Guide to know where and what to eat in Formentera (made by a local)

FormenteraFormentera concentrates in a few kilometers a surprisingly varied gastronomic offer: from Mediterranean cuisine and good rice dishes to more daring proposals, beach restaurants, establishments with decades of history and beach bars where a cocktail can end up extending the afternoon until dinner time. Eating there is not cheap – here, "cheap" is always a relative concept – but not everything forces you to make the bill the main concern of your vacation. More than a ranking, this is a guide to know where to go according to what the day asks for.

In Ses Illetes, Es Molí de Sal occupies an old salt mill and plays with some hard-to-beat cards: fresh fish, Mediterranean cuisine, and one of the island's most celebrated sunsets. If you're lucky enough to arrive by boat, it offers a service to pick up customers anchored in the area. Among the dishes, the shrimp carpaccio is a safe bet; to finish, the artisanal vanilla ice cream with toppings has become almost a must. Generous, not discreet at all, and capable of making you rethink everything you thought about a simple vanilla ice cream.Migjorn keeps another top-class establishment: Es Còdol Foradat. Nandu Jubany took over its management in 2020 and defines it as a "formal beach bar". The menu looks towards the island's cuisine and Mediterranean products, but allows you to move between two extremes: from the lobster trilogy, for those who have come ready to celebrate something, to a glass coca with sobrassada and honey that reminds you that not all luxury needs tweezers. The grill, rice dishes, and seafood complete a proposal that has a Sol Repsol award and Migjorn beach literally in front of it.

Among the dunes of ses Arenals beach, we find Dunas de Formentera, a hotel conceived as an eco-luxury resort and discreetly integrated into its surroundings. Its restaurant looks directly out at the Mediterranean and has the gastronomic advice of the Basque chef Gorka Txapartegi, recognized with a Michelin star. The proposal is based on seasonal produce and grilling, with a touch of Euskal Herria present without taking over. A young and prepared team and views that many restaurants in the Balearic Islands would covet complete an attractive offering. At the top of the Teranka hotel, we find an ideal terrace to let the sun go down with a glass of wine in hand. The space opens onto the landscape of the south of the island and its wine cellar is one of the great attractions of the proposal. The starters are designed to share and can easily extend the aperitif until dinner. Among the most outstanding dishes are the corn ribs, baked eggplant with miso sauce, the wagyu marucha and cuts of meat such as entrecote or "T-bone". A place to arrive without rushing and let the night do the rest.

If there is a specialty that allows for long discussions in Formentera, it is rice. Everyone has their favorite and it is difficult to make peace on such a serious topic.In es Caló, Can Rafalet has arguments to enter the conversation. The inn, bar and restaurant is a historic establishment and its terrace looks directly at the small port and the boat sheds. At the bar, the protagonist is the "pa amb coses", an idea born in the house itself and which over the years has become one of the island's best-known breakfasts: six toasts loaded with cured meats, omelette, loin, green pepper and other accompaniments. It's a breakfast for those who don't plan to have lunch soon.At the restaurant, things get more maritime. There is fresh produce, staff with expertise, and rices that don't need any added decoration to compete with more glamorous establishments. The prices, within what that word means in Formentera, remain honest. It's also a good place to simply have a vermouth and let the views from des Caló do the rest.

In Migjorn, Sa Platgeta has been cooking since 1978. It is hidden between the pine forest and the beach, with the sand right next to it, and offers a traditional menu with fresh fish, seafood, peasant salad, and rice dishes. The fish and seafood paella is one of the house specialties and the type of dish that justifies arriving hungry. It has a virtue that is increasingly rare in Formentera: it doesn't need to look new to keep working.And then there is Restaurant Sol, in Cala Saona, one of the names that inevitably comes up when asked where to eat rice. Nestled among the rocks of the cove, it works with seafood and Mediterranean cuisine with a more traveler's wink. The black rice with squid, spring onions, and citrus aioli is a must. It is also worth looking at the red tuna jowl, the oysters with ponzu, and, above all, asking what's off the menu.

The Sun also has one of the most peculiar maritime services on the island. Customers of boats anchored in Cala Saona can order lunch and the person in charge of bringing it is Wifi, the most recognizable boatman in the cove. The paellas travel by boat on his head in perfect balance while he steers the vessel with an unmistakable outfit.

Beyond the island's most exclusive proposals, Formentera also has restaurants that opt for a more direct and everyday formula, without giving up good products, a well-crafted menu, or charming spaces. They are easy places to recommend, each with its own personality, and to which one can return more than once during their stay. In Migjorn, 190 Pasos occupies a discreet corner 190 paces from the sea, next to a large hotel complex. The terrace and interior are especially well-maintained and it has a very clear concept of sharing: fried lamb bomb, cheek gyozas with truffle potato, or Iberian pork presa sandwich. A very carefully crafted proposal, with spectacular presentations that give even more strength to a menu designed for tasting different dishes in company.Formentera also allows for a break from strictly Mediterranean cuisine. In Sant Francesc, we find La Pezqueria, a small and carefully decorated place that plays with fish and Asian flavors. The pad thai and tuna tataki are two good entry points, but the dish with the most personality is the Gamba Over: a shrimp hot dog that, on paper, might raise doubts and which quickly resolves them at the table. Careful, different, and distinctive presentation enough to justify a stop amidst so much paella. In the heart of Sant Ferran, Fonda Pepe continues to be one of Formentera's most iconic establishments. It opened in 1953 and is one of the island's most veteran inns. For decades, residents, travelers, hippies, and generations of seasonal workers have passed through. The current charm lies not in turning that history into a museum, but in continuing to function as a normal establishment.

During the day there is simple, varied, and honest cuisine; at night, the bar and tables quickly fill with people who have finished their day and come for dinner or a beer. The service mixes youth and experience, and the atmosphere remains one of the most suitable for observing a bit of the summer daily life of Sant Ferran. You don't need to go there looking for a transcendental gastronomic experience: precisely, that's part of the charm.

Talking about food and drink in Formentera without stopping by the beach bars would mean leaving out a very important part of the island experience. They are not always the places where you look for the big meal of the trip; sometimes they serve for something equally important: not having to leave the beach.In Migjorn, Chiringuito Gitana allows this philosophy to be taken quite far. The tables are so close to the water that a swim before or after ordering is practically mandatory. The menu combines cocktails with cold and hot tapas and works especially well for snacking without turning it into a three-course meal. It's more of an extension of the beach than an interruption.At the far end of Es Pujols, between the town beach and Ses Canyes, Nuu offers a more relaxed version of a beach bar: hammocks, a relaxed atmosphere, good service, chill-out music, and the sea in front. You can snack on something, but there's a more specific recommendation: the piña colada. Without needing a notary deed, it's a very serious candidate to be among the best on the island.

On an island as small as Formentera, trying things is also part of the journey. Distances are short, plans change easily, and there's almost always another table, another cove, or a new recommendation just a few minutes away. Therefore, rather than obsessing over always getting it right, it's worth leaving a little room for surprise and discovering the island also through those places that, almost by chance, we end up finding along the way.You might also be interested in