Ostras Pedrín review: oysters and a stellar seafood spread in Valencia’s Camins al Grau district

A long steel counter, oysters on ice from three coasts, salt-cured tuna and a tin of crab with tomato toasts. Here’s my review of Ostras Pedrín, the oyster bar I walked to straight from the Oceanogràfic, with what to order, prices, opening hours and which of its two Valencia bars to choose.

After a morning at the City of Arts and Sciences and the Oceanogràfic, I walked a few minutes up the road from the aquarium for lunch at Ostras Pedrín Ciencias. It’s a bright, casual oyster bar built around a long counter, and the menu is short and very good at what it does: oysters, tins of seafood, cured fish and roe.

I had lunch there on an afternoon in July, during three nights in Valencia, and it was personally one of my favourite meals of the trip. This review covers what I ate, what the bar is like, how the Ciencias bar differs from the original in the old town, prices, opening hours and how to fit it into a day at the City of Arts and Sciences.

Quick verdict

Ostras Pedrín suits anyone who loves seafood and wants a relaxed lunch or aperitivo rather than a long, formal meal, and the Ciencias bar is the obvious choice on a day at the City of Arts and Sciences. The mojama, the oysters and the crab were all amazing, and there’s an extensive wine list, with wines to accompany the food.

My rating: 4/5

Ostras Pedrín at a glance

• What it is: a casual oyster and vermouth bar, with oysters, gourmet tins, cured and smoked fish, roe and a few salads and small plates, plus an extensive wine list.
• Where: two bars in the city. The Ciencias bar is at Carrer de Luis Bolinches Compañ 5, a few minutes’ walk from the Oceanogràfic. The original, Ostras Pedrín Bonaire, is at Calle Bonaire 23 in the old town, near the Mercado Central. There’s also a bar in Madrid’s Chamberí.
• Opening hours: the Ciencias bar opens from noon to midnight Monday to Saturday and from noon to 4pm on Sundays. Bonaire opens an hour earlier, at 11am.
• Price: oysters are priced one by one, by variety. Guía Repsol puts a typical bill at under €35 a head, and a glass of the house vermouth is about €3.
• Booking: walk-ins are the norm at the counter; call ahead for a table at busy times.
• Best for: lunch after the aquarium, or an aperitivo of oysters and vermouth before dinner.

My lunch at the Ciencias bar

The Ciencias bar is a light, white room with strip lights overhead, a terrazzo floor and a long stainless steel counter down one side, where most people perch on stools with a glass of something cold. There are a few tables too, and it’s a relaxed, come-as-you-are sort of place.

The menu is short. There are oysters from Asturias, France and Valencia itself, plus the classic vermouth-hour snacks: tins of seafood, cured fish and roe. You can have the oysters raw, and the bar is also known for its oysters in tempura, battered and fried and served back in the shell, which is a good way in if you’re unsure about raw ones. There’s an extensive wine list to go with it all.

I had a platter of oysters with lemon on ice, slices of mojama (salt-cured tuna) dressed in olive oil, tomato toasts and a tin of crab on ice. The mojama, the oysters and the crab were all amazing.

It’s simple food, with the seafood doing the work, and it made a light lunch after the aquarium rather than a long, heavy meal.

What stands out

• The mojama, oysters and crab: the highlights of my lunch.
• The wine list: it’s extensive, with wines to accompany the food.
• Oysters from three coasts: you can compare oysters from Asturias, France and Valencia on one plate.
• The location: the Ciencias bar is a short walk from the Oceanogràfic, so it slots into a day at the City of Arts and Sciences without a taxi or a trek back into town.

Worth knowing before you go

• The bill adds up oyster by oyster: prices vary by variety, so check the board and decide how many you want before ordering, especially with the premium French oysters.
• It’s seafood through and through: apart from a few salads, almost everything on the menu comes from the sea, so it’s not the place for anyone who doesn’t eat fish.
• Sundays are lunch only: both Valencia bars close at 4pm on Sundays.
• Check the hours before you go: opening times can change with the season and on public holidays, so look at the bar’s website or Google listing before making a special trip.

Ciencias or Bonaire?

The original bar opened on Calle Bonaire in the old town in December 2015 and is the better known of the two, a small bar a short walk from the Mercado Central and the Lonja. It’s a Guía Repsol Solete, the guide’s award for casual places worth a detour, and a good stop if you’re exploring the old town.

The Ciencias bar, which I went to, is the one to choose if you’re spending the day at the City of Arts and Sciences or the Oceanogràfic. The menu is in the same spirit, built around oysters, tins and vermouth, so pick whichever is closer to where you’ll be.

How to get there

• From the Oceanogràfic: about ten minutes on foot, heading north from the aquarium to Carrer de Luis Bolinches Compañ, in the streets behind the Paseo de la Alameda.
• By metro: line 10 stops at Oceanogràfic and at Ciutat Arts i Ciències – Justícia, both within walking distance.
• From the old town: take a bus or taxi, or walk or cycle down the Turia gardens to the City of Arts and Sciences, about 4 km from the Torres de Serranos.

For more on the area, see my guide to the City of Arts and Sciences, and for the rest of the city, my best things to do in Valencia and 3 days in Valencia itinerary.

My verdict: is Ostras Pedrín worth it?

Yes. The mojama, the oysters and the crab were all amazing, the extensive wine list has wines to accompany the food, and it was personally one of my favourite meals of my trip to Valencia. If you’re at the City of Arts and Sciences, the Ciencias bar is a short walk from the aquarium; if you’re in the old town, head for the original on Calle Bonaire.

My rating: 4/5

Map

Read next

• A guide to the City of Arts and Sciences
• 3 days in Valencia: the perfect Valencia itinerary
• 23 things to do in Valencia
• 27 brilliant things to do in Spain
• My Spain travel guide

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