Restaurant Review: Shamarkanda, Ibiza

If you're staying in the North of the island, make sure you book a meal at Sharmarkanda (and I'd certainly recommend booking if you want a table in the outside garden area).

Our villa was just a short walk away from the restaurant so we headed down one evening, and entered into their beautiful garden setting with rows of lanterns running between the trees.

We started with a round of cocktails, and I went for the mezcal mule. This was made with a VERY smoky mezcal, and it had an interesting mango and ginger foam on top. I wasn't sure about the smokiness at first, but after mixing the foam into the drink the flavour mellowed a bit.

They have an extensive cocktail menu, so make sure you check out their signature cocktails. And there are alcohol-free options too for anyone who is driving.

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To start I ordered baba ganoush, which was topped with truffled cheese, honey and balsamic vinegar. The truffle flavour in the cheese didn't really come through so I would have liked quite a bit more truffle in this, but overall it tasted fresh, and was served with some delicious crusty bread.

For mains, both Nick and I ordered the chicken tacos which were served with manchego cheese, xnipek (a spicy sauce), herbs and a roasted lime wedge. The xnipek wasn't particularly spicy, although I quite enjoyed this, but for someone looking for a spicier flavour they might have been disappointed.

We had a nice meal here, and the service was very relaxed so we enjoyed a long meal without feeling rushed.

If we were staying in a similar location on our next visit to Ibiza, I'd certainly book this restaurant again as there are other options on the menu that I'd like to try, specifically the Peking duck bao buns.

Yes! They had quite a few gluten free options. Nick ordered the hummus starter, and they had gluten free bread to serve with this. All allergens were highlighted on the menu, and the staff were very helpful with explaining which other items on the menu could be made gluten free.

The vegan options here are very limited, there are only 2 starters to choose from (one of which was the hummus) and only one main. The vegan main is an edamame red curry with rice and sautéed vegetables, and if you're not a fan of spicy food it would be best to avoid this.