Alicante Central Market
Situated in the historic city centre of Alicante and occupying a grand old building, Alicante Central Market is one of the largest and certainly the most eye catching indoor market on the Costa Blanca. Located on Av. Alfonso X El Sabio, the market can easily be reached with a tram stop and several bus stops right outside the building. Further markets in Alicante include a daily outdoor market on the splendid Explanada de Espana, a Sunday artisan market in the Plaza Santa Faz and a collectors market in the town hall square also on a Sunday.
Alicante Central Market
The market is open from 07:30 Monday to Saturday and occupies the entire building over two levels. It is kept spotlessly clean and each stall is a work of food art displaying a huge range of produce. Walking around the market is a pleasure and although the stall holders jostle each other in order to attract the customers, the rivalry is more friendly banter than the cutthroat methods employed by many street market stall owners. All areas of the market are well lit and the high roof gives it an airy feel, with both a large central stairway and escalators to the upper level. Walking up the steps to the grand entrance feels more like entering a museum than a market, but once through the doors there's no mistaking the bustling market atmosphere.
Alicante Central Market Stalls
No matter what your food preference you will be sure to find something to tempt the taste buds among the stalls and food counters. The brightly coloured fresh fruit and vegetables immediately catch the eye and prices across all the market stalls offer good value. The smells coming from the bakery counters will soon have you heading in their direction where you will find freshly baked bread and rolls of all descriptions, pies oozing delicious gravy, delicate pastries, flaky croissants and a super variety of sweet buns and cakes.
Large joints of meat and strings of sausages hang from the ceilings of the butchery counters, where the highly experienced stall holders will advise on the best choice for certain dishes and slice the meat to your preference. Delicatessen counters groan under the weight of huge blocks of cheese, and some of the more well aged and expensive Serrano ham literally melts on the tong. Here you will also find a vast selection of cured sausages, all sorts of interesting tinned fish, pickles of all descriptions, many varieties of olive oil and plump marinaded olives.
For many the highlight of Alicante Central Market is the wonderfully fresh fish and seafood on display, where customers can choose from an excellent selection of sea bass, grouper, hake, cod, red mullet, grey mullet, red snapper, bonito, tuna, mackerel and sardines. Although the seafood and shellfish in northern Spain is a lot more bountiful, there is still a great choice in the Costa Blanca such as lobster, langostines, prawns, crab, octopus, squid, oysters, mussels, clams, razor clams and cockles. In the square outside the market there is a large flower and plant stall that is so immaculately displayed it looks more like a florist's window dressing.