Aventura is a Spanish restaurant at 216 E. Washington St in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Its directory record spends most of its words on the room, so this post starts there, then gets to the food and the hours.
A dining room carved from an old building
The record says the space was "literally carved from the bones" of the original building, which it dates to 1872. What you get inside is rustic brick arches, original stonework and a sleek central bar.
The design uses classic Spanish elements alongside a collection of works by local artists. The record also makes a point about layout: the dining room and the bar are intentionally intertwined, which it ties to the social habits of traditional Spanish tapas bars.
What is on the menu
According to the listing, the central bar serves a range of Spanish wines and cocktails, and the kitchen serves modern Spanish-inspired tapas and "authentic Valencian paella." Beyond the paella, the record does not name individual dishes, so check the restaurant's website for the current menu.
What Valencian paella usually means
Many people picture paella as a seafood rice. In Valencia, where the dish comes from, the traditional version is a rice with chicken and rabbit, flat green beans and large white beans, coloured with saffron. It is cooked in a wide, shallow pan so the rice sits in a thin layer.
When the liquid has gone and the rice keeps cooking, a toasted crust forms on the bottom of the pan. That crust is called the socarrat, and it is prized. Our paella page has more on the dish and its variations.
Opening hours
Aventura's listed hours are 15:00 to 22:00 from Sunday to Thursday, and 15:00 to 23:00 on Friday and Saturday. Hours change, so confirm before you go.
Two more long-running US listings
- Mesón Sabika, Naperville, Illinois: its record places it in a mansion dating back to 1847, open as a restaurant since 1990, with paella and tortilla española on the menu.
- Miró Spanish Grille, Charlotte, North Carolina: established in 1999, according to its record, and now run by three local restaurateurs.
