Corte Inglés Cafeteria
https://www.elcorteingles.es/hosteleria/cafeterias/
You know, there’s not many cafeterias left in the world. When you come across a good one, you should relish it. I mean, what is better than queuing up in a line to look at food items across a counter, interact with a person, ask for something and it passed over to be put on a tray?
It feels so otherworldly and so personal.
The cafeteria at the main Corte Inglés (Calle Pintor Maella) on the top floor is so reaffirming. Choose from the salad station, the rice station with lovely pans of paella, a large plancha grill where you can get fish, pulpo, chicken or some lovely steak as well as grilled veggies. The menu is really extensive.
Or possibly you fancy a bocadillo or some other cold cuts or even a bit of jamon? There’s an Asian counter with stir frys in a super hot wok or possibly some sushi. But there are postres of course including pastries and the like. What’s not to like?
You can focus on a station or mix and match — it’s a cafeteria, after all.
At the end of all of this there are drinks — water, soda, wine, beer and of course coffees and the like.
The best part is the little trollies that the lovely woman distributes at the entrance. They are a bit like being at the airport with the ones with four independent wheels and an equal number of shelves that can hold up to four trays.
Four trays. Really?
Well, that makes sense because it is so tempting to load up — think one tray for each station and somehow you have to crowd on the postres and the sushi or stir fry. But that’s OK because there is room for some wine and water and coffee.
Maybe the sensible route and order some salad? 
The salads are really great with a super creamy Ensalada Rusa topped with shards of tuna. It is served with Spanish canned tuna with all its oily goodness and taste of the sharp Mediterranean, salty but not. For a cafeteria salad, this is really quite good — comforting.
The quinoa salad is great — light and fluffy with tomatoes, peppers, raisins and a hint of fresh oregano. The chickpea salad is equally delicious with a great olive oil vinaigrette and small bits of feta to bring some sharpness to the table.
There are lovely seats indoors — booths, tables and the like — where you can sit and they will whisk your trolly away along with the empty plates.
But outside is where the magic is (but maybe not in the dead of summer when it is so, so hot). The view is just amazing. The terrace is oh so modern but that clean stone and glass platform hovering above the Valencia skyline is really magical.
https://www.elcorteingles.es/centroscomerciales/es/eci/centros/centro-comercial-avenida-de-francia