When it comes to dining out, nothing beats a personal recommendation — and in
Spain, you need to proceed with special care. For every pitch-perfect paella
place, there can be a really torrid tapas bar lurking, especially in travel
hot spots such as Barcelona and the Balearics.
Never fear: your fellow readers will see you right. Here are their personal
restaurant raves from across the nation, complete with insider tips on when
to arrive, what to order — and, in the case of Rory McGrath’s choice on
Formentera, what to leave on your plate.
El Cabello Rojo, across the road from the mosque in Cordoba,
is one of Spain’s most famous restaurants. The owner has spent years
researching and re-creating ancient Sephardic and Mozarabic recipes, with
lots of spicy and sweet-honeyed sauces. You can also eat traditional
Andalusian food: rabo de toro (oxtail), ajo blanco (garlic soup with
almonds), even 11th-century scrambled eggs — the date refers to the recipe,
rather than the produce!
Don’t even think of going for lunch until 3pm, when the smartest and most
elegant Andalusians will be there. A large, cool fino is presented to you
along with the menu, and the whole experience feels seriously luxurious.
Pricey, but excellent.
Details: Cardenal Herrero 28, 00 34 95 747 8001.
Rosemary MacKenzie, Midlothian
I’VE ALWAYS liked Sa Capella, in San Antonio, Ibiza.
The jamon jabugo is splendid and the fish in salt crust is a true special
among many other specialities.
Details: 00 34 97 134 0057.
Arwed Hauf, Hawaii
AS ONE of the Costa del Sol’s famous “white villages”, Mijas
is firmly on the tourist trail, with beautiful churches, a square bullring
and donkey taxis. The touristy part tends to be dominated by overpriced set
menus, but away from these is Bar Alarcon, a proper “local” joint. Upstairs
on the roof terrace is always lively, and Spanish groups perform in the bar
downstairs, including the shepherd Pastorales at Christmas. The food is
excellent value — a range of local dishes, including tasty kebabs and
locally caught meat such as rabbit.
Details: Calle Lastra 1, 00 34 95 248 5245.
Caroline Pickering, Essex
I LOVE Las Chinas, in Frigiliana, a beautiful village above
Nerja. It’s a simple restaurant that does great fresh fish and roast lamb
shank. The fish soup is to die for (main course not required), with
home-made puds to follow. Just thinking of this place gets me through the
winter — I’m already looking forward to my next visit in April.
Details: Calle Amparo Guerro 16, 00 34 95 253 4135.
Elizabeth Hart, Worcestershire
OUR RECOMMENDATION is the family-run El Rincon de Pepe, in the Albaicin
district of Granada. We have a home there and are regulars
in the restaurant, where Pepe and Encarni are wonderful cooks and wine
enthusiasts, using fresh, locally sourced produce, and promoting new young
wines from Andalusia as well as more traditional Ribera del Duero and Rioja.
Their specialities include prawn croquettes, pork loin with garlic, lamb with
fresh asparagus, fresh cod in tomato sauce and tropical salads with
pomegranate and avocado. There’s also wonderful paella and plentiful tapas.
Details: Calle Gloria 6, 00 34 95 828 7268.
Lesley Judge, Edinburgh
UBLO, in Palma de Mallorca, is the best Italian restaurant
I’ve come across outside Italy. An excellent meal worked out at a bargain
£140 for five people, and that included two bottles of wine, a couple of
beers, coffee and dessert. We had the Aperitivo sampler menu, which included
eggs with caviar, squid with tomato and orange sauce, and lobster with
artichoke hearts and rosemary.
Details: Plaça Progreso 23, 00 34 97 190 3013.
Bryan Bennion, Derbyshire
MY VOTE goes to Casa Bigote, in Sanlucar de Barrameda, near Cadiz.
We’ve been going there for 20 years. You sit watching the sun set over the
Guadalquivir River, sipping manzanilla and eating the freshest langoustines.
You then move on to various fish dishes, washed down with some wonderful
fino sherry, and finish with dessert and a glass of Pedro Ximenez. And the
bill is never horrendous — the owner says they make enough money at current
prices, so why charge more?
Details: Bao de Guia, 00 34 956 362696.
George Begley, New York
AT LA JABEGA, in Zahara de los Atunes on the Costa de la Luz,
you can sit at the bar, in the light and airy restaurant or on a covered
terrace looking onto the beach. There are wonderful cheeses, hams and cured
sausages, and I’d recommend the gambas a la plancha (grilled
prawns). The presentation and service would not be out of place in any
London restaurant, and the wine list has 20 Riojas, 12 blancos and five
rosados, ranging from £5.50 to £12.50. There’s even a nice surprise when you
get the bill.
Details: Calle Tomillo 7, 00 34 95 643 9442.
Gillian Henley, Hertfordshire
UNQUESTIONABLY the most memorable restaurant for my family is Juan y Andrea,
on the beach in Sa Savina, on Formentera. You sit at simple
tables with your feet in the sand, and waiters turn the umbrellas as the sun
moves west. Most guests arrive by boat, anchor off the beach and saunter
over to the restaurant wearing ostentatious swimwear and big sunglasses. The
waiters are middle-aged and pompous, and probably go back to Jermyn Street
in the winter. The seafood is excellent, but very expensive. De rigueur
is to order the lobster, then leave most of it, taking a long time to chat
to co-guests and pretend the sand flies are not biting. The place is pure
theatre, pure pretension, but enormous fun.
Details: Playa Illetas, www.juanyandrea.com.
Rory McGrath, Oxfordshire
WE ALWAYS enjoy dining in Barcelona: fresh food, reasonably priced, and tapas
day and night. Our very favourite is Can Majo, on the beachfront, where fish
comes fresh out of the sea and simple, washed down with a good range of
house wines — and you see significantly more change from the bill than you
would in rival restaurants a few hundred yards away. If you love seafood,
it’s well worth a try.
Details: L’Almirall Aixada 23, 00 34 93 221 5455.
Martin and Karen Allen, Leicestershire
SON GANXO, in Punto Prima, on the southeast coast of Minorca,
has been a favourite with my family over the past two decades — ever since
we’ve been holidaying on the island. It’s a little off the beaten track, but
is perfect for a coastal walk from S’Algar, and with stunning views of the
Mediterranean, it’s hard to beat.
The exquisite food includes huge grilled prawns, freshly caught fish at
unbelievable prices, and lettuce in garlic sauce — sounds horrible, but it’s
delicious. There’s even a pool, so you can take a dip between courses. It’s
perfect for entertaining the kids while the older crowd enjoy a boozy lunch
that goes on all afternoon. And there’s a cliff jump into the sea for the
more adventurous (and/or slightly tipsy).
Details: Urbanizacion Son Ganxo 77; 00 34 971 159075 (closed
until Easter).
Charles Light, London
