Mar y Paz Restaurant Review

Even if this place didn’t have an outdoor swimming pool – which it does – it would still be having more fun than any other restaurant in town. This sprawling business has a few different parts to it, there is the ‘normal’ restaurant and dining terrace on the street, then across the road in a sunken area is the swimming pool and cabana bar and out in front of them is a faux beach and sea front dining area all of which are extremely cool and tricked out in a funky fusion of colours & décor.

Located between the two sandy beaches of Ca’n Picafort and Son Baulo on a rocky outcrop, this restaurant has an unbroken sea view, but not content with that they have also brought the beach to themselves, coating the outdoor dining area in a thick layer of sand and decorating it like a Bali beach lounge.

Everything about this place is fun, the peace sign psychedelic logo, the (hot) wait-staff in distressed t-shirts and bright shorts, the neon bright sun loungers, directors chairs and tractor tyre tables. The menus feature Nirvana album covers and have cartoons of protesting vegetables declaring “Vegans are evil” and “don’t be mean to greens” inside them. When you order your cutlery will arrive in a watering can (obviously), and your food may come in a bright green, pink or purple woven basket, everything’s bright, lively and colourful and even their rubbish bins are painted bright green.

The menu is Mediterranean/Asian fusion with a heavy influx of fresh seafood such as their pasta laden with clams in their shell, crab and lobster rice, grilled cuttlefish or wasabi prawns. There’s pad thai, tandoori chicken, pamboli or paella, and salads with cod flakes or goats cheese, apple and walnut. Their large homemade burgers are a blend of ox meat and pork and the Bisti burger is spicey and packed with chillies, capers and gherkins - they’re all served with a neon basket of fries.

They have a children’s menu which includes chicken nuggets, burger and fries or spaghetti bolognaise all €7 each. The rest of the menu ranges in price but the crab and lobster rice is the most expensive item at €22 per person, their portion sizes are huge and everything is good value.

If you don’t want to eat but just hang out and enjoy the ambiance of the pool they ask only that you abide by their few rules which amount to ‘relax’, use your common sense and ‘don’t pee in it’, and that you order drinks whilst you’re there. Ordering drinks is definitely not a hardship as a draught beer comes to you in a frosty glass straight from the freezer and costs €1.80, half a litre of sangria is €4.20 and their €7 cocktails are beautiful.

The perfect antidote to the majority of Ca’n Picafort’s characterless and tacky restaurant scene head to Mar y Paz if you want to enjoy a chilled out unique atmosphere, enjoy great food packed with beautiful fresh ingredients, lunch with sea views or dinner whilst listening to live Cuban or Reggae music. If you want to hang out by the pool drinking frosty beer all day or cocktail it up on a beach lounger. Check out their Facebook page for details of their up and coming live music and events including the yoga and tai-chi classes they run on their beach.