Es Tragón — Restaurant in Sant Antoni de Portmany

Archeological cooking is definitely not gastronomy …

Let’s say that we were thrilled to have this dinner for our last evening in Ibiza. When we arrived we were not disappointed with the building and the interior design was great, mixing contemporary design with more vintage objects.

We have been called in the afternoon by somebody asking if we had any allergy or specific requirement. We replied that it was not the case.

After having been seated the head waitress came with us to start the experience in the wine cellar.

Even if the staging to propose the water was ‘too much’ let’s say that it was a pleasant moment where we started to taste some local vinegar and then some local herbs. It was great with interesting tastes.

Then we have been asked if we would prefer the long or the short menu but at this stage we have no clear idea of what this means ….

Big big mistake …

The hook for the restaurant was ‘Mediterranean cooking revisited’ …

I was not ready for archaeological cooking … We came here for a gastronomy dinner as we may expect in any Michelin 1 star restaurant …

To give you some insights on the menu ➕

Lamb tongue with fish entrails, eel with a ‘fish’ liver, rabbit with pigeon and meatballs with their interiors, pig’s ear, lamb ham, sweetbread of veal ….

On my side I was surprised to see so many organs in one menu since I may enjoy some of them but definitely not for a full menu and surely not when some of them are just awful to eat ..

But the worth was coming, my wife did not want to eat some of them.

In any other restaurant you could ask to replace it. Here it was impossible and she started to be served with plates having just some small vegetables … Unacceptable and the head waitress was feeling really comfortable with this just mentioning that she called in the afternoon to prevent that risk.

Let’s say that it would be more convenient if they were giving some indications of the ingredients of their cooking ?

The reality was that it was not good in addition to the way it was prepared. The only one well cooked and well prepared was the sweetbread for all the others the taste was so strong ..

Mixing lamb tongue and fish entrails was just awful …

When you are visiting this type of place you are coming for an experience. They tried to do it but imagine that for the rabbit plate it's coming on a rabbit fur …

Plate after plate you are expecting things to be changed … but no … they continue to serve a 1 cm2 side dish to my wife and the different tastes had nothing great …

From a good moment it became a nightmare ..

Then you are expecting the dessert or the cheese considering that they will not be able to bring an offal as a dessert …

And the dessert is a disappointment as well .. Not tasty at all, an absence of strawberry taste even for a mouthful and for the rest some figs with goat milk and a small almond parfait …

It’s just such a pity when you consider the amazing vegetables existing in this region. We had dinners the days before at Essentia and at ES Ventall and I can tell you that there is such a gap in quality in the way they are preparing vegetables. Between the way the beetroot is prepared there and at the Es Tragon there is a world …

For us it has been the worth guest experience ever in such type of restaurant. I am really angry considering the average rating in different guides and sites. I was feeling really comfortable going there but I did not read some previous bad reviews ..my mistake ..It seems that this restaurant was even a 2 Michelin star before ..

Finally my wife ate the bread with the Aioli inside a garlic clove and the tomato. This preparation was excellent and 2 or 3 others mouthfuls and that’s it ..

Not necessary to mention that this absence of service has not been taken into account at the time of the bill …

Consideration for the guests should be the first value for any restaurant. It does not seem to be part of...

I cannot recommend this restaurant, especially if one has any food restrictions.

I called them before booking to ask if they could accommodate my husband who does not eat fish or shellfish. I was told that they could, if we had the Menu Erizo, the more expensive menu. I called again the day before to confirm this. We had 2 calls on the day asking about whether he could eat various forms of fish and shellfish. We were very encouraged by this and excited to see what they would serve him as a replacement.

Unfortunately our expectations were not matched. He was served a double helping of one course and missed out completely on 2 courses when he was served nothing. There was no adjustment on the bill for this. Not really good enough for a Michelin-starred restaurant. It was particularly embarrassing for myself and our 2 guests when my husband sat through 2 courses with no food served to him.

The restaurant should have been honest with me on my first phone call that they were not able to accommodate us instead of getting us to pay for the more expensive menu and wine pairing.

Additionally we were charged €27 for water! This is very shortsighted of the restaurant and is the thing that remains in our memory rather than the the lovely surroundings, interesting food and lovely staff. We walked away annoyed and would certainly not return despite being resident in Ibiza. Nor would we recommend this restaurant to...

The concept of Es Tragón is unique: each and every dish is carefully prepared and has a story on its own. The restaurant is located in a beautiful country house, with many rooms. It’s incredible what they have achieved in terms of sustainability and self-management: everything seems to be produced there. Their menu is full of interesting twists, ranging from homages to previous civilizations to traditional Spanish dishes. The staff is very knowledgeable and would serve every dish to perfection. Dishes are very well prepared, to every detail, and the flavors are quite unique and delicious. The wine pairing is good, and there are some other good options in the menu. However, it’s not a very relaxing atmosphere: it feels like you are constantly under pressure to “eat in the right way”. I had they impression the staff is too concerned to have perfection in every detail, but to a level where guests might feel uncomfortable. Also it’s not easy to have small talk with the staff, as it feels like it’s a distraction and the topic would quickly come back to the menu concept. In the end, despite almost 3 hours, the dinner felt a bit rushed and not relaxing. Again, it’s an amazing experience and worth its price, but could be delivered in a...