Casa Jaime

Casa Jaime opened in 1967 and is still a family restaurant: Jaime Sanz and his sons go to Peñíscola's fish market every day to buy fish and change the menu according to what arrives on the boats. It is at 5 Avenida Papa Luna, at the start of the Playa Norte promenade, facing the sea and a step from the old town. The dining room is small, with 24 covers, and the terrace overlooks the beach.

The rice is ordered in advance

You come to Casa Jaime for the rice and the fish. The rice dishes are made only on demand, so you need to say when you book that you will want one. On their website they show the mantis shrimp rice with cuttlefish roe and artichokes, the skate with prawns, the Peñíscola fishermen's stew or the sea bass carpaccio; the cooking is seafood, with Mediterranean roots, with touches of other cuisines. The Repsol Guide places the price between €35 and €60 per person and lists a €39 menu. Jaime Sanz junior is a sommelier, and the wine list, renewed this autumn, looks mainly to Valencian wineries: IGP Castellón, Alicante, Utiel-Requena and Valencia.

Call between 9:30 and one o'clock

Booking is by phone only, on 964 48 00 30, from 9:30 to 13:00. They don't accept bookings by email or social media, and during service they don't answer the phone. The booking isn't firm until you receive confirmation by email or SMS. The house asks for an hour and a half to eat and punctuality: arriving late without warning can cost you your table. Changes must be requested at least five days ahead. If you are coeliac, diabetic or have an allergy, say so when you book.

Before booking, what there isn't

There is no children's menu: children are welcome, but the house leaves it to the family to decide whether the kitchen suits them. There are also no vegan or vegetarian dishes, and if you don't eat fish or shellfish the restaurant itself asks you to think it over before booking.

Days and hours

Open all year, except a few days in January, from 13:00 to 15:00 and from 20:00 to 22:00. Closed on Wednesdays and on Tuesday and Sunday evenings; the contact page only mentions Wednesday and Sunday evening, so confirm when you call.

Casa Jaime is the lunch in the castle, boat and rice plan: in the morning the Papa Luna castle and, after the rice, the afternoon on Playa Norte, which starts at the door.