Alba

The story

Alba Restaurant in Alicante – Mediterranean Flavour with Italian Soul | Bib Gourmand

A Return to Alicante

Chef Alba Esteve Ruiz trained with Paco Torreblanca and the Roca brothers before making her name in Italy, where she won awards for her carbonara and was named Best Young Female Chef in 2018. In 2021 she returned to her hometown to open Alba, a restaurant that brings together her Mediterranean roots and the Italian influences she absorbed abroad.

Warm, Direct Cooking

The kitchen works with local, seasonal produce, delivering what the restaurant calls “cocina cálida, cercana y muy directa” – warm, close, and very direct. The menu is a confident fusion of the Iberian and Italian traditions, with dishes that are both familiar and surprising. The signature carbonara, for example, carries the story of Esteve’s time in Italy.

A Bib Gourmand Table

The restaurant’s honest, flavour-driven cooking earned it a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2025, a recognition for good quality, good value food. It’s a fitting nod to a small, intimate space in a residential street that lets the food speak for itself.

Wine and Atmosphere

The cellar is curated by sommelier Michel Magoni Vergari, who trained in top Italian restaurants and shares Esteve’s passion for wine and service. The dining room is cosy and unhurried – a place to linger over a glass of something unexpected and a plate of pasta that tastes like home.