Experience a culinary journey with rich local dishes, vibrant tapas, and sweet pastries, complemented by immersive wine tourism events and activities.

Villena’s gastronomy blends Mediterranean and Manchegan influences. The local farmland, rich in products such as carrots, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes, provides fresh ingredients for simple yet flavorful dishes. Among the standout spoon dishes is gachamiga, made with garlic, flour, oil, and water—ideal for cold days. Gazpacho de Villena is another classic, made with chicken, rabbit, saffron milk caps, flatbread, and snails, served with garlic mayonnaise. Pelotas de relleno (stuffed meatballs), made from minced meat, bread, pine nuts, and spices cooked in broth, are especially popular during the Moors and Christians Festival. Triguico picao is a traditional dish that combines wheat, pork, red kidney beans, and turnips, while arroz y pata—a rice dish cooked in a paella pan with boiled veal shank, chickpeas, red pepper, and garlic—offers a unique and distinctive flavor. When it comes to tapas, especially in spring and summer, it’s common to enjoy treats like baked potatoes, lupin beans, fresh broad beans, snails, or zarangollo (a sautéed mix of zucchini, onion, and tomato), often accompanied by cured meats, fried cheese with tomato jam, and seasoned olives. Villena’s local pastry scene includes delicious traditional sweets like sequillos, rollicos de vino (wine cookies), almendraos (almond biscuits), and toñas (sweet buns), all of which are a staple in the city’s bakeries. The rich and traditional Villena cuisine can be enjoyed at the city’s many restaurants, offering a unique experience for lovers of good food. As for wine tourism, Enotur Villena is an event that immerses the city in wine culture, held over two weekends in February. During these days, restaurants, wineries, adventure tourism companies, accommodations, the Municipal Market, museums, theaters, and tourist offices offer a wide variety of activities, products, and special deals. Visitors can enjoy exhibitions, wine-paired menus featuring wines from the Alicante D.O., cycle-enotourism routes, guided tours of wineries and the Chapí Theater with Fondillón tastings, as well as workshops for children, adventure activities like via ferratas and bungee jumping—all paired with a toast of local wine.