. Are you coming?
PASS
— Calatrava, 12
Thirteen is a different concept. It is not even a typical restaurant, not a store, nor quite the opposite. In command, Victory of the Hole, a designer who every year launches an exclusive collection of shoes of only thirteen units (and 35, and 36, three 37, three 38, three 39, and 40 and a 41) which is sold in this leisure space that is also a restaurant that serves market cuisine with short and simple preparations designed to be eaten with your hands.: preserves, croquettes, sausages, salads… Inside they have enhanced the bar and the European custom of sharing a table to encourage conversation and friction within the gastronomic experience.. Is there a better invention than a restaurant to sell shoes??
VICTORIA HOUSE
— Calatrava, 23
And right in front of Thirteen, Victoria herself saw the opportunity to reinvent the old family business within the very narrow space that served as the building's storage room.. He has reformulated the grocery store that his family had next to the Santa Catalina horchatería in this beautiful place that is only three years old., but it manages to evoke the charm of a very old place. With wooden blinds wallpapering the walls, old shelves, a very authentic marble bar, checkerboard floor brought with all the intention and a huge mirror that serves as a blackboard crowning the room. What to ask for? Smoked salted meats, Spanish cheeses D.O., canned asparagus or peas, pickles, bread that takes away the sense to dip in all the leftover liquids, and vermouths, one after another: Yzaguirre, Mariol House, Victor, The Slope, Zarro…
ANIMAL
— Calatrava, 17
Satwa is a store that was born in 2011 next to the Plaza del Negrito with all the materials and tools needed for the scrapbooking. And what is this? Well the art of creating, archive and decorate photographs and memories in the form of an album or scrapbook using techniques such as origami, sewing, he decoupage a watercolor. So in Satwa you can find papers of all colors, thicknesses and textures, paintings of all kinds, laminating accessories, seal, die cut and bind, and number of decorations (buttons, flores, Tapes, ties, glitter…) to be able to make your personalized photo album, a birthday card, or a very special box-album.
THE BLACK
— Pl. from Negret, 1
El Negrito has in the square a whopping 38 years. This cocktail bar was originally built in the store across the street., what used to be a pharmacy and is now Ghecko, but the building was declared in ruins and ended up in rubble, so they had to move to the other corner of the square where today they continue to be the cultural thermometer of the neighborhood and, if you hurry me, from all over the city. Beside, his little sister, The Bold. In the eighties and nineties it was a place frequented by theater people like Tricicle or Juan Echanove., that they had a gig at the Talía, the Olympia and the Principal; of politics as Carmen Alborch; or culture in general like Francis Montesinos. Today it has a very eclectic clientele, You can easily rub your crests with your ties to have a beer, a cubata or a mojito. Two Tuesdays a month there is live music and, from Fallas, also every sunday. One last curiosity: Eduardo Calpurnio designed the logo in the nineties.
THE MONSTER
— Calatrava, 11
Being clear about the premise that each body is a world, Tania designs custom clothing with wonderful prints in this small shop-workshop in the historic center of Valencia.. Flowery motifs, cadaverous, colorful, of animals… you choose the fabric, the print you like the most and what you want to accompany it with (fringes, edging…) and she adapts it to your curves in the form of a skirt, dress or shirt. Between swimsuits from the fifties, gatos, fans and tikis (human-shaped statues from the cultures of Central Polynesia) made in Toledo, Tania works overtime in her attic to satisfy her clients: curious people passing by, stage people (musicians, above all) and even Americans looking for cool prints in plus sizes.
GHECKO
— Pl. from Negret, 2
El Ghecko, In addition to being a cocktail bar that has been providing atmosphere to Plaza del Negrito for more than twenty years, It is a type of lizard whose skin repels water and gives its name to this temple of nightlife in El Carmen. Some of these lizards decorate the walls of a huge place that is worth entering just for its decoration. Don't let its rough facade fool you., inside you immerse yourself in another world. Although the light is very dim, you will be able to appreciate the stones that cover the columns, the walls and the two bars, brought from Bali, like furniture, handmade, or the great dragon carved in one piece from an ancient tree. Ghecko is a drinking place where commercial music plays, you dance and, as long as, You can hear live music from a saxophonist or violinist accompanied by a DJ.
DEMPANADAS
— Calatrava, 2
What we find in Dempanadas? Indeed… artisan dumplings! Nothing less than 27 varieties of this delicacy covered in puff pastry that hides high-loin entrecôte, olives, onion and hard boiled egg, if we talk about the classic Argentine empanada. And chimichurri! You can also try, among many others, the Chilean empanadilla or the pumpkin and cheese empanadilla, and options for vegans such as seitan with mushrooms or soy curry. To accompany we have quinoa salads, couscous or wild rice, good wines and Valencian beer and, finishing, delicious homemade cakes. Home delivery from 25 euros.
THE SALVAORA
— Calatrava, 19
La Salvaora is a pure flamenco restaurant. But not as a decorative element (that also), tourist attraction or simple fashion, here flamenco is sweated and lived from the heart. You just have to see its walls lined with photographs of the greatest flamenco artists that the country has produced since the first generation of flamenco artists. (years 50) until now. Silverio Franconetti, a dominator of all flamenco styles who took the genre to the very court of Isabel II; The girl with the combs, one of the most important voices in the history of flamenco; Manolo Caracol, who innovated by accompanying his songs on some occasions with piano or orchestra; and more contemporary, Mayte Martín or Miguel Poveda, very friend of the house, They accompany diners at lunches and dinners in which, of course, flamenco sounds in the background. But let's talk about the food, that's what we've come for. The generic label could be Mediterranean cuisine with a touch of contemporary, what does it mean, among other things, delicious Iberian ham croquettes cooked with a secret so obvious that it overwhelms: They carry a lot and very good ham. Don't miss the organic poached artichokes tempurad with black garlic aioli either., the bull's tail, or the duck confit coca with roasted eggplant washed down with an extensive list of Spanish wines. at noon (€14.90 menu) You will find executives and the occasional politician (the County Council, The Generalitat and Les Corts are very close) and at night it is easy to see people from the entertainment world at the next table, especially flamenco, of course.
AL VENT
— Calatrava, 4 (lower left)
Raquel and Víctor are a couple, and since 2017 They run this little jewelry store where they assemble and personalize earrings, pendants and other accessories at a very good price. They bring silver from India or Thailand, some designs from Madrid or Barcelona, and as long as you treat the product with respect, they let you try and handle everything you need.. Human and family treatment is one of its great virtues. You will find pre-Columbian style bronze jewelry, chokers with simple half-moon pendants or origami figures, most classic earrings, ethnic bracelets… in silver, above all, but also some stone, oro, bronze or steel in second line. The perfect place to find a little detail to give or treat yourself.
OLIVE
— Calatrava, 4 (lower right)
The Oli i vi winery opened more than three years ago (in what was a parcel) like a wine store where oils were also sold, cookies… But in September 2018 They reopened with a bar (self-built) inside, stools and a different concept. Now it's a place to be, chat and ramble, because you can buy the bottle of wine to take it with you, but you can also take it right there. On the board you will always find four reds, two white, a quarry, mistela, herbero and vermouth served by the glass. And to accompany, cold tapas: ham, queso, cecina, smoked salted meats, humus… But vices aside, Oli i vi is also a delight for its decoration. With a very pretty stained glass window painted on the door, original mirror and shelves with old siphon bottles, a hydraulic floor from the forties that they have rescued from under the horrible stoneware, and details from the seventies recovered from a cafeteria in Calp and a fishmonger in Benidorm.
BOCATINE
— Calatrava, 21
And we arrive at LA vermutería del Carmen where we are welcomed by a beautiful semicircular arch with exposed brick.. Does 22 years ago he opened this sandwich shop today specialized in vermouth, that magical concoction from Ancient Greece that derives from wine macerated in herbs, that entered the Iberian Peninsula through Reus and then spread throughout the country. Behind the bar stands a shelf with more than sixty Spanish vermouths (and a bottle of Cinzano), but the one who triumphs is the one from the house, that is served in a shooter. To accompany you have sandwiches, sandwiches and montaditos along with potato tapas cooked in many ways, scrambled, croquettes and salads, everything simple but made with good raw materials. Bocatín has maintained the same staff for almost two decades and has not abandoned its philosophy despite the hordes of tourists that flow down Calatrava Street., they keep feeding the neighbors. Come in and have a house vermouth with pinchito for €2.5 and then, we see…
MANDALA
— Calatrava, 4 left.
No one can resist entering Mandala with its landscaped sign, its plants on the façade and the exotic fabric umbrellas that mark the door. Besides, Just for crossing the threshold you get a gift pendant!! In this store that has been open for three years in Calatrava you can try on handmade crochet tops, mandala scarves for the beach, the sofa or the wall, pockets, straw hats, cases, sunglasses and jewelry, mainly silver and gold plated: bracelets from Mexico, Indian earrings, Moroccan pendants, and many rings. There's one made for your finger!
