FORMENTERA - SANT FERRÁN DE SES ROQUES

4 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

This is the scene in Sant Ferrán de ses Roques (San Fernando) in Formentera, one of four villages on this island. The hippie market is held along the walkway, with artists selling crafts. You have the legendary Fonda Pepe at one end, where you usually find us ending up most evenings.

FONDA PEPE Calle Mayor 55, Sant Ferran de Ses Roques, 07871 Formentera +34 971 328 033

This is the heart and soul of the island. Most nights, there is music just a few yards away, with a market featuring artisans, some of whom we know well. Amazingly, some of them were at the Fonda, where I first discovered this place in 1973.

This is where the hippies, including myself, gathered in the early seventies, and it remains the island’s heartstone. You will see various German tourists and Italian models walking by.

Moroccan hashish vendors sit on one side, waiting for sales, but they are harmless.

It is adjacent to the church plaza, where the island’s oldest church was built in the 1700s.

This venue is where music is performed, making it an excellent place for people to watch, have a drink and connect with friends.

You can sit outside with everyone, indulge in calamari prepared Andalusian-style with a delicious garlicky aioli, and watch the evening parade.

You are sure to encounter old friends you haven’t seen in decades, as well as acquaintances from just last week. The continuous flow of people resembles a scene from the works of William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, or Ernest Hemingway.

Down the street, mere yards away, you will find one of the best pizza places on the island at

PIZZARIA MACONDO Calle Mayor 67, Sant Ferran de Ses Roques, 07871 Formentera +34 971 329 069 www.macondoformentera.com

At the other end of Fonda Pepe is Macondo, which boasts a damn good pizza and where you mostly sit outside at tables and under canopies. The waiters are friendly, and the pizza bursts with interesting combinations and fresh ingredients.

This is one of the best thin-crust pizzas I have ever eaten anywhere in the world.

You sit here, listening to street musicians and performers, sipping on Hierbas, the local drink made from herbs sourced from the islands, originally crafted by monks 200 years ago, and enjoying a delicious pizza topped with thin slices of excellent jamón, buffalo mozzarella, and a generous amount of fresh mushrooms and walnuts.

Many restaurants offer a shot of hierbas on the house after the meal; an overly enthusiastic waiter brought two shots, which initially delighted me but later led to my misfortune and utter ruin.

You get a fantastic, giant, thin-crust pizza with fresh ingredients for €16.

Or if you want something cheap and quick

KEBAB FORMENTERA (K BOB) Calle Joan Castelló 47, Sant Ferran de Ses Roques, 07871 Formentera +34 971 321 992 You can opt for a kebab at K Bob for €5.

Across from K Bob is

SA PANXA RESTAURANT Calle Joan Castello Guasch 48, Sant Ferran de Ses Roques, 07871 Formentera +34 971 329 106

The venue features an open-air stage and restaurant, where you can enjoy performances from local bands or those visiting from the mainland, all without a cover charge. A clara, which is a refreshing mix of half beer and half lemonade, costs €3 here, and you are welcome to sit and relax for as long as you like.

There is also the Moroccan grocer, where you can buy a sweet watermelon or some spices.

Words and pictures © Jonathon Lipsin

All of Jonathon’s restaurant reviews can be found by clicking here.

You can find Jonathon’s Formentera hippy music picks below

Jonathon Lipsin’s Formentera Hippy Throwback Volume 1

Jonathon Lipsin’s Formentera Hippy Throwback Volume 2

Jonathon Lipsin’s Formentera Hippy Throwback Volume 3

You can view other FORMENTERA reviews HERE.

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