El Golfo

Definitely the very best paella on this sunny island! Don’t be tempted to go anywhere else, actually even for any type of fish dish! Santi’s El Golfo restaurant is just down the street from the Biosfera Shopping Centre, on the same side of the road! It is so ordinary looking from the outside and in fact by just peering in the door with its café type appearance you would be tempted to just walk on by! It is an old well established restaurant and run by Santi, his wife Maria, and family who are all so warm, welcoming and friendly. Service with a smile is efficient and easygoing, and to whet your appetite you are given a free starter of a freshly cooked crab cake or such like. The paella does take at least 35 minutes to prepare but it is so well worth the wait! We have sampled a number of locally caught fish dishes and they are all excellent, plain and simple without any fancy sauces but so delicious. All dishes and wine are extremely reasonably priced and to top it off, you are offered a free drink before you depart. Wonderful freshly prepared food and such lovely homely owners, it’s no wonder the place is packed do the door with an obvious number of repeat customers. Don’t miss it, and have a look at the inside walls covered in plates from all over the world, given to them my customers over a long number of years.

We came into this packed family run restaurant and was immediately taken to our table by the lovely Maria. Marias mother and father started the restaurant in 1975. Buying their fish from port and growing as much of their own veg as possible. If it can be home made it is ! Right down the delicious garlic mayo and tartar sauce .
We had the Grilled Sole special and the Mussels El Golfo. Perfectly cooked great tasting cuisine… The next day we returned and started with a shell fish soup. It was more stew like than soup and more fish, squid and prawns than shell fish but it was perfect and so tasty I ended up licking the bowl clean ! She had some tomatoe soup which was divine but not in the same class of my shellfish. For mains I had a grilled fish platter. I couldn’t tell you exactly what was there but I can say there were five or six types on my plate and it was all very very nice. The trump card for this establishment is their pricing. We spent less than 15 quid for two courses with wine. Which for food of this quality is a bargain !