The Family Restaurant in Denia | Al Forn

We’re loving the Costa Blanca and have recently discovered that a great family restaurant in Denia is Al Forn. They have a little something for everyone. It’s nice when you’re traveling, especially with your family or a group, to go somewhere that has a variety of things for various tastes. Some local favorites and perhaps some international ones – doesn’t that sound appetizing? Well, we’d say that restaurant Al Forn in Denia’s historic center does a great job of that with their extensive menu.

It was our dear, local friend Amparo, who introduced us to Al Forn. We learned from her that it’s one of several restaurants owned by the same family owners of the Hotel Nou Roma, which on this particular day, we had just visited for the first time.

Visiting Denia | How to Find Al Forn

The Restaurant Al Forn is around to the sea-side end of the hill and castle, right in between it and the sea. Coming upon it in a small, quaint plaza, we at first encountered that it was overflowing with others who had the same great idea as us for lunch. Children were running around the small, citrus trees growing there, their parents eating and drinking away happily at tables outside, and inside it was even noisier, with the kind of decimals of conversation that Spaniards are known for. Speaking to someone, it was confirmed that they currently had no available tables. But come back around three o’clock, they said, and there would most likely be space. So, we figured why not nosh a little bit in the meantime and that way get to try out another place too. That’s how we found and enjoyed another wonderful place to experience while visiting Denia. We think they have some of the best tapas in Denia!

Al Forn on the Map

Visiting Denia | Tasty Delights at Al Forn

We were particularly drawn to Al Forn because of one of their name sake – their wood-fired brick oven for making pizzas. After all, that’s what Al Forn means – the oven. Now, Spain is not well-known for its pizza, but when you find a place that has a legitimate oven for cooking pizzas, you can bet it’s likely going to be the better pizza you can find in Spain. Al Forn does it right, stoking their gorgeously built, large brick oven with wood-fire. The menu features a variety of pizza topping combinations and you can request your own variation of course. It’s done thin style, our favorite, and if you’re sitting in the front part of the restaurant’s beautiful interior like we were, you can see them being made by hand right there. The oven is a central feature of the restaurant’s layout and beautifully done! We enjoyed a prime table seated right across from it and next to windows that looked out onto the picturesque courtyard.

They have a daily changing menu with specials and their regular menu features a lot of great local recipes that are based on fresh seafood and the locally-known rice dishes. There are also pasta dishes in addition to their delicious pizzas. Upon Amparo’s recommendation, we also shared a Spanish favorite called Coca, a pizza-type of savory flatbread with different toppings. There’s a variety of variations on this Spanish-take on pizza, and we had the Coca Dacsa that has tuna, tomato and egg. It was delicious!

Of course, along with great food, there’s no shortage of wonderful beverages. Some of us had red wine and others enjoyed fresh beer on tap. All their desserts are homemade in house, so of course we couldn’t pass up on that! We shared a generous slice of the pumpkin and chocolate cheesecake (seasonal) – very good, especially with the chupitos, or small glasses of anise liquor that we savored.

Visiting Denia | The Interior and Ambience of Al Forn

Along with delicious, quality food, we loved what a beautiful interior the Al Forn has. The building is a very building, yet the restoration they did with it is amazing. Inside are high ceilings, exposed brick and wooden beams, complimented with a creative, yet somewhat chic-rustic, modern touch in the lighting, art pieces and furniture. There’s certainly a lot of space inside too, extending back into other halls and areas with more and more tables. So it’s a great place for having a large group of people or a special party. Just take it from us – make sure to make a reservation!

So when you do get to Al Forn, let them know you read about them here. It’s a great way to support our travel writings and to help small local businesses know how people are finding them. Then come back here and let us know what you had to eat and how you’re experience was.
Thanks and happy eating!