The Verdict
Flores Raras is the 2026 reinvention of El Poblet, the two-Michelin-star Valencia restaurant of chef Quique Dacosta. It occupies the same address on Calle Correos but takes a new name, a new direction and a new head chef in Carolina Alvarez, who spent six years in the creative team of Dacosta's three-star flagship in Denia. The dining room carries forward the two stars built since 2012 while signaling a fresh chapter for the group.
The format is a choice of three tasting menus: the 1988 menu at 115 euros, Esencia at 165 euros and the flagship Flores Raras menu at 195 euros. The kitchen keeps space for Dacosta signatures such as the cubalibre de foie, a foie-gras cream under a rum-spiked gel created in 2001, alongside Alvarez's own creative voice. This is destination dining — technique in service of flavor — in Valencia’s old city.
The Kitchen
Flores Raras operates under chef Quique Dacosta's group, with Carolina Alvarez — a Mexican-born chef who spent six years on the creative team of his three-star Denia restaurant — leading the kitchen day to day. The menus blend Dacosta signatures, such as the cubalibre de foie created in 2001, with Alvarez's own dishes, all built on the precise, flavor-first technique that earned the room its two Michelin stars.
The Room
The restaurant sits in the Ciutat Vella, Valencia's old city, in the same elegant Calle Correos space that housed El Poblet. The dining room is formal and refined, set up for long tasting-menu evenings with attentive service and a serious wine program. It is a hushed, special-occasion setting rather than a casual one, in keeping with its two-star standing.
Best for a Special-Occasion Tasting Menu
Flores Raras is made for a milestone dinner: an anniversary, a proposal or a serious gastronomic night out for two who want a long, formal tasting menu. It also rewards a solo diner devoted to fine dining, and works for an impress-the-client evening where the food does the talking.
Not For
Not for a quick, casual or budget meal — Flores Raras is a two-star restaurant built around multi-course tasting menus with prices to match, and the formal pace runs long. Diners after a relaxed tapas night or a flexible a-la-carte dinner should look to one of Valencia's livelier rooms instead.
Reservations
Flores Raras takes reservations and, as a two-Michelin-star restaurant, books up well ahead, so reserve early for weekend dinners and special occasions. Lunch runs Thursday to Sunday and dinner Tuesday to Saturday. It is on Calle Correos 8 in Valencia's Ciutat Vella, the same central old-city address that previously housed El Poblet, within walking distance of the cathedral.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Flores Raras the same as El Poblet?
Flores Raras is the 2026 evolution of El Poblet, Quique Dacosta's two-Michelin-star restaurant in Valencia. It keeps the same Calle Correos address and the Dacosta group's ownership but takes a new name and direction, with Carolina Alvarez installed as head chef. The two Michelin stars built under El Poblet since 2012 carry into the renamed restaurant.
Who is the chef at Flores Raras?
Flores Raras runs under chef Quique Dacosta's group, with Carolina Alvarez leading the kitchen. Born in Mexico, Alvarez spent six years on the creative team of Dacosta's three-Michelin-star restaurant in Denia before taking charge here. The menus blend Dacosta signatures with her own dishes, built on the precise technique behind the room's two stars.
How much do the tasting menus at Flores Raras cost?
Flores Raras offers three tasting menus: the 1988 menu at 115 euros, the Esencia menu at 165 euros and the flagship Flores Raras menu at 195 euros, before wine. As a two-Michelin-star restaurant the experience is a long, formal multi-course evening, so the price reflects destination dining rather than a casual dinner out.
What are the signature dishes at Flores Raras?
The kitchen keeps space for Quique Dacosta signatures, most famously the cubalibre de foie — a foie-gras cream under a thin rum-spiked gel, created in 2001 — alongside new dishes from head chef Carolina Alvarez. The menus change with the season and the group's creative direction, so the surrounding courses evolve across the three tasting options.
Also in Valencia
Valencia's high-end dining is led by a handful of chef's tables. Compare Ricard Camarena for a two-star tasting menu, Riff for Bernd Knoller's Mediterranean cooking, or Sucede for a historic-setting tasting room.