Top 10 Ibiza Restaurant Tips For 2024

I love Italian cuisine, and since Ibiza and Formentera welcome numerous Italian tourists and workers each season, the islands boast some authentic and outstanding Italian restaurants. One of my favourites is I Gemelli Pizziolia, situated in a modern location in trendy Marina Botafoch a short stroll from Pacha nightclub making it an ideal pre-clubbing venue. The food here is prepared with love by its owners, Neapolitan twins Giuseppe and Carmine Sivo, who ensure that the finest ingredients go into their homemade dishes. I particularly enjoy their wood-fired pizzas made from their secret recipe dough, freshly made each day with the finest Campana Buffalo Mozzarella cheese and San Marzano tomatoes.

The brothers’ true culinary skills shine through in their homemade pasta dishes. Attention to detail and simplicity, with a modern twist, combine to create some amazing flavors. My favorite dish is the Spaghetti del Gemelli, homemade pasta sautéed with salted French butter and red prawn tartare. Prices are reasonable for Ibiza, and the ambiance created by the two brothers is typically Italian and personal.

If you are a fan of Mexican cuisine, then Chidas is the perfect place for you in Ibiza. It is a small and lively bar and cantina situated in OD Ocean Drive Hotel in Ibiza town, owned by the enthusiastic Andreas and Salvatore, who give a personal and upbeat touch to the atmosphere. At Chidas, which translates to “cool”, you can enjoy a bustling and lively experience where you can feel like a part of the kitchen.

The dishes are made from high-quality ingredients and prepared with a modern flair, including insect-inspired dishes. All the classic Mexican dishes are available, such as my personal favorite, the Chida Buritto. However, the free-pour tequilas can be a trap, so be careful not to drink too much, or you may end up falling out onto the street, which is not a good look in that part of town.

Ses Escloles is a renowned local restaurant situated on the Ibiza to San Juan road, just after the Santa Eularia Roundabout. It offers a refined, rustic and romantic dining experience. The restaurant serves Mediterranean and Ibicenco-inspired cuisine, including meats, fish and local dishes cooked with its home-produced Can Miguel Guash extra virgin olive oil, extracted from the olive trees located on the old finca.

Booking is essential, and the restaurant attracts a good mix of local and international clientele. The service is in the traditional Ibicenco style, and the owner is known for operating two other popular restaurants on the island in Puerto San Miguel and San Antonio.

The restaurant prices are above average, but the experience and attention to detail make it value for money. It is an ideal place for a romantic evening, as it has an outdoor terrace during the summer months and indoor areas for colder evenings.

One of my favorite restaurants to visit whenever I am in Ibiza is Aubergine. Located in the middle of the Santa Gertrudis countryside, the restaurant is owned by the Atzaro people and offers consistently good food from a flexitarian farm-to-table menu. They serve fresh and flavorful salads, and I particularly enjoy their homemade mushroom and asparagus lasagne with truffle oil followed by their delicious homemade cheesecake.

I always take home an extra slice of  cheesecake to have with my cafe solo for breakfast the next day. Aubergine also has an open-air BBQ in the evenings, and the setting is perfect for an al fresco experience. The restaurant offers vegan and vegetarian menus and is, in my opinion, the best flexitarian restaurant on the island.

This family-run Chinese restaurant has been serving the local San Antonio community for decades. It’s one of my all-time favourite Chinese restaurants because of its consistently good food and warm and personal service. The quality of its dishes is exceptional and sets it apart from the tourist Chinese restaurants located on the island. The restaurant is tucked away down a side street, in the heart of the local community, making it difficult to find in the maze of streets in the area. 

Gran China is open all year round due to its popularity with the locals. You won’t find too many tourists here, and the ambience and decor are unique compared to its contemporaries. I particularly enjoy the complimentary appetizer they serve as you wait for your meal. The wide selection of homemade sushi is also above average and prepared fresh on its sushi counter while you wait.

Simply put my favourite beachside restaurant on the island. The same family has owned it for the past five decades and offers a refined, traditional Ibicenco beachside menu. It is the nearest alternative to the much lamented original Yemanji which was lost to the island several years ago. It’s on the same stretch of beach, overlooking Cala Jondal. Its nearest neighbour is the trendy Blue Marlin and I often use Tropicana as a warm-up venue for Blue Marlin as the food is better and the prices a lot more reasonable. The clientele is a lot less pretentious also. When I can time my inbound flight to touch down around lunchtime, the optimal time to arrive in Ibiza as Hotel check-in is normally 3 pm, I head straight to Tropicana to have lunch with my toes in the sand. Grounding myself on the island as soon as possible as holiday time is precious in Ibiza.

The coast road from the airport to Tropicana is an old and meandering one, that passes through Sa Calletta, and one of the most desirable areas to live on the island. I usually go to the more relaxed Chiringito beach bar to the right rather than the more formal restaurant to the left as they cater to walk-ins there, but only if they know you. The chiringito allows you the option of ordering from both menus. The service on the beach, where you can relax for the day with table service to your daybed and the restaurant is professional and prompt. The food is classic Ibicenco Mediterranean with many fish dishes and probably the best lobster served on the island. If I’m peckish I usually order the lobster salad or if hungry the flame-grilled Chulleta, a Catalan version of a T Bone steak served with padron peppers and homemade chips finished off with a cafe solo and a large heirbas. It’s a perfect way to start a holiday as you decompress from your flight and soak in the beach. If im staying in San An, I enjoy the drive along the back roads that take you around the hills and into Sant Joseph before descending into Sant Agustí des Vedrà with the spectacular view of Cap NoNo and Sant Antonio in the background. Sometimes I follow the coast road to Cala dHort and Es Vedra emerging at the junction just after Sant Joseph.

I’ve been making that pilgrimage for the past 15 years, and the food and service have not changed in all that time, mainly because the same staff are there every year. A special mention to Martin in the beach bar who is the ultimate professional, which makes Tropicana my favourite beach restaurant in Ibiza. Prices are above average but excellent value for food quality, friendly service, and overall experience. Booking ahead is essential.

What can you say about La Paloma that hasn’t been said before? It is an institution on the island and an experience that I always loved to enjoy when I am in Ibiza. The food is excellent, flexitarian and with a modern twist and the ambience is perfect dining under the citrus and olive trees as local families, celebrities and residents mingle as one. At night time the lights in the trees and candlelight tables make for a magical dining experience serving an Italian-inspired menu. However, for the locals, La Paloma is best known for its brunch and lunch menu with fresh vegetables, salads, amazing hummus, and falafel reflecting the island’s Middle Eastern heritage.

La Paloma is located in the sleepy village of Sant Llorenc, a short distance from the Moorish-built Balafia hamlet, the oldest inhabited settlement on the island. The lunch menu is the best time to visit in my opinion. Fresh, local and organic produce prepared with an Arabic-Italian touch is the La Paloma lunchtime style. Booking is essential and be prepared to wait a day or two to get a table during the tourist season.

La Paloma is open all year round such is its popularity with the non national residents. Prices are above average but reasonable and excellent value for the quality of food, service and relaxed ambience.

In the first part of this blog, I alluded to the fact that I just love Italian food and probably my favourite Italian spot on the island is 17 located in Cala Tarida overlooking the beach. It’s a perfect place to go for pre-clubbing cocktails and food as it’s enjoys a spacious terrace with amazing fresh food and in my opinion, the best Divialo pizza on the island. 17 is particularly popular with island workers and there is always a lively atmosphere present. Its one of those places where time seems to stand still and before you know it, the dark of midnight has encroached. Ideal place for a group of friends to enjoy a lazy late afternoon and evening by the beach enjoying authentic Italian food.

17 is probably one of the best-kept secrets on the island, and I am loath to give it away. However, I’m sure the Italian boys that run it won’t mind that I spill the beans as they deserve all the success they get due to their hard work ethic, personal service and the atmosphere they create.

The place to be seen in Ibiza town. While nearby Lio caters to the tourist market, Roto is where the locals and national visitors go for their pre-clubbing cocktails, food and buzzing atmosphere in a relaxed and informal setting which is classic Ibicenco style but with a modern twist. Roto enjoys a privileged location on a raised wooden platform that seems to hover on the sea, with views out over the marina and Dalt Vila. The sounds of different languages mingle together, to create a vibrant atmosphere that is reflected in its food which is homemade Mediterranean with influences from Spain, Italy, Arabia and Greece. Roto has been open since 2019 and already its built a sizeable reputation on the island.

I was late to the party and have only visited once, but from the moment you climb the steps into the place, you know you are witnessing the next generation of Ibiza restaurants evolve. Booking is essential here and be prepared to wait a day or two for a table during peak season.

It was 1999, when I first visited Sa Capella and I have been returining there ever since. Nestled in a converted 16th-century chapel, the restaurant exudes charm and history, providing guests with a unique and unforgettable atmosphere. From the moment you step foot inside Sa Capella, you are transported to a world where Engima meets exquisite cuisine, making it a must-visit destination for food enthusiasts and travelers alike. Its mainly for sentimental reasons that I have added Sa Capella to this list as sadly the original owners of the restaurant, like many of their generation in Ibiza have sold up and now Sa Capella is operated by the commercial Mambo Group.

While I’ve not had the opportunity to experience the new Sa Capella and its menu, I would trust the Mambo group to do a good job judging by the improvements they have made at La Torre and Casa Maca. In fact it was Javi Anadon who recommended Sa Capella to me over 23 years ago, so I look forward to seeing what he has done with the place. I will be sure to write a detailed review when I do. Prices were on the steep side before, I would expect they are higher now.