RESTAURANTE ELKANO One Michelin Star Getaria is the picture-postcard Basque Country fishing village that produced designer Cristóbal Balenciaga, Plácido Domingo’s mother, and Juan Sebastián Elcano, the first mariner to circumnavigate the globe. Getaria is a fishing port. You can wander down the old streets to the harbour. Walking past various shops selling their wares. There are a couple of lovely beaches in and around the town. Set on a crossroads above the harbour of G

JOSÉ TAPAS & SHERRY BAR Situated on a corner of the now-trendy Bermondsey Street, this cosy little tapas bar serves excellent, authentic tapas. Opened by José Pizarro with his eponymous restaurant, Pizarro, further up Bermondsey Street on the same side of the road.   José is a buzzing spot for an atmospheric lunch or dinner. This is not a sit-down restaurant but a Spanish bar where you go to have a drink and some tapas, standing or sitting on stools around a barrel for a tabl

O SOLAR DOS LEITOES This is a hidden restaurant on the outskirts of Monsanto. It serves delicious traditional Portuguese cuisine and some of the best grilled fish in Lisbon. It has been a family business for three generations and is in a remote, run-down residential area in Buraca. It is not easy to find, and it is definitely off the tourist track. Even taxis with satnav still seem to have a problem finding it! Do not let this put you off. You will be dropped off at the bott

EL CHIRINGUITO CALA GRACIONETA UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2025 This is another place taken over by Grupo Mambo in recent years, so it’s no longer the place it used to be. Expect much higher prices if you go. It is still a stunning spot and venue if it suits your pocket. A rough guide to the price list. €5 Croquetas each €49 Pulpo (octopus, small leg) €46 Solomillo (no sides) €25 Padron peppers €14 Patatas fritas €10 Water Wine (all expensive) PREVIOUS VISITS From Sant Antoni de Por

SA TRENKA RESTAURANT We decided to take a trip up north of the Island from Sant Antoni (San Antonio) to a beach and restaurant we had not been to before. We found a stunning beach, Calla Martina, and a charming, unpretentious chiringuito with a great vibe that specialised in rice dishes and seafood. The perfect ‘alternative’ Ibiza to some trendy, expensive places south of the Island. We booked a table for 2 pm and then walked along the beach. On returning to Sa Trenka, we ord

FRANCISCO LA FONTANILLA We returned to this old favourite in August and arrived just as the late summer sun was setting. You will find the fabulous seafood displayed in the cabinet before you. So you can have a good look and be ready to choose. The restaurant was filling up at 8.30 pm, as is the way in Andalucía. We settled down, and after making our choices, we started the meal with, Fabulosas anchoas de Cantábrico. The restaurant's own Cantabrian anchovies. Ensalada mixta (

ES BOLDADO Michelin Plate IIO This review contains three different trips to Restaurante Es Boldado in Cala d’Hort. When driving from Sant Josep to Cala d’Hort, take the last right turn to Cala Truja before you reach Cala d’Hort. After about 3 km, you will see the sign for Es Boldado on your left. Turn on this road and drive down the dusty Camino (dirt track) for around 1.5km, and you will see the best view of Ibiza. If you want a restaurant with a view, this is the one

RESTAURANTE O LUSITANO This is our second visit to this restaurant in Matosinhos, just north of Porto. All the seafood is cooked on the outside grills. It is near the sea and the fish market, so all the fish should be fresh. Restaurant after fish restaurant greets you on this street with the beaches a stone’s throw away, but this is our place to go. You can eat at the outdoor tables (which now have glass borders since covid; in the past, they were just in the street) or insid

RESTAURANTE O LUSITANO Jonathon Lipsin adds his second trip across the border into Portugal and Porto. I am writing this because I promised the woman who presides over this place that I would. A few weeks ago, according to my Portuguese sources, she asked about it, so if I ever wanted to go back, I had better do it, and I did! There is a special restaurant I would like to tell you about in Matosinhos, Porto, near the water and the fish market. On this street with the beaches

TABERNA LA SORPRESA On a short trip to Cádiz, we stopped at Taberna La Sorpresa for a few tapas and a glass of the local sherry wine. This Taberna is a very underrated hidden gem. It is quite particular in that the tapas and platos here highlight fresh fish rather than the mainly fried seafood found in other parts of Cádiz. Go here once you have had enough fried food and want to try something unique to the area. We started with a couple of copas of manzanilla, followed by sar