Practical information : Eating out Ibiza
Timetable
In Ibiza, as in the rest of Spain, meal times are spread out throughout the day. In the evening, the restaurants fill up around 10pm, often customers will have met beforehand, over a drink and some tapas, and start their meal in the restaurant later. Dining out is common; in Ibiza, people like to eat out. You will find many small, inexpensive establishments frequented by locals. When they choose to have dinner at home, the islanders sit down at the table around 9pm and like to have a drink to finish the evening with friends. Generally speaking, Spanish hours are the rhythm of the meals in Ibiza, with service generally provided from 1 to 4 pm and from 8 pm to midnight. However, some seasonal establishments adapt to people from more northern regions who are used to eating earlier. However, restaurants open from midday are not commonplace!
Budget & Tips
You can eat very well for cheap in Ibiza. The local products are good and the restaurants are numerous. By opting for a few tapas to share or a lunch menu, you can get by for 10/15 €. However, good restaurants are also numerous and the bill can easily rise. However, there are a few tables in town serving a dish of the day for around 10/12 €. Favour local products and dishes: burrida de ratjada (boiled skate with crushed almonds) or sofrit pagès (a dish made from lamb, chicken, sobrassada and potatoes) for example.
What costs extra
The price of the service is included in the final bill. However, feel free to add a tip if you liked the service! In Ibiza, as in the rest of Spain, you should know that neither bread nor water is offered.
The local way
Start the day with a solid breakfast of bread, cheese and cold cuts.
Go to the market to pick up some local products at a good price.
End the meal with a homemade Iberian beer.
Order a tallat amb gel, that is to say a hazelnut coffee with an ice cube
Kids
Children are generally welcome in the restaurants of Ibiza. Some hotels, however, specialise in adult-only guests
Smokers
Although smoking is forbidden in restaurants (the same rules apply here as in mainland France), until recently smoking was tolerated on the terrace as long as it did not disturb others. However, as a result of the pandemic, the legislation has changed and smoking is no longer permitted on the terrace in the Balearic Islands. The easiest way to find out for sure is to ask the staff at the restaurant.