La Utielana

València — La Xerea, Ciutat Vella (Plaza Picadero de Dos Aguas, a block from Mercado Central)

A block from Mercado Central, in the old-town barrio of La Xerea, this family-run casa de comidas has served the same home cooking since 1957: a leg of lamb roasted low for four hours, and on Thursdays, a cocido that fills every table. No design-forward menus or photo ops here — it's neighbourhood office workers and locals who keep coming back, not tourists: the place to eat the way Valencia ate seventy years ago.