Perched on a hill in the small historical village, San Rafael, along the road from Ibiza town to San Antonio, is a 300-year-old finca called El Clodenis. It boasts beautiful views all the way to the coast, and is adorned with orange and lemon trees and dusky, white walled streets that have the feel of living history. When I first lived in Ibiza in 2013, I remember hearing about this incredible place, but it’s been closed for the last seven years, until this all changed under new ownership.
An exclusive grand reopening of El Clodenis on May 8th 2025, with church bells ringing to announce the newly elected Pope, had well-known locals and celebrities alike flood the space, alongside PR and media, much to the owner’s surprise. The return of El Clodenis was clearly eagerly anticipated. Now reenvisioned as the place to experience Mexican flavours coming together with the Mediterranean. The focus is on Yucatán cuisine, full of fresh ceviches and aguachiles of the Pacific coast and the traditional, even pre-Hispanic, street food of Puebla. Wild citrus, island herbs, and native ajies are paired with the freshest seafood, all fuelled by a fire kitchen and ancestral techniques.
Mezcal features prominently on the menu and with the drinks, since it is a proud mezcalaria – inspired by the concept of barmacia or apotheque, their cocktail bar fuses herbalism and fine spirits with a beautifully modern yet artisanal approach. Botanist and master mixologist Everardo Tejeda runs the show here, mixing unique, premium mezcals with lovingly crafted infusions and herbs straight from the garden.
Inside, the old walls and door frames come alive with captivating video art installations with moving characters and shifting backdrops that give the space a modern vibrancy and just the right amount of whimsy. My husband and I were transfixed. The patio, with its candles and fairy-lights, Persian rugs, draping foliage and abundance of flowers, makes for a romantic setting, like some sort of midsummer’s night dream. Scents of jasmine and citrus orange ooze through the air, and the aura really is of a magical place – so peaceful, so relaxed – and a stone’s throw from one of the world’s newest super clubs.
Open for more than just dinner, there is a vibrant bar, a few lounge places for guests to retire to, especially if the outside gets too hot, and there’s even a small mini nightclub for when the party wants to continue but the village wants to sleep. This finca has it all.
We arrived on a Saturday evening in late June, to an almost empty courtyard at 8 pm, just as the restaurant was beginning to open. It was perfectly peaceful – the church tower watching over us with its beautiful white stone walls, the golden spire of the finca perched overhead, and a ceiling of flowers and foliage providing a wondrous canopy on the stone courtyard.
Everardo started us off with a mezcal tasting, using his very own Nakawé Spirits. The first was from Durango, a North Mexican city, with a fantastically smooth, earthy flavour, finished off with a delicate kumquat. We then moved on to the smoky, more fulsome mezcal from the Mountains of Sola de Vega in Oaxaca, wrapped up with a slice of spiced orange. As we savoured each sip, he then brought us two bespoke cocktails to enjoy as we toured the finca. I had a beautiful hibiscus margarita, served with a lovely flower and salt rim, whilst my husband had a mango margarita, finished with chunks of fresh mango at the bottom of his glass. Both were dangerous – almost too easy to drink, and absolutely fantastic.
As we viewed the grounds, our host, Ulises Braun, an absolute legend and guru of all things fun and delicious on the island, explained the history of El Clodenis. We learned about the finca and couldn’t help but notice the owner, Jose Castro, who, despite his wealth and success, kept appearing in our field of vision – lighting the candles, checking on tables, and making sure everything was just right. His fine attention to detail really stood out, and his humility in making sure he was on top of things in the restaurant – even though he had a well-trained team running the place – was genuinely heartwarming. It’s clear how much he loves this space and how passionate he is about creating a world-class experience for his guests.
Interestingly, the restaurant has a much larger capacity than El Clodenis currently seats. All around the back of the restaurant were tables and chairs, a glorious private pool, and tons of space for dining, but Mr. Castro and the team have consciously chosen not to expand dining capacity yet. For him, it’s better to start small and offer meticulous service at a few tables than to expand his restaurant and risk disappointing his guests by providing a larger service.
After we toured El Clodenis and saw the ‘Ferrari’ kitchen – a brand spanking new, shiny space with a beaming chef, twirling his blades – we returned to our tables where dinner began. Our host brought out a bottle of rosé (of course, the cocktails were finished), and we kicked off with a glass each and a toast. To start, the chef prepared grilled oysters with fine herb butter, which, if you’ve never had them off the grill before, are a definite must-try. They were followed by the refreshing Sea Bites: sea urchin, mixed seaweed in orange vinaigrette, topped with avocado and flying fish roe.
The Caribbean ceviche, prepared by Jorge Cordoba, sent my husband right back to his Bajan (Barbados) roots, with fresh sea bass, fresh mango, watermelon, and honeydew melon on coconut and dragon fruit tiger’s milk. Next to it was the Faroe Islands salmon tartar, the best fish tartar I’ve ever had, with Suke sauce, mango, and wasabi; it paired beautifully with the hot tostadas placed in the centre of the table.
As we took the last sips of rosé, Mr. Castro delivered a bottle that he insisted we enjoy with the rest of our meal. Incredibly generous and kind, he poured us each a glass of 2021 Sangarida ‘La Yegua’ Godello – Dona Blanca, with stone fruit and toasted nuts on the nose, it was creamy and had a textured finish. It was a great pairing, and yet another nod to his attention to detail.
We enjoyed the lovely white wine as our lovely waiter, Ariel, brought out charcoal-grilled octopus that was deliciously simple; the sea bass papataka served wrapped in a banana leaf; and the absolute show-stopping miso-marinated black cod, which my husband almost broke into song over. The cod came with danmuji (Korean pickled yellow radish) and kimchi (spicy Korean pickled cabbage) with a hint of Mexican spices, and it had him flying directly from Bridgetown to Seoul. It was an unexpected combination, and that is El Clodenis in so many ways, a fusion of flavours from around the globe and an experience that is out of this world.
Ibiza is full of hidden gems, but no gem shines brighter than the beautiful El Clodenis.
El Clodenis – La Casa 1795
Plaça S Rafae Església de S, 1
07816 Sant Antoni de Portmany
Balearic Islands
Spain
