Restaurant in Mahón, Spain
Italian-Menorcan sourcing, Michelin-noted, book ahead.
El Romero holds a 2024 Michelin Plate and a 4.5 Google rating for farm-to-table cooking that combines Menorcan ingredients sourced directly from local farms and fishing boats with Italian technique — passatelli made with island cheese being the standout example. Four tasting menus cover seafood, produce, and lighter lunch formats. Full gluten-free cooking available. Book ahead, particularly in summer.
Yes — book El Romero if you want one of the most thoughtful farm-to-table experiences in Menorca, built around a daily commitment to local sourcing and backed by a 2024 Michelin Plate. It earns a 4.5 on Google across 401 reviews, which at the €€€ price tier is a reliable signal that the kitchen consistently delivers. The Italian-Menorcan hybrid identity is not a gimmick: it produces a menu architecture that is genuinely distinct from anything else at this price point on the island.
El Romero sits opposite the Santa María de Mahón church in the heart of the old town, run by an Italian couple who relocated to Menorca and built their kitchen around the island's producers. Ingredients come directly from fishing boats and local farms, which means the menu shifts with what is actually available — a genuine market-driven approach rather than a marketing line. In season, that translates to fish landed that morning and vegetables from farms within close reach of Mahón. If you are visiting in summer, when Menorca's agricultural output peaks and the fishing is at its most active, the menu will reflect that richness.
The tasting menu architecture at El Romero is where the concept earns its Michelin recognition. Four distinct menus are available: Mar de la Isla, Mar de la Isla Plus, Huerta Gourmet, and Mediodía Light. The progression logic is direct to read: Mar de la Isla and its extended version centre on the island's seafood, while Huerta Gourmet tilts toward land-based produce. Mediodía Light is the lunch-optimised format for those who want a shorter experience. For a full evening, Mar de la Isla Plus gives you the widest range and the most complete expression of the kitchen's sourcing. If the goal is to understand what El Romero is actually doing, this is the menu to choose.
The Italian thread running through the menu adds genuine interest rather than confusion. The most telling example is passatelli , a pasta format from Emilia Romagna , prepared here using island cheese in place of Parmesan. It is a small substitution with a clear rationale: use what is local, adapt where necessary, keep the technique intact. This is the kind of cooking decision that distinguishes a kitchen with a real point of view from one that is simply describing provenance on the menu.
El Romero also operates full gluten-free cooking, making it a practical choice for coeliac diners , a meaningful commitment at a tasting-menu restaurant where cross-contamination risk is often higher. If you are travelling with someone who has dietary restrictions, this is worth factoring into your venue decision.
Timing matters here. Spring and autumn are the periods when Menorca's produce calendar is most interesting , summer brings tourist volume that can affect pacing at any restaurant in the old town, and winter hours are reduced across most of Mahón's dining scene. For the most considered experience at El Romero, aim for a shoulder-season visit, ideally a weekday evening when the restaurant is not operating at full tourist-season pressure. Lunch via the Mediodía Light menu is a lower-commitment entry point if you want to assess the kitchen before committing to a full evening tasting menu.
The location opposite the Santa María church means the approach to the restaurant is one of the more visually arresting walks in Mahón's old town , relevant if you are planning an evening around the experience rather than just the meal itself.
For context on what a Michelin Plate signals: it indicates a kitchen producing good cooking, one step below a Bib Gourmand (which requires good food at moderate prices) and below star recognition. At El Romero's €€€ tier, the Plate confirms the kitchen is operating at a credible standard rather than coasting on location and scenery. Spain's fine dining landscape includes heavier hitters , Quique Dacosta in Dénia, El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Arzak in San Sebastián, Azurmendi in Larrabetzu, Martin Berasategui in Lasarte-Oria, Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa María, DiverXO in Madrid, and Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona , but none of those are on Menorca, and El Romero is not trying to compete with them. Its frame of reference is the island, and within that frame it is delivering at a level that justifies the price. Farm-to-table restaurants operating at a similar philosophy elsewhere in Europe, such as Au Gré du Vent in Seneffe and Wein- und Tafelhaus in Trittenheim, offer a useful comparison point for understanding what committed local-sourcing cooking looks like at this tier.
Reservations: Easy to book , walk-in may be possible, but given the Michelin Plate recognition and limited seating typical of this style of restaurant, booking ahead is advisable, particularly in summer. Budget: €€€ , expect a mid-to-upper range spend per head for the full tasting menus; the Mediodía Light offers a more accessible entry at lunch. Dietary needs: Full gluten-free cooking available; coeliac diners should confirm requirements at time of booking. Leading time to visit: Shoulder season (spring or autumn) for the most dynamic produce-driven menu and a quieter dining room. Location: Opposite the Santa María de Mahón church, central old town.
For more dining options in the city, see our full Mahón restaurants guide. If you are planning a longer stay, our Mahón hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide cover the rest of the island's offer.
El Romero is a small, chef-driven restaurant typical of Mahón's old town , not a venue designed for large parties. If you are a group of four or more, book well in advance and contact the restaurant directly to confirm capacity and menu options. For a group occasion where flexibility on group size matters more, Candela may be worth considering alongside it.
Yes, provided you are booking for two or a small group who want a structured tasting experience. The Michelin Plate recognition, the Italian-Menorcan menu concept, and the location opposite the Santa María church all make it a practical choice for a considered celebration dinner. It is a better occasion pick than a casual bistro, but less formally theatrical than a starred restaurant , which, on Menorca, does not exist at this level anyway. Choose the Mar de la Isla Plus menu for the full experience.
Yes , El Romero offers full gluten-free cooking and is suitable for coeliacs. This is a genuine kitchen commitment, not just a menu note, which makes it more reliable than most restaurants at this tier. If you have other dietary requirements beyond gluten, confirm directly with the restaurant when booking, as the tasting-menu format requires advance preparation for substitutions.
At €€€, El Romero is priced at the upper end of Mahón's dining market , and the 2024 Michelin Plate and 4.5 Google rating across 401 reviews both suggest the kitchen earns it. The value case is strongest if you choose the Mar de la Isla Plus menu and engage with the full tasting format. If you want a shorter, lower-spend experience, the Mediodía Light lunch menu gives you access to the same sourcing philosophy at a more accessible commitment. For comparable farm-to-table cooking at €€€ in Mahón, El Rais is the direct alternative to evaluate.
There is no confirmed bar seating format in the available data for El Romero. Given its tasting-menu structure and old-town Mahón location, it operates as a sit-down restaurant rather than a counter or bar dining venue. If a more informal counter experience is what you are after, La Cocina de Cristine may be a better fit.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Romero | Farm to table | If you enjoy authentic market-inspired cuisine, this restaurant will definitely appeal to you. Located opposite the Santa María de Mahón church and run by a couple of Italian origin who fell in love with the island, it showcases recipes that are strongly based around Menorcan ingredients which they buy directly from fishing boats and local farms. However, you’ll also find nods to their homeland, including “passatelli”, a typical recipe from Emilia Romagna, which follows the recipe of the chef’s mother (with cheese from the island used instead of parmesan). Choose between several menus: Mar de la Isla, Mar de la Isla Plus, Huerta Gourmet and Mediodía Light. Gluten-free cooking that is suitable for coeliacs.; If you enjoy authentic market-inspired cuisine, this restaurant will definitely appeal to you. Located opposite the Santa María de Mahón church and run by a couple of Italian origin who fell in love with the island, it showcases recipes that are strongly based around Menorcan ingredients which they buy directly from fishing boats and local farms. However, you’ll also find nods to their homeland, including “passatelli”, a typical recipe from Emilia Romagna, which follows the recipe of the chef’s mother (with cheese from the island used instead of parmesan). Choose between several menus: Mar de la Isla, Mar de la Isla Plus, Huerta Gourmet and Mediodía Light. Gluten-free cooking that is suitable for coeliacs.; Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| El Rais | Farm to table | Unknown | — | |
| La Cocina de Cristine | Unknown | — | ||
| Candela | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between El Romero and alternatives.
Small-format farm-to-table restaurants opposite landmark sites like Santa María de Mahón tend to run limited covers, so larger groups should contact El Romero directly before assuming availability. Parties of 2–4 are the natural fit for this style of kitchen. If you are planning a group of 6 or more, book as early as possible and confirm seating arrangements in advance.
Yes — the Michelin Plate recognition (2024) and the market-driven, multi-course menu format make it a solid choice for a birthday or anniversary dinner in Menorca. The location opposite the Santa María de Mahón church adds atmosphere without being a tourist trap. For a more formal occasion, the Mar de la Isla Plus menu is the logical pick over the lighter Mediodía option.
Gluten-free dining is explicitly built into the kitchen's approach, and the restaurant is documented as suitable for coeliacs — that is a concrete commitment, not a vague accommodation. If you have other dietary needs beyond gluten, check the venue's official channels given the market-led menu format, which changes with supply.
At €€€ for a Michelin Plate restaurant sourcing directly from local fishing boats and farms, the value case is strong by Menorca standards. The Italian-Menorcan hybrid cooking — including dishes like passatelli made to a family recipe — gives the menu a specificity that justifies the spend over generic seafood restaurants in the port area. If you want the full picture, choose Mar de la Isla Plus over the Mediodía Light menu.
Bar seating is not documented for El Romero, and the tasting menu format suggests a seated, table-service experience rather than a casual counter setup. Walk-in may be possible, but given the Michelin Plate profile and limited covers typical of this kitchen style, a reservation is the safer approach.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
