Our Take on Cafe del Duende
Anabel Vazquez opened Cafe del Duende in 1998 and has run it always and exclusively for flamenco, as Valencia Life tells the story. That focus shows: a small bar, around ten tables, a stage, and musicians sitting side by side the way the form intends.
This is the room Fodor's points to for flamenco in Valencia, and the Tripadvisor consensus calls it the best venue for it in the city. For roughly 15 euros with a drink included, nothing else here comes close on value.
Reading the Room
The room holds its ten or so tables close to the stage, so every seat sits near enough to read the singer's face. The performers, usually four or so musicians and dancers, work a meter away from the front row.
There is no dinner service and no ticket presale, which keeps the night simple: queue, pay at the door, take your drink, sit down.
What to Order First
Who Shows Up, and When
You will sit among locals who treat the place as theirs and travelers who did their homework, a mix the review sites note approvingly. The room goes quiet when the singing starts and loud between numbers.
Arrive 30 to 45 minutes before the show if you want a table; latecomers stand. Sundays run early evening, which suits a night that ends at a reasonable hour, per Valencia Life's show schedule.
The Pattern in the Reviews
- By far the best flamenco venue in Valencia, runs the most repeated Tripadvisor verdict.
- Arrive well before doors or stand; the queue forms early because the room does not take reservations.
- Small, intimate, and the real thing, with the emotion of the performers reaching every seat, per reviewer after reviewer.
Go If, Skip If
- 01Real flamenco at a fraction of the dinner show price the big tablaos charge.
- 02A date night with a spine: show first, El Carmen's bars two streets away after.
- 03Skip it if you want background music and conversation; this room expects your attention.
Inside the Room
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