IBIZA BAR & CAFE GUIDE

Although opening times vary (anytime from morning until the very small hours) most Ibiza bars tend to close at 4am

IBIZA TOWN

bar zuka

c/ de la virgen 75

Tasteful bar towards the ‘top’ end of the narrow c/ De La Virgen, with DJs, art exhibits, an attentive host whose finger is placed firmly on the local club scene pulse, plus a sublime view over the port from a little back balcony

base

c/ garijo, peurto

Base really has it all, the club-connected hyper-host, Jason Bull, the key Ibiza Town club scene characters, the instant link to the island information grapevine, the cool vibe and the hot and happening crowd on a highly sociable port front terrace. And it’s adjacent to the Rock

the rock

c/ garijo, peurto

An island institution, the ‘original’, still highly influential, location for club scene movers and shakers in Ibiza Town’s port environs. It has a large, lush, comfy interior, plus DJs. Even so, most of the action takes place on the open air port front terrace. And it’s adjacent to Base

reunion ibiza

c/ garijo, peurto

Adjacent to Base and The Rock, who bars previously associated with Reunion owner Ulises Braun, who hosted his neighbours for years, while also bringing a Swiss flavour to the area

el pirata

c/ garija, peurto

Situated just along from the busy Base and Rock bars, el Pirata is actually part bar-restaurant, part takeaway pizza, plus another popular gathering point for the cooler crowd of the night, especially between 1am-4am as hordes descend for a late-late pre-club munch

match ibiza

c/ garijo, puerto

An elegant fairly recent addition to the long portside terrace bar strip in Ibiza Town. It’s an offshoot of the London Match clubbing bar and members club organisation. The large outside terrace is filled with Chesterfields and other lush furnishings

zoo

passeig des moll

The most central, and busiest, bar in the port, Zoo is a quality act, like most port places it’s primarily seen as an outdoor Terrace experience, but now best viewed from its large, cool, super-stylish interior, which has been totally restyled this year

tango

c/ d’emili pou

Adjacent to zoo, the other major ‘entrance’ point to the central bar area of the port. It’s active, animated and invariable rammed with beautiful cosmopolitan types from across the Med

el divino lounge

c/ d’emili pou

Outrageously relaxing furnishings in a beautiful interior, quality drinks and service; it’s an opulent sofa and mountains of cushions scenario, plus private booths and funky-bar DJs

capricho bar

c/ de la virgen 42

An animated, buzzy, sociable hang-out for the ‘prettier’ gay crowd, yet nevertheless somehow retaining a friendly unpretentiousness

dóme

c/ alfonso XII 5

The freaks come out! Legendary location at the heart of ‘gay’ Sa Penya. Lavishly located below the imposing high walls of Dalt Vila, Dóme delivers a fabulous nightly free show as its catwalk-clientele mingle with extravagantly made up club parade types who, by tradition, end their nightly promotional tours of the port here. Midnight to 2am is best

angelo

c/ alfonso XII 11

Ibiza’s largest gay bar is tasteful and teasing, its large exterior terrace being all about a casually cruising form of ‘social intercourse’

croissant show

mercado viejo

French-style patisserie/bar looking up at the main fortress entrance to Dalt Vila. It’s a colourful gathering point for after-life, often remarkable at first light, with battered club brigades rejuvenating on caffeine and croissant. Equally popular morning, noon and night, tables lining the narrow street pavement

blues bar

c/ garijo estacion maritimo

At front-centre of the bustling port bar district, located above the Maritime building, there are incomparable panoramic views around the whole harbour and up to Dalt Vila from two huge high level terraces

mar y sol & zurito

puerto

Port guardians - two large adjacent terrace bars at the ‘entrance’ to the port, perfectly placed for people watching, since virtually everyone going into the popular puerto area passes by. Kicking music from the adjacent Pacha record shop, if required

sunset café (and placa del parc bars)

placa del parc 3

The ‘original’ fashionable café in the popular Placa Del Parc (away from the portside, lurking in the shadow of imposing Dalt Vila). The traffic-free square is nowadays lined with bigger, busier rivals, but Sunset retains a reputation as an afternoon and evening meeting point for key Ibiza characters

pk2

paseo maritimo, juan carlos I, ibiza nueva

Popular and well regarded all-night burger-baguette snack bar, handily situated in the restaurant-bar complex between El Divino and Pacha

café sidney

puerto nueva

At the head of the new port area shopping complex, facing out towards moored millionaire jet boats, Sidney has a superbly appointed terrace that laps up the sun all day. The generally mature, refined mover-and-shaker clientele pinpoint it as one of their key sociable meeting points away from the central masses

FIGUERETAS

es vive hotel

Sometimes described as Miami South Beach-style, the stylishly revived 30’s boutique clubbing hotel delivers a very cool experience. Drinks and dishes are served at a pool surrounded by wood deck terracing. Fucky-relaxed music drifts by all day, then there’s the luxurious interior Experience bar at night, a choice place for the beautiful scene people to be seen

PLAYA D’EN BOSSA

bora bora

playa d’en bossa

Bora Bora was a beach bar-restaurant that somehow, in the later 90’s, exploded as the hippest beach-clubbing party bar on the island, with a cosmopolitan clientele of all social and sexual orientations and a hard funkin’ energetic vibe fuelled by happy smiling faces dancing in bikinis. Its proximity to Space has proved mutually and immensely beneficial to both

tantra

playa d’en bossa

Well placed large bar-café-terrace, on the main road between Space and Bora Bora. It’s run by the El Chupito people, a morning, noon and night clubbers hang-out, selling discount tickets and tuning in to prime clubbing ‘hours’, with breakfasts before Space, aperitifs before Bora Bora etc

manoa

playa d’en bossa

A ‘caffe-lounge’ with Italian attitude, a club-connected bar located, like nearby Tantra and Zanzibar, equidistant between Space and Bora Bora. Good looking people, nice prices, easy relaxation on a stylishly furnished terrace… Chilled sounds from 8pm to 10pm, cool, funky, soulful house-ness

zanzibar

opposite Space

Crisp clubbers bar serving cocktails, right opposite the World’s favourite daytime club venue. Sells discount tickets and provides all the club merchandise accessories in their large clothing and music shop next door at Zanzistore

SALINES

sa trinxa

playa salinas

At the furthest end of its hippest beach, Ibiza’s coolest chiringuito / bar-restaurant is cramm with a cosmopolitan club-ish crowd each day, gently caressed by funky-chill sounds from DJ’s like resident Jon Sa Trinxa, whose warming, positive vibe is inspired by happy months spent gazing out over acres of beautifully-bronzed, tanned naked flesh gathered from the World over

jockey club

playa salinas

Located in the middle of Ibiza’s sexiest, most popular beach, a large chiringuito / bar-restaurant that opens 365 days, serving Argentine-style specialities and general snacks. Cosmopolitan crowd, funky, relaxing, populist cool sounds with an uplifting, positive vibe

malibu

playa salinas

At the centre of Ibiza’s sexiest, most popular beach, a huge café-bar-restaurant with high tiered terrace. Cosmopolitan crowd, tending towards a slight Euro-trash feel (peroxide hair, sunglasses on top of head, gold trinket, leopard skin). Superbly relaxed sounds – most DJ’s rate the soundtrack here - often with a knowledgeable 80s lilt, soothing and smoothing the day

guarana

playa salinas

Towards the western end of Ibiza’s most popular, sexiest beach, a large café-bar-restaurant with tiered terrace, cosmopolitan crowd and, yes, perhaps an even more sexy Euro-trash feel, with barely a metre to spare between the acres of naked flesh laid out like a carpet on the beach out front

SAN JOSE

km5

ctra san josé km 5.6

Kilometre Cinco (pronounced thinko) is named for its location close to the 5kme road sign along the San Jose road out of Ibiza Town to the south. Remarkable out-of-town mini-clubbing, restaurant and bar venue with garden décor of Arabic tents, open air bars in the shape of whales, cushion-strewn sofas dug into subterranean pits etc. It’s a brash riot of colour and style, the very essence of Ibiza-vibe cool. The main building was previously a brothel until the early 90’s when it was converted into a clubbing-bar with garden terrace, playing funky musical genres

blue marlin

cala jondal

For some years earlier in the decade known at Jockey on the Beach, but long since returned to its original name, the venue expanded into a clubbing and chilled gardens location at the beach. A well-known destination for the cool resident crowd and popular with the tabloid courting jet-set at season’s height, it’s set back from the sea, by day a café-bar-restaurant, with extensive deck terraces that offer bars, relaxed seating, bedding and hideaways amongst the bushes

SANTA EULALIA / NORTH

bambuddha grove

ctra san juan km 8.5

Long-established restaurant-bar-gallery-shop-club and social hub of choice for many, using the eye-popping bar areas with their intricate mosaic razzle-dazzle, compact clubbing space, or the main restaurant, with its MediterrAsian style dishes served on a large open terrace amongst lush garden greenery, or beneath a spectacular pyramid shaped Balinese Banjak - opulent furnishings, lounge relaxation beds, fountains

café guarana

puerto deportivo, santa eulalia

Santa Eulalia’s leading and funky and cutting-edge clubbing-bar doubles as and popular live venue on Sundays (real musicians! Jazz, Blues, Funk), with action all night until 5am, with unique island events, DJs...

las dalias

ctra sta eulalia, san carlos

Originally a simple roadside bar, that’s now over 50 years old, Las Dalias has grown steadily over the past decade and more, evolving into a gathering point for Ibiza’s ‘alternative’ thinkers (with hippy attitude), though it’s accessible and fully rounded in its adventurous programme of events to appeal to all… Excellent healthy restaurant, massive ‘genuine’ Hippy market each Saturday daytime and Monday nights, psychedelic Trance events in the interior auditorium, live band gigs too, happening in the lush gardens; marvellously chilled, colourful, creative

atzaro

atzaro hotel, near san carlos-santa eulalia

Atzaro, or rather a vast open-air palm-dripped terrace-restaurant-art gallery-spa, chill and musical complex attached to the actual hotel, way off the beaten track, in the comparative wilds of the north, famed for celebrity events / appearances and, wow, no wonder, it’s lush and eye-popping beyond reason, covering acres of the landscape with private bed-seat cubicles and the like

SAN RAFEL

underground

ctra ibiza – san antonio km6.5

Tastefully appointed large clubbing-bar, located on the main Ibiza-San An highway, just up above the Ibiza Town side entrance to the tunnel underpass, and convenient for both Amnesia and Privilege. DJ’s and musicians, spacious dance areas, comfy sofa seating, refreshing outdoor terrace, a fluid anything-can-happen vibe

However, the roof bar-terrace at L’Elephante offers superb views over the island towards glittering Ibiza Town and is now a name regularly dropped by star DJ’s in their ‘favourites’ lists. Back in the centre of the (small) village El Ayoun is a sumptuous North African themed restaurant dripping with atmosphere and touches like indoor fountain features, private Arabic dining tents, belly dancers… plus a

l’elephante

san rafel, san antonio km6.5

The super-cool, open-air roof bar-terrace labove L’Elephante’s restaurant offers superb views over the island toward Ibiza Town. A place for regular bar spotting – you’ll see images of Kate Moss hosting a party for Paris Hilton and the like, should such frippery appeal. Celeb DJ’s like to name-check the place in their endless ‘top 10’ lists

el ayoun

san rafel, san antonio km6.5

Primarily a sumptuous north African-themed restaurant, but also extremely popular for its large interior bar area, a favourite hangout, especially for more mature scene faces and many on the fringes of Euro-trash. El Ayoun is dripping in atmosphere and holds a number of ‘secret’ underground happenings and private events

CALA CONTA

sunset ashram

cala conta

In the evening period this circular terrace, that looks down over the sandy beaches at Cala Conta, anda cross to the nearby offshore islands of Conillera, Des Bosch and S’Espartar just offshore, at the head of San An Bay, turns into a striking, chilled musical experience with a hippy lilt. The menu changes too, with fabulous healthy vegetarian dishes replaying the daytime café fare. Best of all, the sunset view

SAN ANTONIO AREA

la torre

cap negret

Possibly the best place to see a San Antonio area sunset. It’s a terrace bar-restaurant out front, plus a cool hostel out back, perched high above the sea. There are ocasional one-offs there, but essentially it’s about subtle rounds and tasteful becalmed environments

golden buddha

calo d’es moro

Extensive café-bar terrace that hugs the centre of this popular little sandy bay on the north side of San An. It’s a popular sunset and afternoon relaxation point for a more local crowd (perhaps similar to those who, years ago, might have been found at Café del Mar before it became a mega tourist point). A huge central golden Buddha statue dominates, surrounded by wide, comfy, relaxed Thai-Bali style furnishings for cocktails, snacks etc

kanya

calo d'es moro

San An’s premier day and night beach-bar-restaurant clubbing complex, completely rebuilt three years ago with a large interior dance space, a high terrace overlooking the decked pool terrace with views out to the San Antonio Bay sunsets. Major club pre-parties and unique events most days, evenings and nights right through to 6am

sunsea bar

c/ cervantes 50

Half of the enormous complex that was originally Coastline, then divided between owners to be twin experiences – Sunsea preferring a cool, cultured vibe, more in tune with Spanish vibe. Has a large swimming pool and extensive lounging sun terrace complete with opulent furnishings, fountain features, a cocktail bar in the shape of a boat constructed over one of the shallower pools, palms, restaurant, interior club area. A marvellous free-to-enter experience, with panoramic nightly sunset view

coastline

c/ cervantes 50

The twin rival to adjacent Sunsea, once a happening club-bar-restaurant complex, with crazy pre-party action, though nowadays a more calming afternoon and sunset location, with unmatched panoramic views of the whole San An bay area, swimming pool, fountains, Jacuzzi, cocktail bars, live acts and surprises

rey de copas

vara de rey

Sunset bar that’s adjacent to Cafe Mambo, tending to attract a more mature, international crowd than its far more famous Brit-centric neighbour. There’s music too, plus a large deck terrace now common to all of the four Sunset Strip bars

café mambo

vara de rey 56

The sunset café is an electrifying free musical experience - the islands’ premier club-oriented bar-restaurant. Mosaic razzle-dazzle, elegant deck terracing overlooking the rocky beach, cool daytime funky-chill-house-disco-lounge arrangements major-league pre-club DJ parties every evening and top residents through the night. The creation of uniform boulevard and wooden deck terrace along the whole Sunset Strip in 2007 may have given the rival bars a similar outer façade, but each retains its unique and differing attitude

café del mar

c/ lepanto 4

An essential Ibiza experience, the renowned Café is the Rolls Royce of musical sunset beach bars, an enduring classic, virtually unaltered in 27, except for the expansion out front over the beach where the long wooden deck terracing gave the place about six times more table space in 2007. The beautiful interior is often over-looked, with eyes tending to focus outwards, toward the watery horizon where the sun drops at sunset, to an accompaniment of entertainers, fire shows and hippy magic. The music is eclectic chilled-jazzy-funky-housey-beats. Opens after 6pm

savannah beach club

c/ balanzat 38

Adjacent to the Del Mar, with similar deck terracing out front, backed by often hyper-active nightly entertainment from inside, with top DJ’s, live musicians, sax players at sunset, fire eaters and all kinds of club-related happenings and pre-parties. Tasteful day and night tunes, from chill to funky to house and beyond, plus an interior Funky Lounge that opens at midnight or so for free clubbing-bar happenings through until 5.30am

el viper bar

c/ dr gasull

Stylish, elegant oasis of cool and calm both inside and on the covered outer terrace. The location (halfway between the wild West End and the massively popular Sunset Strip) make Viper’s funky DJ sounds a perfect balance between extreme chill-factor and clubbing insanity

villa mercedes

passeig de la mar. tel 971 348573

The extensive, rambling, lush gardens and central building of this 19th century Swiss-style villa have evolved into a beautiful chilled day-and-night café-bar-restaurant compound, with a KM5-esque vibe, right in the town. Fountains, statues, lush vegetation, Arabic lounge-mattresses, plus an amazing and unmatched high view over yachts in the gorgeous San An marina and bay. DJs maintain an ultra-cool and relaxed mood

rita’s cantina

passeig de la mar

Always busy, this most compact of the increasingly cool and connected line of café-bars along the port front has always been the most popular rendezvous point for islanders from breakfast, through afternoon to evening. The snacks (a word that doesn’t do justice to the quality and value), coffees, drinks etc are best quality, yet it’s the unforced ambience, the laidback yet animated atmosphere and the company that make this San An’s best kept secret. And I didn’t even mention the superb close-up harbour view yet

the island café

passeig de la mar

Adjacent to Rita’s, with a large terrace and interior, offering identical views across the marina and bay. Serve snacks, meals and drinks through morning, afternoon, evening and beyond

ship inn

plaza mercado

San An institution, a dark, friendly ‘English’ pub haunted by frazzled and bedraggled ex-pats and seasonal ‘workers’, which acts as an all-purpose Brit-information exchange, a grapevine to the UK-centric local scene

hush

bartolemeu V

Beautifully crafted and hyper-active clubbing-lounge-bar in the middle of the West End, with its firm focus on quality drinks and music events. There’s a fire and water themed décor (lots of hot reds, slick designer style and bedding), plus its pumping Funky House music (high quality DJ box). Hush is the happening-est club thing on the central San An block

temptations

batolemeu V

Though attractively and stylishly arranged, there’s only one reason to go here, the girls… it’s full of ‘em, sexy and scantily clad – which is unsurprising for a free-to-enter pole dancing bar!

kilties

bartolemeu V

An authentic-feel Scottish pub, complete with adjacent fish & chip shop, which attracts local and visiting Brits who appreciate the sunshine, yet still feel the need for a regular booster from Only Fools & Horses re-runs and live English Premier and Scottish League football

opium

Formerly Cheers, but in recent years revamped in stylish fashion and for 2009 being run by former Eden and Coastline resident DJ JC, on behalf of Twice As Nice, who are upping their presence in the town with regular Soulful R&B vibe

viva

west end central

Formerly known as Beaver Bar, the three-year old Viva is an altogether cooler enterprise, owned and run by Nathan who spent many years crafting much of Eden’s continual rise as a major club venue. Located at the top of the sloping main drag, it’s immensely popular with the young San Antonio worker crowd in their comparatively relaxed-moments

soul city

west end central

Soul City has long stood out as a beacon of cool music in the generally chaotic West End - the first venue to go 100% R&B at the start of the noughties and prove that the area could sustain a club that a more knowledgeable local crowd would travel into the area to hear, rather than primarily tempted by drink and laughter. Eight years on it’s still ramming ‘em in continually with its super-sexy bump’n’grind

play 2

west end central

Major happening discotheque at the heart of the West End, a more techno-trance inspired, pumping and energised experience, though with a number of quality Old Skool and major DJ nights – all, like everything in the West End, free to enter

eden rooms

west end central

A cool clubbing-bar experience with a broad Bali-Thai far eastern theme to the décor and some reasonable club events involving guest and well known island and DJ’s

ground zero

west end central

Maintained its pure Rock music stance throughout the dance music onslaught of the 90’s and beyond, to re-emerge as one of the coolest alternatives to the surrounding bpm-driven madness. Rock returned, though at Ground Zero it never reached for its coat

central west end madness

The main West End drag and its criss-crossing streets luxuriates in its reputation for Technicolor bawdiness. Free mini-clubs abound amidst the sprawling chaos of bars and pole dancing venues like SIN, LUST and TABOO. Musically there’s FUNKY FLARES for 70s retro-kitsch, the self explanatory basement ‘70’s 80’s 90’s’ disco formerly known as CHAC MOOL. SGT PEPPERS and CAPONES for partaaaying, plus KOPPAS – traditionally the final destination for many club-bar workers to gather for a sign-off drink before 6am

plastik

avda dr fleming

Stylish clubbing bar that initially ‘changed the face of the West End’ before moving premises in 2007, away from the madness, when the original premises were demolished. Now they’re much larger, host massive pre-parties like Pete Tong’s Wonderland for nearby Eden, and are about to open the Plastik Hotel in the extensive apartments above the bar, with great views into the harbour. The music is party, cutting edge and cool – led by long-time musical maestro DJ Dermot C

café paradis

beside es paradis

Stylish free clubbing-bar – an inspiration to Plastik - situated right beside the entrances to Es Paradis and Eden. It’s open from midnight until 6am with quality guest and regular DJs keeping it funky and friendly. Host Terrence G

garden of eden

beside eden

Large and bustling clubbers-bar, attached to Eden and open through the night

orange corner

avda dr fleming

Open all day, as a restaurant-bar, at night it’s the first of the big clubbing bars along the ‘alternative’ harbour Sunset Strip, close to Es Para and Eden, with an often exciting roster of small clubbing event one-offs

bar m

avda dr fleming

Manumission’s tasteful party bar is the kingpin of the ‘alternative’ harbour-view Sunset Strip. Its large courtyard bar is rammed most nights, the Sky bar roof terrace level cool and relaxing, plus an in-house Nando’s chicken restaurant franchise - nightly pre-parties for the likes of Cream and rocking on until 4am, rather loudly thanks to the enclosing glass shutters that surround it

itaca

avda dr fleming

Polished, stylish, monolithic harbour-view sunset bar that’s chilled and snack-y by day, evolving into a full-on clubbers-bar by night, with large outdoor terraces on two floors, leading pre-parties and DJ guests, entertainers, visuals

lineker’s

avda dr fleming

Unusually for the town, a British bar chain franchise, nicely decorated, musical, busy with the usual high quality San An musical entertainments

bay bar café

bay prom, at apartamentos palmyra

Tasteful harbour-view sunset bar, offering a super-relaxed style on its huge open terrace, with lounge beds and elegant canopy shading. Grooving summer sounds, live musicians… quality throughout

kumharas

playa at port d'es torrent

The ambient-chill experience bar-none. An idea born out of Goa, though evolved over years into something uniquely Ibiza. Musicians, percussionists, performers, clowns, cushions, clothing, sculptures - a centrepiece fountain built in the shape of Nataraj (a god of dance), a mini pirate tower housing the main bar, a striking restaurant structure with fabulous healthy food, a crepe bar, quality island scene DJs, unmatched atmosphere – and sunset view.