There are bars and there are great, secret gems well worth going out of your way to experience. In the city of Valencia, Casa Montaña happens to be one of those incredible finds completely saturated in both history and beauty.

If left to our own devices, however, we would have never have found this bar, as it’s tucked away between Puerto de Valencia and Mercado Cabanal in a tiny residential street in the area of “El Cabañal”. But because our trusted guide, Joantxo Llantada , just so happened to be the head of tourism for the regional government of Valencia, we were clearly in good hands, able to both learn about the Valencian culture and cuisine over the course of a lazy afternoon.

What makes this restaurant so unique and special? A very romantic and winding story. In 1836, the restaurant was separated into two houses, one occupied by a love-struck son, and the other by an equally smitten daughter. These two married, eventually living in the back of the house and setting up a small and intimate shop in the front in 1836, where they became renowned for their bottled soda water, derived from the well not 10 feet from the bar. Conveniently located near the shore, their name eventually spread among sailors, who would purchase their goods for their long journeys across the Mediterranean.

In 1970, the shop was taken over by a well respected Frenchman, who implemented a tapas bar, including a billing system where customers tabs were written on the marble bar with soap - one of many antiques you can view in the bar today. Twenty years …