Colonial class

Located in one of the island’s oldest houses, originally built in 1904 and sitting in pride of place overlooking the recently redeveloped port area, Ibiza restaurant Villa Mercedes is an oasis of style and sophistication in the brash and brazen town that is San Antonio.

The décor is reminiscent of a colonial palace at the turn of the century - lavish furnishings, candle-lit tables and seductive lighting plus an impressive white façade with the modern touch of electric blue windowsills. Opened in 1999, it attracts a stylish, international crowd of diners, lured in by the romantic and relaxed atmosphere that make it one of the best restaurants in Ibiza, by day and by night.

Dine on the terrace with fantastic views of the harbour and San Antonio Bay, the intimate upstairs restaurant or the bistro on the ground level, or opt for the comfort of the chill out lounges dotting the outskirts.

Fresh for 2010 is a new menu created by head chef Eduardo Alarcon Daza. To start, try the baby spinach salad topped with grapes and Chinese oranges, while for mains, we love the fillet steak with blue cheese, nuts and figs served with a beetroot and lima bean cream or the fresh tuna tataki served with vegetable salad, fresh ginger and wasabi.

The Villa Mercedes experience isn’t complete without sampling one of the imaginative cocktails designed exclusively by a Brazilian cocktail king. Our favourite? The super refreshing Mangaca, made with Cachaça, soda water, fresh mint, sugar cane and mango.

Music is just as important for Villa Mercedes as it is for sister bars Café Mambo and Savannah. Relax to fantastic Flamenco chill from Paco Fernandez, blissful Brazilian beats, live jazz or sexy saxophonists, every night of the week.

Now that sounds like our kind of place.

Published article updated on August 17, 2010