We had been hearing glowing reports about a unique new restaurant in Jesus, just north of Ibiza Town, for quite some time and, unable to contain our curiosity any longer, we set off one rainy Tuesday lunch time to check it out.
Driving in from Ibiza Town, Jesus is very well sign-posted and there is ample free parking in the church car park, which is easily spotted on the right hand side of the road as you enter the town. A short and very picturesque walk across the kiddies' play area and church yard brought us to the main street of Jesus, right in front of Laurelito.
We received a warm welcome from the very friendly staff and superb advice from Simon, the owner and chef of some thirty-five years experience, as we gawped, admittedly at a bit of a loss as to what to order from the impressive menu-del-dia (or set menu) emblazoned on a huge blackboard on the wall. It was quickly clear that here was an expert who could easily accommodate any dietary requirement from vegetarianism to gluten intolerance and still create dishes to impress.We were in safe hands!
Content with our recommendations, my companion and I settled into our surprisingly comfortable school chairs (which, we discovered later, had been transported across especially from the UK), to await the arrival of two other friends who would be joining us for lunch.
As we looked around, we started to notice a certain quirkiness about the place that pleased us no end! For instance, the reserved signs on some of the tables were displayed in scrabble tiles, the cutlery was presented in Tate & Lyle tins, and the Sunday menu was written on an industrial roll of brown paper hanging on the wall. It all added to a light-hearted, chic cafe-style atmosphere, and we realised that the more we looked, the more we saw of these charming, little oddities.
There is no doubt that it works very well from an aesthetic point of view, and yet there is another interesting, practical reason behind it. Since moving to Ibiza almost eight years ago, owners Simon and Beck, dreamt of creating a traditional bar, serving good quality, healthy food at reasonable prices, but faced with enormous expense at such an enterprise, they simply rolled up their sleeves and did it all themselves...and in the impressive time-scale of just three months, Laurelito was born.
There is a good selection of reasonably-priced food and cakes to choose from on the regular menu, but the set menu, with three choices for the first course, three choices for the second and five choices of dessert for only €13 per head, was what had really grabbed our attention...and when the food arrived, we were certainly not disappointed. Inviting textures and well balanced flavours, fresh, wholesome and unquestionably delicious. We were four happy ladies at lunch!
And that is the joy of Laurelito; it is the perfect place for a relaxed get-together with friends or family. The menu del dia is available not only at lunch time, as is the norm, but all day and the impressive wine list features good quality wine from an independent supplier. As an added bonus, all food and wine is also available to take-away.
In the short time that Laurelito has been open it has attracted a solid posse of regulars and we could easily see why. With the perfect balance of high quality food in pleasant yet under-stated surroundings, along with friendly and attentive staff, even on a rainy Ibiza winter's day, this is a place where you cannot help but feel happy and warm.
We heartily recommend that you give Laurelito a try very soon...and please be sure to let us know...what was the message in your fork or spoon? Go along, and you'll understand what we mean!
Events and updates can be found here... Laurelito on Facebook (website coming soon!)
Quick Facts
What Laurelito
Where Jesus
When All winter
9.00 until 23.00 (ish) Tuesday to Saturday
9.00 until 18.00 Sundays
Closed Mondays
Why GREAT all day Menu del Dia
Average spend per head €13 plus drinks
Veggie Options Yes
Disabled Access Yes
Room for Improvement We're still working on that one!
Top Tips Have a good look at your cutlery…there may well be a message just for you!
