A closer look at La Crispeta, the Spanish restaurant off the Rambla

The streets around Alicante's Rambla are full of restaurants, and being full of restaurants is not the same as being full of good ones. La Crispeta, on Calle Jorge Juan, is one worth knowing about. It holds a 4.5 on Google from 2,143 reviews, and numbers like that are hard to argue with.

What it is

You'll find it at C. Jorge Juan, 6, in central Alicante, a few steps from the Rambla. The cooking is Spanish, aimed a bit higher than the standard menú del día without tipping into formal. Inside it's exposed brick and warm lighting, with tables set up for long conversations rather than quick turnover.

That rating matters more here than it would in a quieter town. Places this close to a busy pedestrian street can survive on people who'll never come back, so their scores usually sag. Holding a 4.5 across 2,143 reviews in that spot points to regulars, not just passing trade.

The catch

The location cuts both ways. Central Alicante eats late - the 9pm-and-after crowd is real - and weekends fill up fast. It's a cozy spot rather than a big dining hall, so a group turning up unannounced at peak time on a Saturday is pushing its luck. Parking nearby is a non-starter too; walk in or take a taxi.

How it compares

Our directory puts it alongside a couple of places down the coast in Torrevieja, and the comparison is useful mostly because each one is good at something different.

• Bibliotekcafé, on Calle Ramón Gallud in Torrevieja, is a café built around a library. Books line the walls in several languages, many donated by customers, and there's no television, which makes it one of the calmer places to sit in town. Lovely - but it's an afternoon-with-a-book place, not a dinner out.
• Casa Del Mar, also in Torrevieja, goes for the feel of eating at a friend's place by the sea, away from the busier restaurant strips. It shows a 5.0 on Google, but from 3 reviews. A perfect score from three people tells you almost nothing. A 4.5 from 2,143 tells you plenty, and that contrast is most of the case for La Crispeta.

If you're eating in Alicante itself, we've also covered Da Ciro in the old town for pizza nights, and Nou Manolín for when you're out to impress someone.

Who it's for

This is the pick for a proper sit-down dinner in the centre: a date, visiting parents, the friend who claims Spanish food is all the same. It's not the pick for a fast cheap lunch, and it's not a quiet-corner-of-town spot - you're a few steps from the Rambla, with all the foot traffic that brings.

Pick a weeknight, turn up before nine, and let dinner run long.