Helen Warwick uncovers 4 fantastic Ibiza restaurants where kids are welcome without compromise.
Izakaya
You might have to hail a cab to reach Izakaya – a sceney, reassuringly slick joint close to the port of Ibiza Town that trades in startling Japanese cooking techniques and Peruvian flavours. Pitched in the Sir Joan Hotel, this is definitely a splash-out place; even better when dining out on someone else’s pound, for the unashamedly luxurious menu comes at a high price.
That said, no one turns their noses up at children, and if you arrive early in the evening, there will be plenty of staff on hand to wheel over highchairs and talk you through the menu which reads like an enchanting journey through Japanese gastronomy. Waiters dart between immaculately laid tables whilst guests ponder the menu and look out over the emerald pool surrounded by day beds.
The boys gorged on teriyaki chicken on sticks and pop shrimp – delicate and sweet prawns in a light batter. My husband and I, on the other hand, ordered jumbo jurassic prawns in an umami-rich yuzu sauce, punchy wagyu beef rolls and meltingly soft beef short ribs with black beans and garlic. Every single dish a succession of flavours, all were bold and creative and delicious.
We all gasped as ‘the duchess summer explosion’ arrived at the table – a theatrical dessert, smoking with liquid nitrogen which we smashed with our spoons leaving shards of chocolate to suck on and finely crafted macarons to nibble. My verdict? Expect big and exciting flavours and culinary wizardry at this flashy space, where the attention to detail on its delicately balanced and game-changing dishes create a genuinely unique experience.
Izakaya, Passeig Joan Carles I, 1, 07800 Eivissa, Balearic Islands, Spain T: 0034 871 18 25 26
UM Beach House
Walk along the Santa Eulalia del Río seafront for a few minutes and you’ll arrive at this boho sand-on-the-floor restaurant, gazing right out to sea. The original outpost sits in the glittering Mallorcan port town of Portals Nous so the anticipation for this offshoot has been heating up ever since its opening at the end of May.
And by God, it’s something to behold swerving the all-white aesthetic and glitz of some of Ibiza’s bit-hitting beach clubs, the sepia-toned restaurant is understated and elegant with organic styling: swinging rattan lights, plenty of smooth pale wood and plants popping up everywhere.
We tucked into an incredible seafood paella with langoustines, licking the shells of the crab legs and scraping the bottom of the dish to devour every morsel, whilst the boys sucked on sticks of chicken satay in between dashing around the golden sands.
This is a space that’ll clearly kickstart a loyal following – a mellow hangout for all-day chilling, with an accomplished menu and a location where kids will relish drawing in the sand and staggering in the shallows whilst the grown-ups sip on Albarino. Perfection.
UM Beach House, Desembocadura del río, Carrer des Riu, S/N, 07840 Santa Eulalia del Río, Balearic Islands, Spain T: 0034 971 373 751
KOBA
This earthy-hued restaurant sits on Santa Eulalia’s front too, though just a couple of minutes in the opposite direction to UM Beach House, with views of the sands licked by turquoise waters. Everything has been designed with the location in mind, and the rustic space is almost all outdoors, where diners sit on wooden tables sipping inventive cocktails in the balmy evening air.
The menu is an intriguing mish-mash of Japanese-style dishes and elevated Balearic dining and our giddy-making starters of marinated salmon with guacamole and crispy rice with marinated tuna and black tobiko were playfully elegant.
My main of Meloso de arroz negro with grilled squid and lime mayo was deep and rich with the joyous taste of the sea, whilst my husband’s red snapper set the standard for the sort of seafood dishes you crave on coastal escapes. As for the kids? They were immensely happy with a children’s menu of chicken and chips with ice cream for pud and the nearby beach where they booted the ball to each other for hours..
KOBA, Calle des Riu 54 07840 – Santa Eulalia, Ibiza
T: 0034 971 373 297 E: bookings.ibiza@kobabyum.com
Cas Costas
The last of our 4 fantastic Ibiza restaurants is a short cab ride away from Santa Eulalia, Cas Costas sits on the San Jose road, just outside Ibiza Town, trading in prime cuts of meat cooked at the table. Diners sit beneath canvas canopies, low-hanging branches and clouds of bougainvillaea, flashing steaks on hot grills, the rich, smoky haze hanging heavily in the air. A starter of prawns arrived humming with garlic, and I stripped off the shells and dunked the soft and sweet shellfish into a zingy garlic oil.
And then there was the octopus – seared and perched on smoked potato with avocado and coriander pesto, evidence that flame-cooking really does bring out the best in food. We took it in turns to grill our Spanish ribeye, which the boys also relished, sprinkling large crystals of salt onto the meat and dipping into bearnaise and chimichurri. It was all outstanding, all so relaxed. And when the boys tired of the food – of which there was plenty, they scurried off to the playground beside the restaurant and made friends with some Spanish kids of a similar age.
Cas Costas, 3 Ctra, 07817 Sant Jordi de ses Salines, Balearic Islands, Spain T: 0034 971 30 87 55
Agree with Helen’s pick of these 4 fantastic Ibiza restaurants? Let us know one way or the other!
