We live close to Elias every time we're in Torrevieja and are there almost every night. Torrevieja…read moreis pretty touristy overall but this is a hidden gem. The owner, Jorge, is the nicest restaurant owner you'll ever find and he personally makes every order of paella. If you want the experience of a real, true tapas bar with a true Spanish feel. Go to Elias. There is no excuse for not coming here when in Torrevieja, absolutely the nicest and best restaurant in Torrevieja.

We have eaten with Jorge, the owner of Elias tapas restaurant for each of the four years in a row…read morewe have vacationed in torrevieja. He and his daughters run the restaurant with a few close coworkers who may as well be family, and their service is as good as the food. Everything, from boquerones (lightly fried large sardines) to patatas bravas to pulpo (octopus) has been perfect every time. And the prices are fantastic at 6 euro for a plate of boquerones and 3 euro for the patatas bravas. But by far our favorite is the made to order paella mixto. Jorge puts love into his cooking, and this, and his fresh seafood and vegetables, keep us coming. Ack year after year. It is always our first meal when we reach torrevieja, our home away from home.

From the owner: Somos especialistas en Arroces, Paellas de Marisco, Bogavante y Pescados frescos cocinados de…read moredistintas formas, plancha, horno, a la sal.

Tasty food and great service, I will visit again!…read more The restaurant is located in El Chaparral, a residential area between the two salt lakes (las Lagunas de Torrevieja y La Mata). This is one of their three locations and it is less busy than the one in the city center (other locations are on their website, just added it to the listing). The food and the prices are the same in all three restaurants. Tried pork knuckle, stroganoff beef and chicken, smoked salmon salad and bread with ham (all pictured). Everything tasted great and freshly made. They bake their own buns, really enjoyed them. I think the sauces they served (ali-oli and tomato) were also made here, tasted differently from what I tried in other places. Red house wine was fine. Tiramisu desert was delicious! They say they are an international cuisine restaurant - a bit of everything from everywhere. The menu is quite long and I was surprised all meals were available. One can visit several times and try different food. I will definitely be back! P.S. Cards accepted, free WiFi, parking is easy and free UPDATE (5 hours later): I will never remember the name of the restaurant :-) I typed it several times in pics' captions, wrote a review and shared it all over the place. Still can't remember it!!! 5 stars anyway :)

Rude staff. They insist you book a table, they don't like you turning up even when they are not…read morebusy. Fish and chips is disgusting. Bossy loud woman in charge. Don't cater for.vegetarians or vegans. They prices in the main are good, but I prefer a friendly environment and a better menu. Definitely don't recommend.

I was told by a friend (who sells stuff to plumbers) that ALL local plumbers dine here. Always. I…read morewas intrigued. If all plumbers find it best, isn't it worth a visit? Definetely yes! Got there and realized I'd passed by this place a few times before. Doesn't look like something special outside. Couldn't imagine this was a local culinary star. Popular among locals (all people were Spanish when I visited). Outdoor seating is on a tear (around 10 pm, early November), empty inside. Ordered grilled octopus, deep fried baby squids and house white wine. All just perfect! I'm sure I will be back soon to try other dishes they offer.

Seafront location with views. Great choice of hot tapas (served by waiters) and cold tapas (picked…read moreat the counter). Awesome desserts. Fast service by polite and attentive staff seeking a few languages. No waiting to get seated or pay. Popular but not too crowded. Clean. Not expensive. Recommended, I will be back.

3 & 1/2...Unsurprisingly considering the hordes of mostly British tourists that swarm into the…read morebeachside city of Torrevieja during the scorching Spanish summer, this longtime stalwart really laid it on thick with both the verging on Epcot level, verging on cheesy "traditional" decor right down to the hanging hams, as well as the waiters schtick-heavy presentation that we fell for resulting in him "putting together" a way too massive order for us, and the corresponding sky high check to match. Luckily the meal overall was good enough to push it over the line to make my first real meal in Spain rank as a sweet experience as opposed to an exasperating rip off, though it certainly straddled the line. The definitive highlight of the meal for me, and the taste that sticks with me most vividly were the sea urchin, served au natural in their own spiky shells cracked in half they tasted as rich and unctuous as imaginable an deeply and wholly of the sea, with a texture as smooth and creamy as foie gras or fresh durian. I've had uni countless times both atop sushi and numerous in other creative preparations, but I had never experienced it presented so simply allowing the deep richness to permeate so profoundly. The simple presentation of these creatures in their gnarly and scary shells only reinforced my longtime fixation on imagining who was the first person crazy enough to think to try eating them, and how self satisfied they must have felt after discovering that their insanely reckless behavior yielded such insanely delicious results. Also very memorable was a massive plate of various prime cuts of tuna, which is rightfully just as venerated in Spanish cuisine as the cured hams, presented in a manner as you would serve prime cuts of beef in a steakhouse, with the different cuts offering just a much richness and depth of flavor that would would encounter with top-tier dry-aged beef. Other highlights included huge platters of those Serrano hams that are hanging above you, salty, smooth with gloriously marbled fat, clams in a flavorful garlic sauce and well cooked shrimps in their shells in slightly lighter sauce, as well as perfectly fried octopus and an extremely rich and decadent oxtail cannelloni in a béchamel sauce, which I would surprisingly come to find to be a staple of menus across the country, apparently just a much a Spanish dish as an Italian one. There were a few duds on the menu, like an astonishingly bland and mealy foie gras dish, and we certainly could have done with out the at the table stone cooked beef set we were heavily pushed by the waiter which was also strangely bland and of which we barely made a dent in as it arrive late in the meal. Overall if you find yourself in this tourist town and looking for a nice meal I would give this place a shot, just maybe exercise some restraint and don't be taken in by the skills of the longtime old school staff who have become very talented in their presentation and limit yourselves to a few dishes to start. Like the old adage goes, you can always order more, but you can't order less.

This restaurant ranks on the top 3 of my best meals. We were seated after a few minutes. It…read moreimpressive that the food is displayed at the door, clearly they are proud of the kitchen product. The wait staff hustle and I can see that may be misunderstood as being gruff. In reality they are proving top Notch service. Like fine dining but at a higher pace. The quality and execution is awesome. We did not wait long and enjoyed our food at a great pace. Delicious. The wait staff was very helpful, offered us 4 languages and guided us with precision to aGreat meal! You can't miss this place.

Never ate here but drank at least 100 coffees over the last few months (inside and outside)…read more Open when everything almost else around is closed. WiFi. Street parking available. Great place to meet and talk. Usually quite during the day. Can be noisy in the evenings.

From the owner: Cafés, desayunos, cañas con tapas, cubos de cerveza, menús diarios, arroces, pulpo a la gallega,…read morecarnes argentinas, cocina española

A great seafood restaurant on the seafront. Plenty of seating either inside or out and extra on the…read morefirst floor with dramatic views across the water. Exceptional seafood of all varieties. We shared a seafood paella and couldn't finish it all. Totally stuffed full of every local seafood imaginable. Service was brilliant and friendly and giving advice of dishes to everyone. Great evening and we will be back on a future trip to the area.

Nautilus is pretty much a tourist trap in Torrevieja. The pros are that the restaurant is easily…read moreaccessible with a dedicated parking lot and sights on the sea. The cons are that the service offered isn't the friendliest, the cocktails barely contain any alcohol (it's not the alcoholism talking, just observational), and the food is simply not good (even though priced fair). To give you some examples that led me to this conclusion: the group I went with was declined a table at the sea, even though during the entirety of our stay multiple tables were free and unused. And even though the table was in the dead center next to the bar and kitchen, the order taking took very long. Further, the cocktails my friend got were more sugary compared to my Coca-Cola, and the food was not prepared well. I've ordered the Sole meunière (pictured). The fish was very large, yet it was simply drenched in melted butter and so chewy my cheeks hurt after finishing my plate. I wouldn't recommend to go here, if only for the views on the sea if you plan to grab a regular beer at the bar (which has a terrace).