In a city that invented horchata, Santa Catalina has been making it since 1836 from tigernuts grown in their own fields. The drink arrives icy cold and slightly grainy, tasting like almond milk's earthier Mediterranean cousin. Pair it with fartons — long sweet bread designed specifically for dunking — and you're participating in Valencian culture that predates mass tourism by centuries. The plaza location means tables spill onto cobblestones, elderly locals sit alongside curious travelers, and everyone is drinking the same thing their great-grandparents drank. This is the one.
Location
Ciutat Vella, Valencia
Map
Insider Intel
Horchata with fartons. That's the entire point. If you want coffee or something else, you're at the wrong place. Small size is usually enough to understand it.
Late afternoon when the heat makes the cold horchata most logical. Summer evenings on the plaza. Avoid midday tourist rush if you want to sit.
Cash preferred. Horchata is an acquired taste — it's sweet, nutty, and unlike anything else. Don't overthink it. The fartons are meant to be dunked. Service is efficient rather than warm.