Where and what to eat in Ibiza

For some time now, Ibiza has become one of the most relevant gastronomic tourist destinations in the Mediterranean. Due to the variety of proposals and also the renown of the chefs who have decided to open restaurants there. Dabiz Muñoz has his own establishment in Ibiza, with his StreetXO, which opened this very summer; the British television chef Gordon Ramsay, with Hell's Kitchen; the immersive gastronomy experience Sublimotion, by Paco Roncero (costs around 1,650 euros per person)..., all located in Platja d'en Bossa as part of the profound transformation of the area driven by Grup Matutes. Apart from this, there are currently three Michelin-starred restaurants in Ibiza: Unic, by David Grussaute; Omaska, by Walter Sidoravicius, and La Gaia, by Oscar Molina. In Ibiza, you can eat international, Mediterranean, Basque, Galician, Catalan, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Indian, Mexican, Peruvian, Argentinian cuisine... Even, with a little effort, you can find Ibizan cuisine. What we present here are a couple of proposals (a peasant couple: between two and two dozen) that prioritize local produce and its own gastronomy; in addition, we have also taken into account that the restaurants are open beyond the high season.

The newest restaurant with the most history

L'Almudaina is the restaurant of the Eivissa parador, inaugurated in March. It is the only parador in the Balearic Islands to date and occupies the old castle of Eivissa, at the top of Dalt Vila. This means unbeatable views and 2,600 years of history under your feet; in fact, part of the archaeological remains found during the parador's construction are now on public exhibition. It is worth a visit for this alone. If, in addition, you want to eat there – which is what this section is about – you will find a menu made up of Mediterranean specialties, with a strong focus on local produce. For a starter, you can opt for red prawns from Formentera or a brioche with Eivissa sobrassada, goat cheese, and rosemary honey; for a main course, for example, a dentex loin with shallot, lime, and fennel stew or a seasonal rice with Eivissa vegetables.

Traditional cuisine

If you want to truly get to know the cuisine of Ibiza, the kind that we locals sometimes still make at home, Es Rebost is a safe bet in Sant Antoni de Portmany. For starters, we recommend the crust salad with dried fish or the peasant salad with Ibizan potato; for the main course, if you are truly hungry, the peasant sofrito is an excellent choice –chicken and livestock meat, sobrassada, botifarró and patató–; if you are not so hungry, choose the fried octopus or the squid stuffed with prawns and sobrassada; for dessert, and if you want to go beyond the traditional greixonera and the popular flaó, you can try the dried figs from Corona with thyme and almonds. The menu can change according to the season; for example, during Holy Week, you might be able to eat the traditional cuinat, a hearty preparation of vegetables and legumes with salad dressed with a few drops of lemon, olive oil, and paprika. Es Rebost opened in the nineties in the old Can Prats shop, a building with over a hundred years of history that was restored as a restaurant; it is located almost next to the church of Sant Antoni. If the city of Ibiza is closer to you, you will find at the restaurant Ca n’Alfredo (founded in 1934) a proposal that will fully satisfy you with its respect for local produce and its own gastronomic tradition. And if your weakness is fish and more seafaring cuisine, we recommend the restaurant Sa Nansa, leaving Vila towards Talamanca: fresh fish, spectacular rice dishes and fideuàs, stingray stew, and the famous fish stew.

Quality covers in the industrial estate

We'll give the credit card a little rest. One of our Ibiza recommendations is a bar located in the industrial estate of Ca na Negreta, a few kilometers from Vila heading towards Santa Eulària. Lately, the area has been the subject of an embellishment plan and the prices of the few existing homes have apparently skyrocketed – things of speculation – but Ca na Negreta continues to be an industrial estate and, between a plant nursery and a tractor dealership, you will find Sa Barda, a popular bar for tapas, sandwiches and snacks. Far from the tourist circuits, it maintains more than reasonable prices – something not very easy to find in Ibiza – and some especially recommendable dishes. Don't miss trying traditional tapas like fried octopus or squid. It is open from early morning until midnight. If you don't find a place, without leaving the same industrial estate, you can go to Can Toni, an establishment with a marked character of a workers' bar, where you will eat very well and your wallet will not be too affected either.

The town with the most restaurants per square meter

If you leave Ca na Negreta and head towards Sant Miquel, halfway you will come across the village of Santa Gertrudis de Fruitera, located near the geographic center of the island. There is no official ranking, but it must be the village with the most bars and restaurants per square meter in Ibiza. Avoid summer days with bad weather when tourists swap the beach for the interior, because, by a strange centripetal effect, they all end up in Santa Gertrudis. The most emblematic establishment in the village is bar Costa –the "bar des bocates" or "of the paintings"–, which has become very popular on social media. They only serve sandwiches, its walls are full of surrealist paintings and it has an excellent fireplace in winter. It's easy to find a queue to get in. Santa Gertrudis can be perfectly divided into local area (around the church, the square, and the main street) and visitor area; the village is the perfect example of how the local population and foreign tourists and residents coexist peacefully, but without much interaction. In the center, you will find the traditional bars, such as restaurant Santa Gertrudis, bar Ulivans, or Can Bassetes pizzeria. Further out, a scattering of gastronomic proposals more oriented towards tourism: the restaurant Wild Beets stands out, a strictly vegetarian option. Don't miss visiting the Italian ice cream parlor Zero Gradi.

And, for dessert, a bullit

We were not going to end our tour without talking about the star dish of traditional Ibizan gastronomy, bullit de peix and arròs a banda. In reality, they are two dishes in one. The popularity of this preparation is such that it has overshadowed the rest of Pitiusan gastronomy. First, the fish is served with the vegetables – not necessarily with alioli yet – cooked in a flavorful broth; then the arròs a banda, cooked with the same broth. Normally, in restaurants, they use cut fish, looking for one with few bones (fish for city dwellers, you know). In reality, however, bullit is a fisherman's dish and was made with the rock fish that was caught. There are very many restaurants in Ibiza that include bullit on their menus. A good option could be S'Espartar (open since 1983), on the road from Sant Josep to Cala Tarida. The bullit will not disappoint you, nor will any of the other preparations based on seafood and fresh fish, on a menu that is a compendium of Ibizan seafood cuisine.