Having spent weeks doing the research before a trip to Menorca this summer, in part because no-one else seems to have come up with a useful, up-to-date guide, we decided to gather together our own feature. So here are our tried and tested tips on some great places to eat and drink if you're heading to the Balaeric island yourself.
Maó - for dinner
As the capital of the island, Maó (also written as Mahon in English) is one of two places you're definitely going to want to check out for interesting restaurants (the other is the city on the other side of the island, Ciutadella).
Literally everything about the look and feel of Hauser & Wirth on the Illa del Rei has been curated to perfection
Cantina
Diseminado Illa del Rei, 07700
Cantina was one of the reasons we even began looking at Menorca as a holiday destination. This beautiful restaurant is set on the historic Isla Del Rey out in Maó's harbour, where Hauser & Wirth (the people behind London's Mount St Restaurant and The Audley) have a modern art gallery. Everything about our dinner here was magical, starting with the fact that you have to take a boat to get there (the island has its own boat service, which we pre-booked).
The catamaran you board to take out to the island: it's a 10-minute journey.
After a wander through the galleries, checking out the new Cindy Sherman exhibition, we headed over to Cantina. The restaurant is an alfresco affair with tables scattered across the lawns that lead down to the sea. In the height of summer, it's very much a dress-up place - the people-watching here is unparalleled.
As for the food, while you're more than welcome to take a seat in the bar and enjoy a drink and some tapas, booking a table for a full-blown meal is what we'd recommend. The food is Menorcan and highly seasonal. Here's a taste of some of the dishes we tried.
Tapas - a mix of croquetas of the day - ours were cuttlefish (13 euros) and the best we tried on the island, along with a fish and prawn ceviche with green chilli and avocado (27 euros) and pan con tomate.
Cantina seafood and market fish black rice with alioli (56 euros) - an amazing paella dish served under the stars.
As the light goes down, Cantina is a pretty spectacular setting for dinner.
Oysters Menorca "Mahón"
Carrer de Bastió, 7, 07703 Maó
A very chic seafood and caviar bar, this is just the kind of place that would do very well in East London. The oysters are, as you would imagine, fantastic - we particularly liked the spicy vodka sauce they came with.
The tables to get in summer out on the pavement outside Oysters Menorca
King crab brioche - the bread comes from the Pigalle bakery opposite the restaurant.
Restaurant Ses Culleres
C. Pont des Castell, 6, 07701 Maó
Recommended to us by a Hot Dinners reader who has a home on the island, this is one of those restaurants that is all business in the front, party at the back. The unassuming entrance gives no clue that the restaurant opens out into a terrace with amazing views over Mahon harbour. The menu leans towards seafood and we honestly had the best calamari of our life here.
God-tier calamari at Ses Culleres
Mahon - pre or post dinner drinks
Bar Nou
Carrer Nou, 1, 07701 Maó
For almost four decades, this atmospheric bar has boasted great views over the Placa de la Constitucio and the historic cathedral of Santa Maria de Mao. Inside, it's all drinkers of a certain age playing dominoes, outside on the balconies it's more of a younger scene. The hardest thing is finding the entrance, which is via an unmarked door in the street down below.
We see now that we should have had a glass of Mahon beer for this shot...
BB Cocktail Bar
Pl. de España, 2, 07701 Mahón
The group behind this bar also owns the same-named bar in Binibeca, which we also spent an evening in, so we can recommend both of these as decent spots for a cocktail. This is very much an OTT drinks place though, so don't come here looking for the perfectly made martini. It's more of a flaming Mai Tai bar, so perfect for the holidays. Extra points for gummy bears as bar snacks.
Spicy margarita with a tajin rim at BB Cocktail Bar
Rest of the island
As we were staying here for just five nights and based in the south east side of the island, our food recommendations skew to that area. We're hearing amazing things about Ciutadella and that side of the island too, so we'll have to make a return visit. We had two more nights to go out on the town and we think we filled them wisely.
Bodegas Binifadet
Cami De Ses Barraques, S/N Ctra. Sant Lluís, 07710
Just when we thought we'd reached the pinnacle of restaurants that were as beautiful to look at as the food they were serving up, we had dinner at Binifadet. Set around 10 minutes from Mahon, this is one of the oldest wineries on the island. In addition to a massive wine shop and the option to tour the vineyard, it also has a large restaurant, with tables threaded through the winery, on the terrace and out into the vines. It is so pretty that eating here feels almost like being on a movie set.
The good news is that the food here is really good - we had an amazing steak, a rice dish with local mushrooms and a baked cheesecake that we're still talking about. And of course, the wine list is great, with almost everything available by the glass too.
The beautiful terrace setting for dinner at the Binifadet winery
Organically grown local tomatoes with Stracciatella and Menorcan extra virgin olive oil (17,50)
Bambu
Passeig Marítim, 38, Binibequer Vell, 07711 Binibèquer
Set right on the dunes in the gorgeous white washed village of Binibeca on the south coast of the island, Bambu is probably a better place to book for drinks with a group, or for a romantic dinner a deux. If you can, try and time your visit for the sunset, which is pretty spectacular here. Everyone, including us, wanders off mid-meal or mid-drink to go and take selfies down on the beach - it's that kind of relaxed place.
The very vibey Bambu right on the beach in Binibeca
Actual sundowners at sunset at Bambu
Where to stay
We honestly couldn't recommend our hotel to you (that's our bad for booking a cheap all-inclusive in an attempt to save money), but there are plenty of nice-looking boutique hotels on the island and next time we'd definitely look into booking a villa.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Cantina. All prices correct at time of publication.
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